Reviews & Ratings for
Hell or High Water (2016)

The Oscars countdown continues with Hell or High Water Movie Review
(Best Film Nominee 3/9)

Two brothers, who are robbing banks in west Texas are being chased by two Rangers.

This is the premise of the film, but it doesn’t adequately describe the experience of watching this film. The locations, the cinematography and the feel of the film is something unique.
Though, being a non-American, I feel a lot of its charm is lost to the worldwide audience. Maybe this hits home even better for the people who live in the southern part of America. Despite this, its easy to see why this film was nominated for an Oscar.

The film is a slow burn sort of film and there is not much of action or drama in it, just a simple story told in a simple yet effective way.
So the question is, should you see it?

The answer is… a resounding YES. This movie is definitely worth a watch.

See it for the damn good performances by all the 4 principal characters. Especially Jeff Bridges who gives one of his career best performance in this film, not to mention Ben Foster who has come a LONG way from playing angel in X-men 3… he should have gotten an Oscar nod!

Also see it for the way the film is crafted and the tense anticipation of how things will unfold. Who will win and who will lose in this cat and mouse game of cops and robbers.

Without giving away the ending, or any spoilers, the film serves as commentary on the state of affairs with bank loans, the common man stuck in between loans and banks and the law and order situation.

Rating: 8.5/10.
Must watch for audiences who like films such a No country for old men or Burn After Reading (though not as quirky) or Fargo. This is NOT an action film though, it’s a slow burn crime drama without any extra melodrama.

This has been a long summer of disappointing super hero movies and so on. Finally, in August, we get a movie for adults. A nearly perfect movie, in fact. Hell or High Water has a 98% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and near universal acclaim from the top critics. And with good reason. From the very first moments, you're sucked right in. Chris Pine (Toby) and Ben Foster (Tanner) are brothers. They rob a small bank in a beaten down little Texas town in the morning right as the bank is being opened. But strangely, they only want the loose money in the drawer, and have no interest in bundled money or opening the main safe. The brothers drive back to a farm and bury the car in a pit dug by a backhoe. While the robbery seems amateurish, this is obviously carefully planned. Read the rest of my review here: https://moviemavengal.com/2016/09/07/hell-or-high-water-finally-a-movie-for-adults/

This movie is a craft with mindblowing performances. The cinematography is something to look for.
Although the movie is unclear in its message but that is just my opinion, it might make sense for the home audience.