STUDIO: Lionsgate | DIRECTOR: David Mackenzie | CAST: Jeff Bridges, Chris Pine, Ben Foster, Dale Dickey, Gil Birmingham, Katy Mixon
RELEASE DATE: 11/22/16 | PRICE: DVD $14.99, Blu-ray/DVD Combo $19.96
BONUSES: featurettes, filmmaker Q&A, red carpet footage
SPECS: R | 122 min. | Western thriller | 2.40:1 widescreen | Dolby Digital 5.1/DTS HD Master Audio 5.1 | English and Spanish subtitlesRATINGS (out of 5 dishes): Movie
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One of the best reviewed films of 2016 and the biggest independent box-office earner of the year ($26 million and counting), this modern-day western is smashing in all departments. It boasts an engrossing script, superior acting and gorgeous cinematography, all filtered through gritty, no-nonsense direction by British helmer David Mackenzie (Perfect Sense).
Chris Pine and Ben Foster in Hell or High Water
The setting is impoverished contemporary West Texas where testy ex-con Tanner (Ben Foster, The Finest Hours) and his divorced, unemployed brother Toby (Chris Pine, Star Trek: Into Darkness) set out on a bank robbing spree, banging out a series of robberies of small banks in the area. A soon-to-retire Texas Ranger (Jeff Bridges, Cutter’s Way) and his Native American-Mexican deputy (Gil Birmingham, The Lone Ranger) attempt to figure out who’s behind the crimes, which are getting exceedingly more violent.
There are obvious similarities here to the Coen Brothers’ No Country for Old Men, but rather than a super-villain like No Country’s Anton Chigurh, we have Foster and Pine as siblings dealing with real-life issues that elicit empathy from the audience despite their unscrupulous activities. On the other side of the desolate highway is wise-cracking Bridges, smart and sage-like, who will remind many of Tommy Lee Jones’ lawman in the Coen Brothers movie—in a good way.
There’s an extra layer of social issues and politics here that push the movie beyond its crime drama origins and into thought-provoking territory. The film steadily builds, picking up intensity as it goes along.
Expect strong support from genre fans and indie watchers alike for this is that rare crossover picture that satisfies both audiences equally. And end-of-the-year “Top 10” list mentions and, possibly, awards will propel the title even further.
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I saw this at the theatre and completely loved it. Agree that the cinematography was lush and helped paint the story of the brother’s struggles to hold onto their small part of the American dream. The entire cast was outstanding, and while I could see fairly early on where the story would go, I stayed engaged to the story and characters. Highly recommend this film.
I haven’t seen this one yet but I’m looking forward to it! David Mackenzie is a very solid director—he’s been making features for a while now. I enjoyed Starred Up, his last one, and Perfect Sense with Ewan McGregor and Eva Green. He also made Young Adam a while back with Ewan and Tilda Swinton—another good one! And the screenwriter, Taylor Sheridan, also wrote Sicario, which is quite fine…