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Simply Perfect

Best movie ever!

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

A clunky actioner with a handful of cool moments.

While 'Hell Or High Water (2016)' has a few overwrought and oddly expositional moments, it's an excellent heist thriller that uses its palpable sense of place and brilliantly well-realised characters to totally compound you within its incredibly realistic and wonderfully tactile world. It immerses you in the dusty planes of a 'Neo-Western' New Mexico with confidence and ease. There's a lot to unpack thematically, from the phenomenal mirror-image brother relationships to the thinly veiled political message, and most moments, even the exciting and genuinely tense 'action' sequences, are conveyed with a subtlety that makes for a much quieter, more character-driven affair than usual. It has proper stakes and emotionally affecting moments of all kinds, and it certainly leaves a lasting impression. 8/10

"Hell or High Water" provides drama and heightened suspense to create a gritty story, but there are some issues in what is being told. Due to strong acting performances, however, these issues can be overlooked for the most part.-Analysis of Notable Work- *Writing/Directing: The premise of the story is interesting and has potential, but there are some issues with realism. Because it is a film, one must make room to suspend disbelief. With that being said, it can only go so far. If there were as many bank robberies in a local area in real life as there were in the film, law enforcement would be putting in a lot more effort to bring it to an end. So the basis for the film is a bit far-fetched. But if one looks beyond this hurdle, then the film is effective in drawing in the viewer. The idea of a strong brotherly love at the center of the story is brilliant; it forces us to have sympathy for the two of them. We can identify with family pretty easily. David Mackenzie does a fine job shaping the story and getting the most out of his actors. He seems to be a natural at creating tension and forcing the audience to latch onto characters. *Cinematography/Editing: The color palette is one of the strengths of this film. The warm yellow and tan tones create a sense of heat and intensity. There are a few missteps with breaking the 180 degree rule, but overall the use of the camera made this film feel authentic and it gave power to the actors. Giles Nuttgens does not try to do too much with the camera. He is comfortable with letting the actors lead the story, rather than trying to get too fancy. The simple work with the camera allowed for the story to take hold of the viewer. In terms of editing, the film is most powerful during the moments it needed to be. It did not draw attention to itself during dialogue or dramatic scenes. However, during "in-between" times it seemed a bit jumpy and less than professional. There are some cuts that close in or change angles from a previous shot, but they are too similar to the previous shot and end up being more of a distraction than a directing of the viewer's eye. *Dialogue/Acting: The dialogue feels natural and down to earth. It never tries to be too fancy. Less is more and the scriptwriter understood that for this film, what wasn't said sometimes had more power than what could have been said. The acting was strong all throughout. Jeff Bridges doesn't overact. He stays grounded and it works to his advantage. Ben Foster and Chris Pine also carry their own weight. *Music/Sound Design: The music is minimal yet important. There are some unsettling queues that further heighten the suspense during certain scenes. Some country songs chosen for the film help to set us in the environment of Texas. The sound design is crisp and furthers the film's realistic quality. *Production Design/Special Effects: The sets and costumes are believable and do not draw attention to themselves. The focus of the film is on the story itself and how it affects the characters, so there is no unnecessary wardrobe choices that pop on screen. Texas is painted as bleak throughout the story, and the sets/locations/costumes reflect that. The special effects are nothing out of the ordinary. They are believable and add to the film's gritty feel.*Conclusion: "Hell or High Water" tells a unique story. It does so as simply as possible, and this works well because it causes us to focus on the characters rather than on the flashy filmmaking. The strength of the film is in the actors, and that is where our attention is drawn to. This film doesn't try harder than it has to, and for that it is a job well done.

I am writing this review two days after visiting Texas. Let me tell you right now, this movie has not only captured the look and feel of Texas, but the people of Texas. Every character in this movie,{including the T-Bone Café waitress} I feel like I met while visiting there. This movie captured the heart and soul of Texas. Hell or High Water is extremely dynamic in the character study of each and every person in this film. My favorite is Ben Foster's character 'Tanner Howard', everyone else in this film is the resin, this guy is the catalyst that truly makes this one solid movie. At first glance Tanner seems shallow and foolish, as the movie progresses you see that he is the only one that truly grasps the reality and the consequences of their actions, but he does it anyway because of his loyalty and love for his brother. I love the seen in the Casino where Tanner and the large Comanche Indian go nose to nose, it is the second reference to the white man becoming like the American Indian and being stripped of land and dignity. It's as if Tanner has become a Comanche warrior on his last stand before becoming extinct in the world of the evil rich. This is a movie that really should be watched more than once so you can catch every line that is incredibly scripted. Well, I gave this movie a 10 because I loved it, every aspect of it, even the music.

When a film that is loudly and ostentatiously set in Cowboy Texas is actually filmed in neighboring New Mexico you know the director has a shaky grasp on his materials. When I saw Hell Or High Water in the theater I thought it was about two alcoholic idiots who sit on porches drinking beer before going out and committing violent acts. Seeing it recently on cable tv I realized it's actually about THREE alcoholic idiots who sit on porches drinking beer before going out and committing violent acts. Pine and Foster sling credible Southern accents, which is astonishing in a Hollywood film. Jeff Bridges merely regurgitates the accent and attitude of his last two movies, Crazy Heart and True Grit. (It was wearing thin in True Grit.) There are a number of good, funny, evocative lines in the film, most of them spoken by passers-by. The final scene is, however, a standout. It comes about an hour and thirty-nine minutes into a movie that runs an hour and forty-two minutes. The soundtrack is a good one. Watch the trailer, buy the soundtrack is my advice.