Hell or High Water (2016)

[Plain Old Tele]

Discuss it. 

[Water Bottle]

Great. I liked it a lot. Didn't love it though. 

 

B+

[Plain Old Tele]

Battle of the admins.

[Water Bottle]

10 minutes ago, Tele the Jet Baller said:

Battle of the admins.

 

This was always more of a Tele film than a Water Bottle film.

[Plain Old Tele]

3 minutes ago, Water Bottle said:

 

This was always more of a Tele film than a Water Bottle film.

 

Okay, granted.  

[filmlover]

Texas is very much an actual character in Hell or High Water, a modern day Western that is rooted in the economic trials and tribulations of Rural America that comes as a relief after a summer mostly filled with disappointing sequels and action movies. Screenwriter Taylor Sheridan is really starting to build a name for himself between this and the also-terrific Sicario. The movie is a slowburner that keeps us invested throughout due to the attention to its characters. The acting is top-notch: Jeff Bridges is in fine form as always (that scene between him, Gil Birmingham, and the old waitress: ), while Chris Pine and Ben Foster are also excellent (Pine in particular gives a career-best performance). Sure, we've seen this kind of movie many, many times before, but rarely have they been executed this well. A-

[MrPink]

The final scene between Pine and Bridges is probably best of the year for me.

 

It's like a climax and epilogue in one and the acting is pitch perfect from both. It's incredible how tense it feels, despite the fact that it's 'over.'

 

I've always liked Chris Pine, as in, he's better than his pretty boy looks suggest, but here, he outdoes himself. He's got a certain weariness, a yearning to be done with everything that that really shows throughout, and that's not something every actor can express through their body language.

Edited August 21, 2016 by MrPink

[filmlover]

Pine probably would've gotten awards buzz for this had it come out later in the year.

[AniNate]

It's good. Fine performances, good pacing, some really funny dialogue. But I felt like Breaking Bad already covered most of this subject matter with more impact

[Plain Old Tele]

2 minutes ago, tribefan695 said:

It's good. Fine performances, good pacing, some really funny dialogue. But I felt like Breaking Bad already covered most of this subject matter with more impact

 

Hrm? I don't much connection between the two at all, aside from the obvious one that both feature people willing to break the law (violently) to get money.

[AniNate]

It's not quite the same but the movie's setting and "honor among thieves" themes brought that show to mind quite a bit. In general I guess I felt I'd seen this kind of film so many times before and it lessened its resonance

Edited August 28, 2016 by tribefan695

[Plain Old Tele]

Just now, tribefan695 said:

It's not quite the same but the movie's setting and "honor among thieves" themes brought that show to mind quite a bit. In general I guess I felt I'd seen this kind of film so many times before and it lessened its resonance

 

Huh, if anything, I'd say that theme is pretty classically western -- and of course the movie is a very much contemporary western. So for me, that simply served to fit it into context.

[AniNate]

Bridges' interactions with his partner definitely brought to mind Hank and Gomez quite a bit

[Blankments]

Hell or High Water is a very compelling film. From the first shot to the end of the closing credits, viewers will be riveted by the saga of the Howards and the rangers. Featuring a smart script about some very dumb robbers, it manages to be many things at once: thrilling, touching, and even funny. The complexity is its greatest asset, although the cast is also excellent. Pine and Bridges are both stellar in the lead roles, and Birmingham steals the show as Bridges' partner. The weakest aspect of the movie is Ben Foster, who comes off as a generic ne'er-do-well. Mackenzie directs the film in an engrossing way, and all the technical aspects are exemplary. The best way to enjoy Hell or High Water is to go into without any knowledge of the film and be shocked on how much it captures your attention. Truly, a great work of genre cinema. B+

[filmlover]

I'm still laughing over the scene in the restaurant between Bridges, Birmingham, and the waitress. I demand that character get her own spin-off sitcom.

[Webslinger]

Hell or High Water is one of the most engrossing and dramatically satisfying films of the year thus far. Admittedly, any Texas-set film dealing with loose morals is going to invite tough comparisons to No Country for Old Men, but while this film isn't quite on the level of the Coens' Best Picture winner, it makes for such a gripping viewing experience that its small flaws are all too easy to overlook. Themes regarding brotherhood - whether it's in blood or in spirit - dominate the narrative and make the stakes feel much higher than those of a standard cops-and-robbers story. The bonds between Chris Pine and Ben Foster's pair of brothers and Jeff Bridges and Gil Birmingham's police partners are palpable and add an extra layer of tension to the proceedings; throughout the film, I got the sense that if either pair lost one of its members, there would be hell to pay. For that element, the actors and screenwriter Taylor Sheridan earn major kudos. Chris Pine does the best work of his career in a performance that trades off of his charisma while also pushing him to more morally ambiguous territory than he has covered before; Ben Foster adds dashes of humanity to his character that allow his performance to transcend the other menacing villain roles he has played; Jeff Bridges ably alternates between low-key affability and gravitas in his best post-Oscar work; and Gil Birmingham gives such a lived-in performance that he doesn't feel like a mere foil for Bridges's character despite the fact that he gets less individual attention. Taken alongside Sicario, this film further establishes Taylor Sheridan as a terrific voice that seems zeroed in on crafting potent and achingly human drama against the backdrop of a violent crime story. It's one of the best films I have seen so far in 2016, and will probably be a contender for my end of the year top ten list.

 

A-

[4815162342]

Felt like an Andrew Dominik film.

[baumer]

On 8/27/2016 at 9:07 PM, NuTella Lover of Sky Beams said:

 

Hrm? I don't much connection between the two at all, aside from the obvious one that both feature people willing to break the law (violently) to get money.

 

And...as I've mentioned to you before....there's only really about 7 or 8 different stories that are told in Hollywood.  It's how you tell them that makes the difference.  This one has perhaps the best script of the year.  I'm in love with everything about this film.

 

9.5/10

[baumer]

On 9/5/2016 at 8:11 PM, 4815162342 said:

Felt like an Andrew Dominik film.

 

I don't see it that way at all.  His films, imo, are slow....very slow.  This one was much quicker and much more lively with a much better script.

[baumer]

On 8/29/2016 at 4:14 PM, filmlover said:

I'm still laughing over the scene in the restaurant between Bridges, Birmingham, and the waitress. I demand that character get her own spin-off sitcom.

 

And I'd be the exact same way.....half her rent money in that one tip and the sheriff wants to take it away?  Fuck that!