MODERN WEST POETRY IN MOTION
Hell or High Water
Review by Ray Schillaci
If any movie has captured the true spirit of Sam Peckinpaw (Ride the High Country, The Wild Bunch, Straw Dogs) in the last twenty years, it is David MacKenzie and Taylor Sheridan’s Hell or High Water. What most will not understand about that statement is that it’s not about the violence, it’s about the mythic proportions of manliness, righteous indignation, and the ambiguous ambitions of seeking a common good. Mackenzie and Sheridan have created not just a classic Robin Hood-type fable, but an ode to the fading American way of life.
Director Mackenzie fills the screen with so many iconic images, and yet there is also a very laid back way he portrays Sheridan’s tale of the two brothers who choose to rob a branch of banks in order to pay off the reverse mortgage on their mother’s farm. What could have been a simple story is far more complex along with the cast of characters.
Ben Foster as Tanner Howard, the near sociopathic older brother who has recently been released from a long stint in prison, provides a complicated anti-hero along with Chris Pine as the young brother, Toby Howard. Toby is a far more sympathetic good ol’ boy that we can relate to. He’s a family man at heart even though he is separated from them. He’s not out to hurt anybody, just wants to make things right the way he sees it and that’s why he’s enlisted the aid of his criminal older brother. Pine underplays the role, he is more of the quiet man, but what he does not say with words, he speaks volumes in looks.
Older brother Tanner makes no bones about hurting anyone in the way of his younger sibling. He’s unpredictable and reckless. Foster provides a dangerous grit that delivers a memorable performance that could land him an Oscar nomination. His is the kind of role Jack Nicholson would revel in during his younger days. On the other hand, Foster doesn’t quite run with it. He keeps Tanner Howard edgy but with a hint of empathy that manages to get us to root for both of them.
On the law side, there is the always reliable Jeff Bridges as Marcus Hamilton. On the verge of retirement, this curmudgeon of a Texas Ranger struggles with the formidable end to his career. Playing spry and wily has always been a strong suit of Bridges, but he’s so immersed in the role he takes what could have been a stock character and elevates Hamilton to near classic stature. He tosses insults to his half-breed partner, Alberto, as easy as nearly outfoxing all those around him.
His partner, on the other hand, is just as easy going with the insults about retirement and age. Watching the two go at it is like watching an old married couple. They’re so lived in with each other that their repertoire is realistic and amusing. Gil Birmingham lends a sense of nobility and futility (with Hamilton) as Alberto Parker.
The one thing these two men have in common is the crime that has hit a particular branch of banks. Their revelry when they actually find a lead is so much fun it almost pulls us out of the sympathy we have for the Howard brothers. The investigation also has its bumps in the road when the two law men find that the townsfolk are of little cooperation when asked about the robbery. One actually states, Hell, that bank’s been robbing me for years!
And, that’s where this fable takes an interesting turn. This is not just a crime story or relationship-laden road trip. Writer Taylor Sheridan takes a complicated high road as to what is wrong with America; greed, trust, a man’s word, the law, banks, oil companies, people losing their homes as companies flourish and flee the country. Sheridan’s tale of the Howards is a beautiful amalgamation of the classic ’70s anti-hero films. And director MacKenzie and his cinematographer, Giles Nuttgens, beautifully capture the wide open spaces of Texas as well as the fading small towns that are being economically crushed. Sure, there are the beautiful vista shots, but there is also the poetic license used to capture the spirit of Texas itself, not always focused or prettified, but always providing a bold statement.
Also, there are the little moments that MacKenzie and Sheridan have inserted that stick with the audience long after the film is over. A crotchety waitress that tells our lawmen the way it is. A riveting scene between the older brother (masked) staring down a bank employee. A poignant moment in a diner between the younger brother and a down-to-earth and sweet server. Ben Foster’s confrontation with a Comanche in a casino, chilling. So many other scenes that make this film the embodiment of what so many have been crying out for…a real adult drama with heart and soul. Hell or High Water is a modern day classic that should garner much attention come award season.
Directed by: David Mackenzie
Release Date: August 12, 2016
Run Time: 102 Minutes
Country: USA
Rated: R
Distributor: CBS Films
