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The Old West meets the modern West in "Hell or High Water," a soulful crime drama about desperate brothers pitted against the system — and one cagey lawman.
It starts with a bank robbery, as Toby Howard (Chris Pine) and his ex-con brother, Tanner (Ben Foster), rob a Texas Midlands Bank branch in a small Texas town. When Marcus Hamilton (Jeff Bridges), a Texas Ranger on the verge of forced retirement, sizes up the crime scene, he doesn't see the usual signs of typical robbers — meth addicts looking for a quick score, or what have you. These robbers are methodical.
Turns out the Howard boys have a plan, which exacts economic justice and a little revenge. The Texas Midlands Bank, we learn, is about to foreclose on the loan the Howards' mama took out on their farm. The Howards aim to steal just enough money to cover the loan from different bank branches around west Texas — avoiding the FBI's wrath because Texas Midlands is small enough that it isn't under federal protection. They'll launder the money in an Indian-run casino just over the state line in Oklahoma and pay off the loan before the due date.
What the Howards don't count on is Hamilton. "I may have one hunt left in me," the craggy lawman tells his partner, Alberto Parker (Gil Birmingham), a half-Mexican/half-Indian Ranger who patiently puts up with Hamilton's ethnic insults. And so the pursuit is on.
Bridges gives one of his reliably great performances, gruff and tough with a laconic, almost philosophical streak. Foster is a firecracker, ready to push to the limits of danger. The happy surprise is Pine, who transcends his action-movie expectations to give Toby an edge of melancholy as he does something wrong in the name of what's right.
Part of the beauty of "Hell or High Water" is the way screenwriter Taylor Sheridan ("Sicario") upends the Old West stereotypes of his characters. Sure, the Howards are outlaw brothers, like Frank and Jesse James, but they're also opposites — Tanner a repeat offender with a wild streak, Toby a law-abiding citizen just trying to help his kids. Likewise, Hamilton and Parker could have been sketched out as a modern gloss on The Lone Ranger and Tonto, but their byplay reveals a wealth of respect buried beneath the put-downs.
Scottish director David Mackenzie ("Young Adam") captures the west Texas landscapes (filmed a bit west of Texas, in New Mexico) in all their harsh beauty.
It's a rugged setting, one that perfectly fits the movie's characters and its modern interpretation of frontier justice.
Twitter: @moviecricket —
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'Hell or High Water'
Brothers go on a bank-robbery spree, pursued by an old-fashioned lawman, in this smart drama of the modern West.
Where • Theaters everywhere.
When • Opens Friday, Aug. 19.
Rating • R for some strong violence, language throughout and brief sexuality.
Running time • 102 minutes.