"Hell or High Water" is a tense, character driven modern western that subverts the classic western idea of the "white hats versus black hats" by showing the point of view of both the pair of robbers and the pair of sheriffs hunting those robbers. The opening shot of the film is probably my favorite of the year: it is seemingly a static shot as a car passes by, but suddenly the camera begins to dolly and rotate slowly, following a car that has just come into the town in the background, with glimpses of a woman getting out of her car in the foreground as the camera passes by her. The car in the background disappears behind a building as the camera begins to float behind the woman in the foreground going into that building. The scene climaxes with two men wearing ski masks and holding guns suddenly jumping out from behind the building just as she is about to open the door. The shot is slow (it lasts about a minute and a half long), but it is very suspenseful and intriguing, perfectly setting up the following scenes as the two men rob two banks together. One thing this film does very well is suspense. Each shot is pretty much the perfect length, and each intense scene has the perfect set up and just enough build up. The director knew exactly when and when not to use music during the scenes, especially during one suspenseful moment near the end that is made all the more suspenseful by the silence during the scene.
Each character is given depth and each one you understand, even the most despicable one in the film. The two bank robbers are Toby and Tanner Howard, the latter being my favorite character and favorite performance of the film. They are brothers and it is insinuated that they had an abusive father, who Tanner eventually killed at a young age in order to protect his brother and mother. Tanner is an impulsive hothead, and after he went to prison he spiraled into a life of crime and even more prison, leaving Toby to deal with their property and their mother, who died recently. Toby is smart, thoughtful, and while he isn't perfect, he clearly feels sorry for what he is doing and feels empathy towards others. He doesn't see his ex-wife or his children very often, but he does care about them. The whole reason he is doing this in the first place is to help them financially and make sure his children don't go down the same path as him. Despite their hard times, Tanner and Toby do care about each other as well, and Tanner is basically only doing this for his brother. The sheriffs are more normal. Marcus is an old, experienced sheriff and a bit of a traditionalist. It is insinuated he had a wife, but she died, so all he really has left is his job. He goes on this hunt with Alberto, a half-Native American half-Mexican that has a wife and kids. He was forced to go on this hunt with Marcus and is constantly teased about his race by him, although he doesn't seem to be a serious racist (he genuinely cares about Alberto, even if it doesn't always seem this way).
These characters slowly unfold to us and their situations each begin to make more sense. The film is study of these characters but also of the death of the "old west", but doesn't view that time period with rose colored glasses. At the same time, it views the death of this time as a tragedy, but only because the big banks are taking these people's lad and money. In fact, these banks are probably the only clear enemies in the film.
The film has a very clear plot throughout and some very intense moments, but it is very much a dialogue driven film that has several great small moments and encounters that are pretty much inconsequential to the overall plot. The cinematography is often restrained but fantastic, with several long takes that are barely noticeable. It is a complex and very well written film with some very good direction and acting that is engrossing from beginning to end. I recall a single short scene in which I didn't like one small performance, but other than that the cast was great across the board. It is unpredictable and suspenseful but also quiet and somewhat poignant.
Each character is given depth and each one you understand, even the most despicable one in the film. The two bank robbers are Toby and Tanner Howard, the latter being my favorite character and favorite performance of the film. They are brothers and it is insinuated that they had an abusive father, who Tanner eventually killed at a young age in order to protect his brother and mother. Tanner is an impulsive hothead, and after he went to prison he spiraled into a life of crime and even more prison, leaving Toby to deal with their property and their mother, who died recently. Toby is smart, thoughtful, and while he isn't perfect, he clearly feels sorry for what he is doing and feels empathy towards others. He doesn't see his ex-wife or his children very often, but he does care about them. The whole reason he is doing this in the first place is to help them financially and make sure his children don't go down the same path as him. Despite their hard times, Tanner and Toby do care about each other as well, and Tanner is basically only doing this for his brother. The sheriffs are more normal. Marcus is an old, experienced sheriff and a bit of a traditionalist. It is insinuated he had a wife, but she died, so all he really has left is his job. He goes on this hunt with Alberto, a half-Native American half-Mexican that has a wife and kids. He was forced to go on this hunt with Marcus and is constantly teased about his race by him, although he doesn't seem to be a serious racist (he genuinely cares about Alberto, even if it doesn't always seem this way).
These characters slowly unfold to us and their situations each begin to make more sense. The film is study of these characters but also of the death of the "old west", but doesn't view that time period with rose colored glasses. At the same time, it views the death of this time as a tragedy, but only because the big banks are taking these people's lad and money. In fact, these banks are probably the only clear enemies in the film.
The film has a very clear plot throughout and some very intense moments, but it is very much a dialogue driven film that has several great small moments and encounters that are pretty much inconsequential to the overall plot. The cinematography is often restrained but fantastic, with several long takes that are barely noticeable. It is a complex and very well written film with some very good direction and acting that is engrossing from beginning to end. I recall a single short scene in which I didn't like one small performance, but other than that the cast was great across the board. It is unpredictable and suspenseful but also quiet and somewhat poignant.