Year: 2016
Director: David Mackenzie
Country: US
Language: English
Scottish director David Mackenzie (Starred Up, Perfect Sense) shoots the rural scenery in Hell or High Water like a post-recession wasteland out of a Cormac McCarthy novel; and while he captures the spare, empty quality of the backdrop, he tends to also use repetitious heavy handed imagery to get his point across. Shots of oil drilling and debt relief signs are smart at first, but wear off by the 10th time they're used.
In this, a divorced father (Chris Pine) and his ex-con older brother (Ben Foster) resort to a desperate scheme in order to save their family's ranch in West Texas.
Comparisons to Unforgiven (1992) and No Country for Old Men (2007) are fair play given Hell or High Water's similar tone. Albeit Mackenzie's screenplay isn't as deep as the Coens' and it has no real interested in dissecting how the characters accept and reject western tropes. It is a relevant modern day Western that perhaps tries too hard to appeal to Southerners. Guns, pickup trucks and Southern grit are a plenty, as are indigenous people and silly racist southern people. One old man is shocked that the robbers aren't Mexican, isn't he adorable?
Jeff Bridges plays a role he is pretty good at, the southern fried whiskey drinkin old school protagonist as seen in True Grit. He doesn't play this role any differently however, and I suspect all his southern roles are very similar. Chris Prine has matured in his acting ability and pulls off a good performance. Nick Cave and Warren Ellis produced the film’s music, which adds another twangy country layer to the material. The most memorable aspect of this picture is the cinematography by Giles Nuttgens, who perfectly captures the landscapes of West Texas.
Honestly, I had not heard of Hell or High Water until it was nominated for an Academy Award. I most likely would have not thought of seeing it. Certainly a good "machismo" type of film, but not the type I'd revisit or give awards to. It's alright, but I'm sure I'll forget about it in a few months.
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