Hell or High Water

10

HalloziAug 21, 2016

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. David Mackenzie brings an adrenaline-filled movie to the big screen. We see all sorts of familiar faces, but the audience is introduced to a few new characters as well.
The film served as great entertainment with its colorful cast and numerous plot twists.
Despite the films minor shortcomings, Hell or High Water is exciting, creative, and well worth two hours of your time.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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7

fungusgnatAug 21, 2016

Mackenzie and Sheridan craft an entertaining lightweight shoot-‘em-up that risks doing real damage to folks in proportion to the serious attention the filmmakers give to their two bromances, which seem to be where their own hearts and mindsMackenzie and Sheridan craft an entertaining lightweight shoot-‘em-up that risks doing real damage to folks in proportion to the serious attention the filmmakers give to their two bromances, which seem to be where their own hearts and minds lie. This flick may not be deserving of the critical adulation it has received—for example, it subscribes a little too whole-heartedly to the victimization narrative of its Texan locals. But it’s nonetheless got enough action and reflection to make it stand out among the hopeless cases released into the August doldrums.… Expand

2 of 3 users found this helpful21

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9

moviemitch96Aug 20, 2016

Without a doubt the most tense, engaging, and just plain awesome film I've seen so far this year! This is a perfect example of how a neo-western should be done! Yes, many of its plot points undoubtedly are familiar and been there, done that.Without a doubt the most tense, engaging, and just plain awesome film I've seen so far this year! This is a perfect example of how a neo-western should be done! Yes, many of its plot points undoubtedly are familiar and been there, done that. However, the film's excellent character study, acting, humorous moments, gorgeous cinematography that captures rural Texas in all of its gritty glory, and smartly paced storyline elevates it to ultimately make for one solid western crime flick! As far as I'm concerned, it also serves as Jeff Bridges, Chris Pine, and Ben Foster's best and most compelling work yet! Overall, it's an absolute must-see for any western or crime fan or for those looking to see a more poised and intelligent film within these genres as opposed to a more all-out gunplay and action film. As far as neo-westerns go, I'm not exaggerating when I say that this one's on par with No Country For Old Men! It really is that great!… Expand

1 of 2 users found this helpful11

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9

BrianMcCriticAug 19, 2016

While the film is straight forward with a lot of previously done plot points, the look, feel, and humor makes this film different and special. This film is beautifully shot from start to finish and all the performances are great. Texas hasWhile the film is straight forward with a lot of previously done plot points, the look, feel, and humor makes this film different and special. This film is beautifully shot from start to finish and all the performances are great. Texas has never looked or felt more rugged with the feel of the past and present all rolled into one. A truly great film and one of the better movies of the year. A… Expand

1 of 2 users found this helpful11

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5

AxeTAug 19, 2016

High hopes for this in the worst summer for movies of all time. Unfortunately it does not deliver. What a let down considering the great word of mouth, solid cast and welcome genre. Jackass critics over-praise yet again here doing nobodyHigh hopes for this in the worst summer for movies of all time. Unfortunately it does not deliver. What a let down considering the great word of mouth, solid cast and welcome genre. Jackass critics over-praise yet again here doing nobody but the makers and themselves a favor! The idiots obviously grade on a curve. Do they give this mild effort a break only because everything else is so piss poor? They're unfit to be giving their worthless opinions on anything.
Jeff Bridges is a very fine actor and one of the great contemporary movie stars. Lifelong fan and he's in my top three favorite movie stars. He's good here and all the funny lines are delivered by his character, but that's about all that's good in this film. The script is weak on story. Low stakes, high boredom with contrived characters in cliché circumstances that have been put on screen countless times. The motivating family backstory is not going to be bought by a thinking audience. Obviously the writer and director were trying to comment on the modern West (actually its Texas here) with their dissertation in the forefront, and the lame story taking the backseat. Major mistake and it never works. If you want to do that then go make a documentary, write a book or become a painter because Hollywood movies should always be about strong narrative. Any kind of message on the nature of things should be sub-text, always! The audience needs a good story and the rest can filter through sub-consciously or even overtly, but the priority must be on story. The rookies behind this either don't get that, or just couldn't come up with the goods. ("Sicario" was a pretty phony and thin movie for that matter.) The tone and craft of this movie are fine and that's what the sheep critics are all flocking around because they are very easily fooled. It's a slow slog building up to nothing much.

