Hell or High Water is yet another limited release gem that shows that in today's film climate, independent film is the quality standard bearer. While tentpole films are fun to see because they are events, films like Hell or High Water harken back to when filmmakers were more concerned with telling interesting stories, instead of making easy money. Hell or High Water is engrossing, tells its story with depth and smarts, and features really well-rounded characters. This film is truly a great film in almost all aspects, and will likely get a ton of recognition during Oscar season.
From the opening scene of this film, the film is gripping, using both intrigue and acting to its advantage. Much like many other great films, this film begins with a bang and holds the audience's attention throughout. Chris Pine has proved that he's a talented actor over the years, but this film is a major step up for him, that being said the show stealers are Ben Foster and Jeff Bridges. Foster has had amazing performances in the past, but this stands as one of his best, and Bridges plays a role that fits him like a glove, and he does it perfectly.
The actors are notably great, but the film is gripping because the story it tells is interesting. The story doesn't feel like a rip off of other films, and even more impressively tells it's story with depth and smarts. Nothing in this film feels like it's unrealistic or bombastic, every action in the film is well thought out and makes sense, that being said the film has a decent level of emotional depth. The impressive thing about Hell or High Water is that it's not overly sentimental, but it's the kind of film that still evokes an emotional response.
Perhaps the biggest reason that the story is interesting, and emotionally gripping is because the characters are so well developed. From the onset all characters come from relatable places, and have plenty of layers. Above that the characters are funny and at some point they simply begin to feel like real people just being captured on film. That being said every character's conflict hits even harder, because the characters feel so relatable.
Finding something wrong with this film is extremely hard, and in a day and age with so many films coming out in conjunction that's rare. Hell or High Water is well acted, gripping, funny, features great characters, shows an impressive amount of emotional depth, and never needlessly substitutes action for smarts. It seems safe to say that this film will get a lot of attention during Oscar season, especially for it's screenplay. If you're a fan of westerns, heist films, thrillers, or just in general like great films this film is a good choice.
From the opening scene of this film, the film is gripping, using both intrigue and acting to its advantage. Much like many other great films, this film begins with a bang and holds the audience's attention throughout. Chris Pine has proved that he's a talented actor over the years, but this film is a major step up for him, that being said the show stealers are Ben Foster and Jeff Bridges. Foster has had amazing performances in the past, but this stands as one of his best, and Bridges plays a role that fits him like a glove, and he does it perfectly.
The actors are notably great, but the film is gripping because the story it tells is interesting. The story doesn't feel like a rip off of other films, and even more impressively tells it's story with depth and smarts. Nothing in this film feels like it's unrealistic or bombastic, every action in the film is well thought out and makes sense, that being said the film has a decent level of emotional depth. The impressive thing about Hell or High Water is that it's not overly sentimental, but it's the kind of film that still evokes an emotional response.
Perhaps the biggest reason that the story is interesting, and emotionally gripping is because the characters are so well developed. From the onset all characters come from relatable places, and have plenty of layers. Above that the characters are funny and at some point they simply begin to feel like real people just being captured on film. That being said every character's conflict hits even harder, because the characters feel so relatable.
Finding something wrong with this film is extremely hard, and in a day and age with so many films coming out in conjunction that's rare. Hell or High Water is well acted, gripping, funny, features great characters, shows an impressive amount of emotional depth, and never needlessly substitutes action for smarts. It seems safe to say that this film will get a lot of attention during Oscar season, especially for it's screenplay. If you're a fan of westerns, heist films, thrillers, or just in general like great films this film is a good choice.