Just got out of the theater. I loved it. I thought Chris Pine was the biggest surprise of the whole film. Living in Lubbock for my entire life except my time at A&M, I have to say they nailed it, except highway 70 doesn't run anywhere close to Post.

I thought the dr. Pepper/ mr. Pibb scene was hilarious, and so true.

quote:

---

I do think they laid on the predatory banking angle a lot thicker than they needed to--could have made the same point and even the same plot without being so ham-fisted with all of the "fast cash" billboards in the scenery, etc.

Regarding comparisons to No Country for Old Men, I think NCFOM was a significantly better film, although this one felt more like something that could actually happen.

---

I agree with both of Yokel's points here.

Chris Pine is one of my favorite actors.. After watching him in Horrible Bosses 2, I thought he could have made a really good Joker.

My one minor complaint is that the only thing Olney/Vernon/etc. are west of is DFW. And there are no mountains there. Would have saved a lot of driving time as a kid. Not a big deal, and I loved it otherwise.

Was already excited to see this, but just noticed that Nick Cave and Warren Ellis do the soundtrack. They do fantastic western-style scores for movies like Assassination of Jesse James and The Road.

SIAP

Saw it last weekend and think it was a good movie. Not as high on it as everyone else, but definitely worth the price of admission.

Jeff Bridges acting performance after taking the shot at the end was very powerful. The emotion he showed in that scene without even using words was moving.

Loved it

I can tell you one thing....ain't nobody robbing this place

Just saw it, also loved it. Lots of flashbacks to my time in grad school at Tceh. The scene where they were driving down off the escarpment, the dust storm, the grass fire, etc. Thought all the actors were great. I liked seeing Kenny Powers girlfriend in that role lol. Definitely the best movie about Texas in a long time.

quote:

---

Finally saw it. Fantastic. Stayed within itself and didn't try to do too much.

No complaints at all. That's how movies should be made.

---

Well said.

Just saw it tonight and loved it. I figured I would, though. I was pleasantly surprised how much my wife enjoyed it. Seems like a lot of posts saying the same thing about their wives being pleasantly surprised with it.



***SPOILER ALERT***

The one thing I didn't think made sense was when Foster's character killed the Ranger. It just seemed to me that he was just trying to divert the cops from Toby and that he knew he was going to die or turn himself in. I know he had a bit of a mean streak but didn't seem like a cold blooded killer. I suppose it could fit with his "I am a Comanche" mindset, though.

Saw it this weekend and loved it as well. Probably my favorite movie of the year so far.

quote:

---

quote:

---

quote:

---

I had never heard of Ben Foster, but he was excellent.

---

He does a good job in 3:10 To Yuma as well (among others).

---

Ben Foster is possibly the single most underrated actor alive. His work in films like Pandorum, Lone Survivor, The Finest Hours, and Alpha Dog were nothing short of spectacular. He's one of those guys who can save a very average film.

You've also probably seen him in the old X-Men films, The Punisher, or the TV Show Freaks and Geeks from the 90's.

---

Don't forget Medivh from Warcraft

Holy **** I did not realize he was the "special" kid in Freaks & Geeks

quote:

---

quote:

---

quote:

---

quote:

---

I had never heard of Ben Foster, but he was excellent.

---

He does a good job in 3:10 To Yuma as well (among others).

---

Ben Foster is possibly the single most underrated actor alive. His work in films like Pandorum, Lone Survivor, The Finest Hours, and Alpha Dog were nothing short of spectacular. He's one of those guys who can save a very average film.

You've also probably seen him in the old X-Men films, The Punisher, or the TV Show Freaks and Geeks from the 90's.

---

Don't forget Medivh from Warcraft

---

He and the fat guy are the main reasons I actually liked that version of the Punisher. Thomas Jane wasn't bad either, but Travolta tried his hardest to ruin it.

Loved this movie. Not many of my friends have seen it, but from those who have, I have yet to hear one bad thing.

Still impressed by this one, on reflection.

Tanner's final scene, with the "Lord of the Plains" line, and the reaction of Jeff Bridges' character after the shot, is the best exit since Al Pacino's last scene in Donnie Brasco, in my book.

Have been thinking as well about whether him shooting the other Ranger is consistent with his character throughout the film, and I think it is. Recall his glowering reaction to the woman who casually called him stupid in the opening scene. He isn't a guy who puts a high value on the life of anyone other than his brother, including himself.