Also there is a ridiculous logic flaw in the plot, what little plot there is. And not a flaw but maybe more troubling is a lack of moral subjectivity by the authorship of the film. The anti-hero is nothing new. What is are today's Leftist amoral filmmakers who don't pass judgment on extreme violence but show it matter of factly which is more realistic (except for the ubiquitous blood splatter now in shows and movies which is not realistic most of the time and in some ways the old code movies completely devoid of it are actually more realistic), however less reasonable for an audience looking for meaning. The tone shifts from buddy joking to cold blooded killing by characters the filmmakers intend you to like. That's not the problem. The lack of more of a moral payoff is. The danger is a culture heading for a complete lack of morality in the arts.… Expand

2 of 6 users found this helpful24

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6

gfnyAug 19, 2016

The film was a slight disappointment because it came with such high ratings that I expected an excellent film. It is not, but it is a good film. There is much dialogue which can seem tedious at times but the story line keeps it going.The film was a slight disappointment because it came with such high ratings that I expected an excellent film. It is not, but it is a good film. There is much dialogue which can seem tedious at times but the story line keeps it going. Direction and acting were excellent -- the storyline was good. The critics that gave it about a 65 had it right.… Expand

1 of 5 users found this helpful14

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7

GreatMartinAug 19, 2016

"Hell and High Water" is a very 'odd' movie!! For the first 75 minutes you wish it 'would just get on' to where it is going though it does have 1-2 minutes of hilarity supplied by Margaret Bowman as a sassy waiteress who wouldn't take any"Hell and High Water" is a very 'odd' movie!! For the first 75 minutes you wish it 'would just get on' to where it is going though it does have 1-2 minutes of hilarity supplied by Margaret Bowman as a sassy waiteress who wouldn't take any guff from Jack Nicholson giving his order in "Five Easy Pieces" let alone from Texas Ranger Jeff Bridges! There is also a lot of give and take between Jeff, who will soon retire, and his Mexican-Comanche partner Gil Birmingham plus the bank robber brothers Chris Pine and Ben Foster.

The screenwriter Taylor Sheridan offers sharp dialogue between the various 'couples', including an exchange between another waitress played by Katy Mixon who is flirtatious with Pine and then haughty with Bridges who wants to take her $200 tip as evidence. Where the screenplay goes astray is when it delves into the why of the bank robberies and leaves the clever based dialogue.

The chemistry between older 'black sheep' brother Foster and the 'baby' Pine works from their first appearance to the end and Pine does clean up handsomely! The chemistry between Bridges and Birmingham is just as important between as it is between the brothers and all 4 pay off.

There is no 'love interest' per se but both Bowman and Mixon women steal the movie from the more 'important' roles of the men. After that hour and 15 minutes of the set up the last 27 minutes grabs you and will surprise the most avid movie goer.

"Hell and High Water" is a low keyed Western thriller cowboy movie but that scene with Bowman is sure to remain in your herad long after the movie does. It is a classic segment that will probably be watched millions of times on Youtube!!… Expand

3 of 4 users found this helpful31

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8

TVJerryAug 19, 2016

When the movie starts, you assume that the brothers (Chris Pine and Ben Foster) are just out for a bank-robbing joy ride thru the forlorn, foreclosed Texas midlands. As the plot develops, it becomes clear that there's more to their plan.When the movie starts, you assume that the brothers (Chris Pine and Ben Foster) are just out for a bank-robbing joy ride thru the forlorn, foreclosed Texas midlands. As the plot develops, it becomes clear that there's more to their plan. While they go from bank to bank, the sheriff (Jeff Bridges in a crotchety comic role) pursues them with quiet patience and logic. This is NOT a wildly-violent crime caper or a Tarantinoesque script with snappy repartee. It's a smartly-written, well-directed drama with involving characters and exceptional performances all around. A clean action film with that's intelligently crafted to rise above the genre.… Expand

2 of 3 users found this helpful21

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8

netflicAug 14, 2016

Finally a movie that I could wholeheartedly recommend, even though western-style heist movies are definitely not my favorite genre.
Brothers robbing banks - I can't say it is a very novel idea for a movie.
But how well this movie is made!Finally a movie that I could wholeheartedly recommend, even though western-style heist movies are definitely not my favorite genre.
Brothers robbing banks - I can't say it is a very novel idea for a movie.
But how well this movie is made! How colorful it's characters are! The movie is so authentic, you can feel the taste and smell of Western Texas. Performance, sound track, directing, visuals, are all excellent. I would not be surprised to see it's name on the Oscar's list for 2016.… Expand

