Hell or High Water

A pure post-western that doesn't remember the old days fondly, but laments the misery of the present, which doesn't favor cowboys. It’s a wistful tale from the borderlands that reigns in its casting and pure direction. However, the theatrical standing on the porch with a beer in your hand and philosophy on your lips is perhaps too much at times. (01/14/2017)

I like stories of people who have most things wrong in life and yet wouldn't change a thing. It's a devil's deal that such stories often take place in Texas. From Toby and Tanner's robberies, I feel a burning longing for old times that will never return, and Jeff Bridges' grumbling ranger saws the contours of a Western almost to perfection. In combination with perfect cinematography that captures all the vast expanses with absorbing haziness, I'm not far from giving this the highest rating. There's only one thing preventing me – the persistent feeling that it borrowed too much from No Country for Old Men. (01/11/2017)

The pure essence of Cormack McCarthy, about which regular adaptations of his works can just dream about. Without exaggeration, the best film neo-western, watching which you will be astonished on how many levels it works, without any possible "but". It works smoothly as a genre movie, as a study of magnificently written (and without exception equally magnificently played) characters, as a hypnotic movie that raises emotions benefiting from Cave and endless Texas distances, as well as a camera that does them justice as a reflection of time and a social insight into the soul of the had-working Republican class, which has nothing, banks are bullying them and circumstances force them to take one credit after another and who get from one debt to another (no other film will show you in such an illustrative and nonviolent way why America chose Trump), as a textbook of minimalist dialogs "about something", even if seemingly "about nothing", like... Well, I could continue for hours and hours in the same way. For many years, I have not seen a movie that would so skillfully blur the line between pure genre pleasure and existential festival movie. For me, it's simply an instant classic, and not just within the "Peckinpah" genre. (11/15/2016)

The film had a great theme, a good cast, a decent atmosphere, and finally some politically incorrect humor. I had fun, but... everything I just mentioned was spoiled by the ridiculously slow pacing. If you want to use long shots of the landscape, don’t pick Texas where everything looks the same. I was strongly surprised by the lack of negative characters. Even the lawyer was a good guy, so the mortgage guy was left to pick up the slack. What I liked was the rather unexpected ending. 3*+ (07/08/2018)

A decent old school robbery crime drama that builds mainly on a desert atmosphere and a trio of great actors. Ben Foster is classically nutty, Chris Pine is excellent as usual, he's been picking decent films lately, and Jeff Bridges was perfect for the role of the Texas sheriff. I wasn't bored for a moment, it's just a pity that there is no gore at all, which would have been useful here, otherwise great. 80% (11/22/2016)