#REVIEW: “HELL OR HIGH WATER”

Review by Siobhán Rich for Mr. Will Wong

The key to any good bank robbery is planning. After all, what’s the point of stealing of thousands of dollars if you’re doomed to get caught and land in jail? In Hell or High Water, brothers Tanner and Toby Howard (Ben Foster and Chris Pine) pull off a series of bank heists that would impress Bonnie and Clyde. The brains behind the operation is younger brother Toby who figures out not only how to steal the money but also an ingenious way to launder it.

Divorced father of two Toby is faced with mounting debts and demands from Texas Midlands Bank to repay questionable loans issued to his mother during her final months. Ranches in the surrounding area are all in similar situations as the American financial crisis has hit their small town in West Texas hard. With the help of his ex-con brother Tanner, Toby plans to rob Texas Midlands Bank and use their own money to save his family’s land from foreclosure.

Hot on their heels are Texas Marshals Marcus Hamilton (Jeff Bridges) and Alberto Parker (Gil Birmingham). The soon to be retired Hamilton is an old school gumshoe who believes in following his hunches even when they don’t seem immediately sensible. Parker is simply counting the days until he’ll be rid of the racist senior officer with whom he has been partnered.

Sicario scribe Taylor Sheridan paints a picture of fraternal devotion and a grim look at how the current recession effects people in smaller, rural communities. David Mackenzie directed the brilliant 2013 Film Starred Up and here doesn’t quite live up to the grandeur of the landscapes in his lens. He works hard to draw his audience in and in short order has them rooting for his antihero bank robbers.

Hell or High Water asks just how far you would go for family. The Movie’s characters live in a land of grey morality where the supposed villains have hearts of gold and the alleged good guys are patently unlikeable. Come Hell or High Water this fantastic Movie should be seen in theatres.

VVS Films release HELL OR HIGH WATER on Friday, August 19, 2016.