2 of 3 users found this helpful21

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10

AGeekNamedBobAug 14, 2016

HELL OR HIGH WATER was a perfect film. Jeff Bridges, Ben Foster and Chris Pine - three actors who always turn in great and/or interesting performances (no matter the quality of movie) in a crime western with an incredibly strong script byHELL OR HIGH WATER was a perfect film. Jeff Bridges, Ben Foster and Chris Pine - three actors who always turn in great and/or interesting performances (no matter the quality of movie) in a crime western with an incredibly strong script by Taylor Sheridan, who wrote last year's SICARIO. And a string heavy score by Nick Cave and Warren Ellis to set the tone in the bleak, dust-bowl like poor west Texas setting? Really, this film blew me away. I can think of nothing I didn't like.… Expand

1 of 4 users found this helpful13

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6

awalAug 14, 2016

This movie is the Las Vegas strip of cinema. It takes great elements from a huge variety of sources and recreates them in it's own, small world while providing only a minimum of context. They're amusing to see, but like the Eiffel Tower inThis movie is the Las Vegas strip of cinema. It takes great elements from a huge variety of sources and recreates them in it's own, small world while providing only a minimum of context. They're amusing to see, but like the Eiffel Tower in the desert, you know that it's a pale imitation of the original.

That said, this isn't a bad movie, but it's not nearly the masterpiece that the many 90+ critics' scores might lead you to otherwise believe. The entire movie feels like West Texas written and directed by a NYC film student who knows the geography and people only through watching other movies set in the same location. There are so many cliches in the character creation, the dialog and the cinematography that's it's a bit overwhelming, but contained within the individual scenes are plenty of gems that make the movie worthwhile.

Bridges and Birmingham are walking on thread-bare, cop-partner carpet. Pine does his best "Amarillo Raylan Givens" imitation. Every scene is accompanied by some cliched Texas noir soundtrack music. Once in a while I wished for there to be no music so that I could decide myself on the mood of a particular scene. The recurring billboards on the side of the road are about as subtle as a Roadrunner cartoon. There is absolutely no chemistry between Pine and Ben Foster (his movie brother). There's no reason at all to believe that the two of them would be undertaking something like this together.

But as mentioned, there are individual scenes that are poignant, funny, sad and pleasantly incongruous which make this a worthwhile spending of your time and money.… Expand

3 of 9 users found this helpful36

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8

Compi24Aug 12, 2016

An unwaveringly grounded modern western with one of the most invigorating and breath-taking finales I've ever seen in any crime thriller this side of Michael Mann's "Heat," "Hell Or High Water" is one of those special, original films thatAn unwaveringly grounded modern western with one of the most invigorating and breath-taking finales I've ever seen in any crime thriller this side of Michael Mann's "Heat," "Hell Or High Water" is one of those special, original films that both inspires and teaches. Featuring stellar performances from all the leads involved, the film keeps us on our toes whilst throwing us a few predictable bones here and there just to make us feel smart. But make no mistake, director David McKenzie and writer Taylor Sheridan hold all the cards in this brilliantly plotted caper, leaving the audience with an experience that is somehow both thoroughly enjoyable and unbearably intense at the same time. Really terrific work from everyone before and behind the camera here.… Expand

4 of 5 users found this helpful41

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10

LamontRaymondAug 12, 2016

Hands down the best film of 2016. The three lead actors blew me away. Ben Foster always brings it, but he delivers a level of nuance I was even surprised by. Chris Pine finally gets a chance to demonstrate his real acting chops - he's beenHands down the best film of 2016. The three lead actors blew me away. Ben Foster always brings it, but he delivers a level of nuance I was even surprised by. Chris Pine finally gets a chance to demonstrate his real acting chops - he's been wasting his time in too many Star Trek flicks. And The Dude? Jeff Bridges? This might be his career-defining performance. Beyond the bravura acting performances, the film just has an easy, authentic feel to it. You can almost smell West Texas. It's a beautifully shot work. Won't spoil the plot - just go see this film. It's the antidote to what's been ailing Hollywood for the last couple of years. If this sucker doesn't deliver at least 2 statues in late February 2017, I'll be disappointed. (But what else is new?)… Expand

17 of 23 users found this helpful176

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Hell or High Water

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