Hell or High Water

Reminiscent of Unforgiven and No Country for Old Men, this gritty contemporary Western centers on the Howard brothers, who concoct a plan to wreak revenge on the bank that swindled their dying mother out of her land. Brooding divorced dad Toby (Chris Pine) is determined that his sons will inherit the oil-rich family ranch that is under threat of foreclosure. So he turns to sociopathic ex-con brother Tanner (Ben Foster) for help. Toby devises a clever plan to rob several small-town branches of the Texas Midlands Bank, then launder the money through an Indian-run casino, just over the state line in Oklahoma. With untraceable casino checks, he can settle their debt. Wearing hoodies and ski-masks, Toby and Tanner start their early-morning heists, drawing the attention of acerbic, about-to-retire Texas Ranger Marcus Hamilton (Jeff Bridges), who slyly surmises that these aren't your usual bank robbers, since they take only small denomination bills from the cash drawers. “I may have one hunt left in me,” he tells his laconic partner Alberto Parker (Gil Birmingham). Directed by David Mackenzie, this is an irony-riddled, character-driven drama in tune with the times. Recommended. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include a filmmaker Q&A (30 min.), the production featurettes “Enemies Forever: The Characters” (14 min.), “Damaged Heroes: The Performances” (13 min.), and “Visualizing the Heart of America” (10 min.), a premiere segment (2 min.), and trailers. Exclusive to the Blu-ray release are bonus DVD, digital, and UltraViolet copies of the film. Bottom line: a solid extras package for this modern Western drama.] (S. Granger)