2015’s Sicario was a global hit that brought Hollywood’s attention to screenwriter Taylor Sheridan, the future TV maestro behind Yellowstone and Tulsa King. However, the film that followed it, 2016’s Hell or High Water, is the finest testament to his abilities. The story of two brothers (Ben Foster and Chris Pine) who go on a spree of bank robberies featured all the elements that would become trademarks of Sheridan’s storytelling, combined with incredible performances from the leads as well as co-star Jeff Bridges.
‘Hell or High Water’ Sees Desperation Turn to Crime
The film follows the Howard brothers – Tanner (Foster) and Toby (Pine) – as they embark on a string of bank robberies. The duo is looking for enough money to pay off the debt owed to the Texas Midlands Bank by their late mother, in order to secure the future of their family ranch. Toby wants to keep the land because of the oil found under it, in order to provide a better life for his estranged wife and sons. Tanner, who has a criminal past, seemingly just wants to chase the thrill. The pair successfully pull off several heists at branches of the very bank they owe money to, laundering it at casinos each time.
However, their plan is threatened by the Texas Rangers on their tail, led by the soon-to-retire Marcus Hamilton (Bridges). The thrilling chase, and Tanner’s unpredictable nature, means the risk grows greater with each bank hit. Toby must decide how much his family’s future is worth, while Hamilton’s obsession with outsmarting him grows.
‘Hell or High Water’ Features Classic Taylor Sheridan Themes
Hell or High Water is the purest expression of the themes that would come to define Sheridan’s career, looking at families and businesses facing changing times. The economic desperation of the brothers, and Toby’s motives, create an empathy that gives the whole story an irresistible moral ambiguity. Poverty has driven them to crime, and while they cannot be considered “heroes,” there’s a nagging hope that Hamilton doesn’t catch up with them. The communities they move through, which seem to have been forgotten in the march of economic progress, illustrate Sheridan’s ongoing interest in the conflict between old and new America.
It’s also a film that just doesn’t betray a weak link. Foster’s wild unpredictability is balanced by the grit of Pine, playing a man who does dishonest things for honest reasons. The Star Trek actor is best known for playing the blockbuster hero, but here he gets the chance to play a character who is too complex to be categorized. When paired with Sheridan’s thoughtful, intricate dialogue, it’s a recipe for a modern classic.
Jeff Bridges Steals the Show as the Law on Their Tail
In many ways, it’s staggering that this is the only collaboration between Bridges and Sheridan, given that the legendary actor seems to fit right into the writer’s world of wise, stoic characters. Hamilton, a Texas Ranger close to retirement, could very well have been a cookie-cutter law man on the tail of villains, but just as the Howard brothers are more than the sum of their deeds, so too is this a performance with a lot going on beneath the surface.
There’s a fascinating personal journey happening which goes beyond “one last case.” Hamilton fears the lack of purpose, seeing his pursuit of Toby, whom he suspects is the mastermind, as proving to himself that he can still outsmart his targets. Jovial, politically incorrect, and at times a little melancholy, you feel every one of the years he has served, and understand why this final chase may be the most important to him. It’s little wonder the film earned Bridges a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination, and with his output becoming more sporadic in the last decade, this may be his last truly great performance.
Sicario may have been the bigger box office hit, spawning a sequel and in-development third film, but Hell or High Water remains Taylor Sheridan’s finest work. Focusing on the inner workings of its characters rather than the technical artistry of Denis Villeneuve’s film, it is a showcase for the kind of storytelling that would see Sheridan dominate TV schedules for the next decade and beyond.
- Release Date
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August 11, 2016
- Runtime
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102 minutes
- Director
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David Mackenzie
