Hell Or High Water

 

Starring Chris Pine,Ben Foster and Jeff Bridges,Hell or High Water is a modern-day western directed by David Mackenzie and written by Taylor Sheridan.

The film follows 2 bank robbing brothers [Pine and Foster] as they attempt to raise enough money to keep their mothers house from being illegally possessed by the banks they are robbing.Only a grizzled soon to be retired Texas Ranger [Bridges] stands in their way of finishing what they started,will they succeed or will the Texas Ranger thrawt their scam..?

This film is a stylish upgrade on the old school western with the moral story of the corrupt banks being protected by the law getting a taste of their own medicine.It’s a wonderful game of cat and mouse between the Texas Rangers of Hamilton [Bridges],his sidekick and deputy Parker [Gil Hamilton] and the 2 bank-robbers,the at-any-cost Tanner Howard [Foster] who has been in and out of prison his whole life and his squeaky-clean brother Toby Howard [Pine] who just wants to save his mothers property from the banks who just see it as another underhand investment into the oil industry.

Pine plays his character with empathy and grace whilst Bridges is excellent as the wily old Ranger after one last shot at glory before his retirement [think Morgan Freeman in Se7en] and he hangs up his badge.The support cast play their roles fine and help keep the film going and give it an all-round edge..

The film is excellently shot with stunning desert scenes creating a lonely wilderness and the cameo’s from other actors reminds me a lot of the film Fargo,especially the scene with the waitress in the T-bone diner..

It is definitely a film worth viewing if you like slightly obscure,left of centre films like the Coen Brothers would make but with a real story to tell of greed and corruption of the poor and innocent  in society.One of the better films out at the moment..

Joxer Film Rating

9/10

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