I don’t even remember hearing about Hell or High Water when it was released over the summer. I totally missed it until it received 3 Golden Globe nominations, then I took notice. It’s now available to watch at home so I checked it out over winter break and I was pleasantly surprised.

Jeff Bridges is fantastic in the lead role, for which he has been nominated for a Golden Globe. He is a Texas Ranger weeks away from retirement when one last case comes across his desk. He continues his career resurgence since his Oscar for Crazy Heart, and his role in True Grit. Chris Pine(Star Trek, Jack Ryan) and Ben Foster(Inferno, X:Men Last Stand) play brothers who are down on their luck financially and turn to bank robbing. I’ve never seen Chris Pine in this type of role and I felt like he was great. Ben Foster is also good, I feel like he continues to grow in every role I see him in.

Taylor Sheridan wrote the screenplay, which has been nominated for a Golden Globe. The story sounds cliche sure, but the writing really did drive the movie for me. Great character development and the interactions between the characters, no matter how small, make it more enjoyable. The film plays like a modern day western with heist film elements, similar to No Country for Old Men. The cinematography was beautiful and Nic Cave’s score helped build the overall atmosphere and tension of the cat and mouse game betweeen the bank robbers and the lawmen. The hype for this one is deserved, well made and enjoyable. Check it out this week before the Globes, maybe it will win.

–Tony