This Variety review is pretty spot on about the feel of the movie (very 70's not in setting but in style and grittiness) as well as the performances. It raves about both Pine and Foster. Although it focuses on the brothers more and not Bridges character as much, it does give him a lot of credit too and says:

quote:

---

Bridges' closing gesture is sublime, a cocked-index-finger-in-the-air goodbye that, in the language of West Texan, speaks volumes.

---

http://variety.com/2016/film/columns/hell-or-high-water-chris-pine-jeff-bridges-1201837155/

Saw it last night. Its a beautifully shot film. Loved it. I wouldn't know much about West Texas, if not for my one visit to Lubbock.

I couldn't help but compare it to NCFOM. It sort of felt like an unintended sequel. Here's the new Texas. 30/40 years later, its still much of the same.

I was impressed with Pine. Foster and Bridges always bring it. And both have some damn good Westerns under their belt.

Great movie but riddle me this...

Why did they have to rob a bunch of banks when they were surely getting a big fat bonus check for their oil and gas lease?

quote:

---

Love hearing all these positive reactions! I have a friend out here from Texas who hated it

---

What?!

quote:

---

The Washington Post / "Actor-turned-screenwriter Taylor Sheridan, on his love letter to Texas"

---

Great article. Taylor Sheridan is on my absolutely must see list now for anything he writes. Looking forward to his directorial debut, Wind River next year too.



And this is a pretty refreshing take from someone in Hollywood:

quote:

---

Q: You've said, "If anyone can understand my politics, I've failed." What did you mean?

A: I'm in a business that seems to think it knows best, and we have a pretty alarming amount of power to speak without being interrupted. I try hard to only ask questions and to do it in an entertaining way.

---

quote:

---

quote:

---

Love hearing all these positive reactions! I have a friend out here from Texas who hated it

---

What?!

---

First of all, glad to hear that you loved it. Nearly nine months into the year, and it's definitely my favorite of the year so far as well.

As for my Texas friend who hated it - full disclosure, he's one of my business partners (and yeah, yeah, "You need a new business parter," etc.). He's smart as hell, and usually has fantastic taste, but for some reason he's an outlier on this one. And trust me, I've been giving him relentless sh*t for it. He saw it two weeks early at a private screening, also with a Q&A with the director, and he immediately got on our Slack channel to tell us about it. Critic reviews at that point we're still at 99%, and when he started tearing it down, I was thinkingmaybe this is just one of those pretentious movies that critics love that the rest of us will hate. I also figured it was probably inauthentically Texas, and that had something to do with his hatred. Here are some of his complaints, word for word...

- "1/3 of the way in I was like, 'What is this movie even about?'"

- "The biggest issue was that it was completely unmotivated. They tried to subvert the motivation and be cute and it was terrible."

- "I was having a hard time buying Chris Pine and also the whole 'Mexican Injun' talk felt like leftover pages from Young Guns 2."

- "The director was literally there to introduce the movie and had nothing positive to say about it. He was like, 'I felt like we got to some good themes, but who knows. Come see me at the bar afterwards.' I really wanted to have things to talk to him about, but was just at a loss."


My retort, the second I got out of the theater, two weeks later (apologies if this offends any of the ladies)...

"Guys, I'm afraid XXXXX may have been on his period the other night, because Hell or High Water is fantastic. At times, sure, it's a little too twangy, a little too earnest, and Jeff Bridges is a little too Jeff Bridgesy, but man, overall, I loved it. Packed audience in The Dome gave it a big round of applause at the end, too."


Since then, I almost feel bad, because my friend clearly sees the overwhelming love for this movie, and has definitely backed off a bit. He almost feels left out. He even swears they had to have shown a rough cut at his screening, to which I laughed at him for even trying that excuse.

Anyway, in the above quotes, I'm sure that's how I sound to many of you on here at times, but oh well. I swear he's a great guy, not a pretentious ******, and a loyal Texan. Ha, that was definitely a line-in-the-sand moment for us, but we're all good now.

quote:

---

Also, this movie made me really want to go rob a small bank in West Texas... cuz it looks really ****ing easy.

---

Start looking for black cars outside your house or random vans that look like electricity, plumbing, or pest control companies.

quote:

---

Probably just made the FBI watch list

---

Oh that's rich, as if you weren't already on there!

quote:

---

quote:

---

Probably just made the FBI watch list

---

Oh that's rich, as if you weren't already on there!

---

Well yeah but now I'm on it for two reasons

What an absolutely great movie. I'm from west Texas and have met all of those characters at some point. Saw it last night and have been geeking out since. Slow burn, great acting, outstanding writing and perfectly paced!