I was a little sad about this one. I thought it would be a rousing, sorta modern upgrade to 1967's Bonnie and Clyde. They have similar themes born out of similar circumstances, bank robbers who rob banks in the name of social justice (sorta). Both impart a dissatisfaction with the age in which they were filmed. Bonnie and Clyde signaled the end of the old Hollywood Studio system and ushered in a new, arguably better age of dramatic storytelling that would resonate with younger viewers in a time of turbulent social change. It very much mirrored the social tides of the Civil Rights Movement. Hell or High Water sells itself on a similar theme, one more in tune with the Bernie Sanders and "Occupy" movements of late; movements extremely suspicious of corporate and government institutions. This is the Bonnie and Clyde for the Millenial movement, young people dissatisfied with their place in life who need a convenient scapegoat, in this case, corporate America. It has some great performances and takes its time telling a slow-burning story, but unfortunately leaves you oddly unfulfilled at the end.
Hell or High Water is the story of two Texan brothers: a divorced father (Chris Pine) and his older, ex-con brother (Ben Foster), who rob banks to save their family ranch. They only rob bank branches that hold the deed on their ranch, with the intent to buy it back with the money they stole, essentially paying the bank back with its own money. Hot on their heels is a retiring Texas Ranger (Jeff Bridges in a standout performance) who is convinced (correctly) that the robberies are related.
I have no real complaints about the story itself; in fact, I loved it. The biggest problem with the movie is the brothers' relationship. As they are the main characters, and this is very much a character-driven story, you would think there would be a lot devoted to them and their motivations. And while the movie does touch on some of that, it is curiously haphazard. You come out wanting to know more, especially Ben Foster's character, who is an unpredictable hellion. Yes, they love each other and yes, they are doing these crimes for a greater purpose, but in the end, I didn't feel like I knew them very well. You learn a lot about each one of them individually, but not the relationship that binds them together on this highway to disaster. All we get are tired tropes: abusive father, distant mother, but since we meet neither of them, we can't judge anything for ourselves. Ditto with Chris Pine's character trying to reconcile amicably with his ex-wife and kids. We see the result of his character arc, how he has changed. It would have been much more interesting to see how he got there. That's what I mean by feeling unfulfilled with the story. We only see the results of life-changing experiences, not the events that precipitated them. Those events, in my opinion, are the more interesting story. The bank robberies are merely the culmination of those events.
The Jeff Bridges character and his interactions with his half-Mexican, half-Native American partner are much more interesting and funny, if you think an older white guy throwing constant racial epithets at his partner are funny. But there is a greater dynamic going on here, that is how rough men bond. Many movies try to show this, Jaws being probably the best example of male bonding that I have seen. Despite the racial slurs, both men have a real respect for each other that goes beyond surface insults, that ironically, allow these men to express their feelings for each other. It's an odd dynamic, but it is there.
So the movie, by those who have short attention spans, will seem slow and boring. But it is in those moments of reflection where this movie shines. It gives the movie deeper resonance, a time you can reflect, as the characters do, on events that transpired and what's ahead. This helps because the movie is very ham-fisted in ramming the point home that the economy sucks and our characters are victims of something far beyond their control. All in all, the movie is very good and worth a watch for those who can abide by a deliberate storytelling pace.
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