Hell Or High Water [Blu-ray]

Accidently watched a clip of this film on YouTube and really wanted to see it. Couldn't believe my luck when I found it on Prime. Great acting, good storyline, well worth a watch

Good entertaining film

I enjoyed this film, had some depth to it.

I'm not always drawn to the Western genre, but a good one will draw me in, and 'Hell or High Water' does fit the bill of a good example.The film follows two brothers (Chris Pine and Ben Foster) who have been, for reasons explained in the film, carrying out a series of armed robberies of banks. Eventually finding a way onto their trail are a veteran lawman (Jeff Bridges) and his partner. Eventually, paths will be crossed but although that's the basic narrative, it's one of those great finds where you can, if you want to, pull much more than that from it. Vast landscapes, people surviving in whatever way they can and making decisions which don't necessarily make them bad, but which have to be reckoned with not nonetheless, coupled with some effective characterisation and great performances, push the film beyond being a run of the mill piece. I found myself really drawn into the characters by the end, and enjoyed it a lot.There's an adequate selection of extras, including a 30 minute Q&A with the director and main cast, featurettes and footage from the premiere in Austin, Texas that all in run around 75 minutes. The featurettes are more interesting than the Q&A but it's an OK package.

Initially seemed interesting but I have to admit that i got very bored, I even forwarded almost until the end to see some action. I cannot say I didnt like it, but I cannot say I like it neither so I have mixed feelings about this movie.

A contemporary epic, which somehow snuck past us at the cinema despite winning stacks of awards.Best performance by The Dude since TBL, best performance by Chris Pine since... erm... possibly forever.A delicately balanced story, which mixes brutal bank heists with searing social commentary and a precarious set of personal circumstances.Nuanced, fully-fleshed characters - not one of them outright good, bad or indifferent. All of them compromised but fundamentally loyal... loyal enough to inspire murder and more.Monster cinematography too, showing the scorched desperation of 21st century hardscrabble existence.9/10

This film is one of those rare classic gems that crop up from time to time.Great acting, photography, music and story line with a fantastic script all set in real USA.Without spoiling it for you I will just say 'what don't you want!'Please note for those who may buy the soundtrack that the Gillian Welch song - I'm not afraid to die is not on there, maybe for contractual reasons but can be found on the CD by her called Hell among the yearlings. For those new to Gillian Welch and Townes van Zandt any of their stuff is quite excellent.

Two brothers try to accumulate money by robbing branches of the bank which has cost their recently deceased mother and the family so much that they are in substantial debt. The plan is to pay off the mortgage on their ranch and other debts and for the younger brother Toby (Chris Pine) to hand over the property to his two sons, in trust. The older brother, Tanner (Ben Foster) has had a life of crime and is happy to support his brother but as much for enjoyment of the reckless heists they carry out. This movie is highly atmospheric, set in hot, dusty Texas, with a powerful musical soundtrack, and conveys the sense of decay, failing industry, lack of work, very low incomes, and you sympathise with the brothers' motives, if not their method of fighting back. Central to it all is the performance of Jeff Bridges, as the old school Ranger Hamilton whose attitude to his colleague is unforgivably not pc but who is wily and can outthink his quarry at every turn. The pace is ponderous but it suits the hot, uncomfortable atmosphere, and the ending is thought-provoking, worth the wait.