Every year it is a goal of mine to see all of the Academy Award nominees for Best Picture. Now I can officially say that I have seen them all! Megaplex Theaters are screening all of the nominees this week and yesterday I saw Hell or High Water, the only film I hadn't seen yet (you can read my commentaries on Arrival, Manchester by the Sea, La La Land, Lion, Moonlight, Hacksaw Ridge, Fences, and Hidden Figures). My friend enthusiastically recommended this film to me last summer and now I know why. Toby Howard (Chris Pine) and his reckless and impetuous brother, Tanner (Ben Foster), rob a series of branches of the Texas Midlands Bank. They take the proceeds of these robberies to a casino on an Indian reservation to be laundered and, in an ironic twist, have the check made out to the Texas Midlands Bank. It turns out that they need the money to pay a reverse mortgage held by the Texas Midlands Bank which is due within the week. A Texas Ranger on the verge of retirement, Marcus Hamilton (Jeff Bridges), and his partner are hot on their trail and just miss catching them as one of their robberies goes awry. Tanner leads the Rangers into the hills, allowing Toby to escape, and is eventually killed by Hamilton in a dramatic shoot-out. Toby pays the mortgage and puts the ranch, on which oil has been discovered, in trust for his sons, thereby breaking the cycle of poverty in his family. I am not normally a fan of Westerns (although I really enjoyed this movie) but I think this film is a brilliant indictment of the economic depression felt by much of small town America. What I liked best about this film, other than the outstanding performances of both Bridges and Pine, was the pacing of the narrative. Information is revealed little by little to explain the motivation of both the brothers and the Rangers. I also really enjoyed the resolution which, for some reason, was incredibly satisfying to me! I highly recommend this film, especially to fans of the genre.
This movie was recommended to me by two different people, so I went to see it (maybe back in September/OCtober...). I didn't really care for it, but the people in the theater I saw it with seemed to really like it (a film about Texans in Texas... :) ).
ReplyDeleteI love that you have seen all the Best Pic nominees! I try real hard, as well. But this year, I'm two short (Fences and Hacksaw Ridge) and I won't see them before Sunday.
I didn't like Fences. I did like Hacksaw Ridge but it is absolutely unrelenting. I'm pulling for Moonlight but if La La Land wins I won't be too disappointed.
DeleteYeah, after I read your review for Fences I was pretty sure I wasn't going to see it. La La Land is pretty much a lock. I think Manchester By the Sea was my favorite this year, even though it is depressing. But I'd be cool with Moonlight, too!
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