Directed by – David Mackenzie
Starring – Ben Foster; Chris Pine; Jeff Bridges and Gil Birmingham.
Westerns are a thing of the past for Hollywood and in the modern world of cinema, it’s even harder to tell a great story in this genre. So it was great to see Taylor Sheridan write a fantastic story which was wonderfully directed by Mackenzie.
Hell or High Water tells the story of two brothers, Toby (Pine) and Tanner (Forster), resort to calculated bank robbery spree that puts them on a collision course with a veteran Texas Ranger (Bridges) determined to take them down.
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Mackenzie shows given the right opportunity, Westerns can be brilliant in this modern era. The way he directed gave it that small Texan town feel and was shot beautifully and it hints of dust in the air.
The film focuses on three actors - Foster, Pine and Bridges - and they were phenomenal.
I’ve never seen Pine act any better and hope we get to see this side of him in Wonder Woman. His chemistry with Foster was brilliant and it was a brotherly relationship told right. If you have an older or younger brother, you’ll see yourselves in Pine and Foster.
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Meanwhile, Bridges just chews scenery like chewing tobacco and shows why he’s one of the greatest actors working today. His working relationship with Alberto Parker (Birmingham) showed they too had brilliant chemistry, as they were like an old married couple and the banter felt like they’ve been partners for years and Parker has got used to his racial stereotypical jokes.
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The pace of the film is slow, but every scene meant something moving the story forward, and the same could be said for the soundtrack as well. It’s also funnier than first expected and all the humour comes from real situations.
Even though it’s really early, but Pine and Bridges should already be in the frame when award season comes around.
Verdict
The best modern Western in years and differently one of the best films of 2016 with phenomenal performances from Pine, Foster and Bridges.
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