Hell or High Water

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Rob Babcock

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Hell or High Water
« on: 28 Aug 2016, 04:11 am »
After seeing Hell or High Water I must agree with RottenTomatoes- it's an outstanding film!  Ben Foster and Chris Pine play down-on-their-luck brothers Tanner and Toby Howard. Desperation has driven them to rob branches of the bank that holds the mortgage on their mother's house.  Jeff Bridges plays Texas Ranger Marcus Hamilton, set to retire but determined to solve one last case before he's done.  While this sounds formulaic the results are anything but!  Pine especially gets a chance to shine, showing he's more than an action film pretty boy.  He plays the character of Toby Howard with a rare mix of pensiveness and intensity; Toby is a quiet man but one with a sharp wit and a deep reservoir of strength.  Toby sees one possible way for his kids to have a better life.  Foster is terrific as the hell raising but loyal older brother Tanner, a man who took a bad road after a life of abuse at the hands of their alcoholic father.  Bridges is wonderful as always, bringing a lot of dark humor and wry wit to the cranky old lawman tasked with bringing the two in.

The film reminds me a lot of Appaloosa with a smidge of No Country for Old Men thrown in.  The story unfolds languidly, in an unhurried fashion.  Events push the story towards what seems like an inevitable conclusion but not everything is as it seems.  Here the characters are the story, fully fleshed out and alive on the screen.  The camera observes everything, creating a very vivid portrayal of rural life.  The movie is ostensibly about bank robberies but it's really about people; what drives us, why we end up how we do and whether or not we truly choose it.  It's also an exploration of good and evil and how we tell the two apart in a society that seems to value profit over morality.

All in all I think Hell or High Water is one of the best films of the year so far.  Highly recommended! :thumb:

Folsom

Re: Hell or High Water
« Reply #1 on: 28 Aug 2016, 04:15 am »
I'll be sure to watch it. Thanks. I need other people to tell me what's good instead of Rotten Tomatoes after their rating and comments of Ghostbusters (reboot).

stlrman

Re: Hell or High Water
« Reply #2 on: 14 Dec 2016, 04:40 pm »
I wanted to love this as I was super excited to see this . I thought it was good. I enjoyed the sound track, cinamatograhy , and the acting , but it seems like this movie had been done many times before! Certain plot things seemed pretty cliche . While I enjoyed the movie , I was expecting something awesome. It fell short.
My wife could not understand all the hype and accolades.
I give it an B , 80%
 
    This director directed , Starred Up , which I think is a way more powerful movie. Check out Starred Up !!

https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/starred_up/

Rob Babcock

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Re: Hell or High Water
« Reply #3 on: 15 Dec 2016, 02:20 am »
Sounds interesting.  I'll have to check it out. :thumb: