Pretty Good

Fantastic!

Absolutely brilliant

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

The first time I watched this, I turned it off at about the 5-minute mark. I thought it was another dumb movie about inept country-bumpkins, which would rely on a mixture of slapstick and overly-done sappy and violent scenes in order to create enough of a pull to keep at least some audience members somewhat entertained.How wrong I was. I finally sat down and watched it with friends who insisted it was not what it appeared to be within the first few minutes of the film. Without giving too much away, and having to use a spoiler tag, Hell or High Water is a story about two brothers who after the death of their mother, organize a series of (justified?) bank robberies. What ensues is a catch-me-if-you-can scenario with the pursuing "law" hell-bent on catching them, and them hell-bent on not being caught. In short, it is a typical story of cops and robbers (or so you would think), with an atypical, uncommon and unconventional narrative. Given the plot, the remote setting and the almost nostalgic atmosphere and ambiance of the film, it is honestly a miracle, and more than a pleasant surprise, just how very gratifying and outstanding this film actually is.A definite must-watch.

On the face of it this is a standard cops-and-robbers bank heist tale, with a chalk/cheese pair of protagonists and a cliche edge-of-retirement lawman to give chase.The script here though is sharper than your average. Jeff Bridges (on form) as the lawman, pulls out zingers a-plenty and there's generally plenty of black humour to go around. A deft melding of the ol' Slow West (gun) stock with a modern layering of dead-end ghost towns and bank foreclosures: the huge Texan landscapes & skies, both entirely empty, the camera snaps up whenever the opportunity arises, the moody score (when not dipping into Country-Rock) and dialogue all contributing to the very definite feel of a moody mourning, like something in this world is lost or broken.Old fashioned American film-making, albeit from a Scottish director, I found this is a little lethargic to get going but by the end I was completely sold.

The film's first shot features graffiti that reads "3 tours in Iraq but no bailout for people like us." This may be a summer 2016 movie, but it is Trump's America...a heist story for those who feel screwed over. Which is everybody. And while the story is hardly original, the dialogue is tight and fresh. From the bank robbers to the eye witnesses to the law enforcement to the native peoples, everybody senses that they were left out. And everybody has a quip that captures it. The morality - and chaos - that is left behind may not be new, but it is well crafted. Bridges and Pine are electric, and every minute is riveting.

Meh. Very weirdly convoluted and stretched out way of conveying what ended up being an extremely simplistic and actually quite boring story. Characters and acting were okay enough to be worth watching if you're otherwise bored, but if you miss the entire plot, you haven't missed much. If you're sensitive to offhand racial digs, don't bother.