To paraphrase the great Roger Ebert, a movie about why people do what they do is far more interesting than what they do. Director, David Mackenzie's Hell or High Water follows two brothers as they rob a string of banks, with an emphasis on why they've chosen this path. In the vein of No Country for Old Men, the lawman on their trail is a central character, whose motivation is also relevant to the story. In a lesser film, these three characters would be one-dimensional, good for a few laughs, with a focus on the action, likely with a plot twist to keep things interesting. Hell or High Water rises above its genre to give us a thoughtful (without being heavy-handed) film about brotherly love, and a reminder that justice and vengeance are not the same thing.
Jeff Bridges as the Texas Ranger had the most interesting role in this film, and once again inhabits his character so completely. While he plays-off his racially-charged derision as merely joking around, we sense that there is some emotional damage that has skewed his personality. He's not talking this way (as he claims) to toughen-up the recipient, rather he's doing it to protect himself from being hurt. This comes abruptly apparent after a sequence of raised tensions during a hilltop pursuit; the Ranger's response is involuntary and represents a complex range of emotions.
Some of the dialog, and certain plot points seem a little forced, but these are minor quibbles. A film like this reminds me of how amazing No Country For Old Men is; only once in a great while does practically perfect film come along. In the meantime, Hell or High Water will do.
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