'Hell or High Water' with Jeff Bridges Sets No Limits in the Vastness of Texas

Contrary to popular folklore, Jesse and Frank James did not steal from the rich to give to the poor. On the other hand, they weren’t happy with the outcome of the Civil War and robbed Republican held banks to help unsettle the new order. That said, Jeff Bridges’ latest film, Hell or High Water, has elements of both. The result is a drama that superimposes today’s disenfranchised underbelly of America over a modern day James Gang, which also takes matters into their own hands.

The David Mackenzie film opens with Chris Pine and Grant Foster showing up too early to rob their first bank in the heart of West Texas. “The only thing you two are guilty of so far is stupidity,” the female teller instructs Toby and Tanner Howard.

The bank manager yet to arrive, he is the only one who can open the cash drawers, and the silliness seems like a pleasing little crime romp lay ahead. The prospect abruptly ends as Tanner (Ben Foster) tosses the helpless woman about and menacingly points a gun at her forehead.

A less than crime hardened Chris Pine is taken aback, and formulaically, you wonder why the level headed guy has once again enlisted a loose canon. The obvious question then arises. Will the less than murderous intent of the good bad guy unravel in tragedy?

Incorrect Jeff is a joy.

Fortunately, Jeff Bridges shows up to give pause, and you get to put off the possible dread in a Texas drawl that barks without biting. That is until it proves absolutely necessary for retiring Sheriff Marcus Hamilton.

This initially leaves Bridges bewildered as the first bank robbed frets a digital camera on the fritz. “You can get a video camera at Walmart, can’t you,” his frustration provides exposition.

He’s a relic but it doesn’t mean his attention to detail or diligence is dated. At the same time, old school also means Bridges does a number on his partner’s dual ethnicity throughout. “When I’m done making fun of your Indian half, I’ll move onto the Mexican,” Bridges deflects above his deputy’s muted protests.

So Alberto Parker (Gil Birmingham) has no choice but to endure and let the political incorrectness role off his sleeve. Still, Birmingham is one of three Native American characters who actually deliver lines and their presence is refreshing. This especially since it should be a given for modern day westerns.

The added depth also provided an unforgettable historical segue. The Native American Deputy proceeds to blanket the banking industry, and the tidy commerce that plays conquistador to the dispossessed in present day.

The Big Banks and the Big Picture

And the absolute desolation is in full view compared to the angst Americans suffer elsewhere. The abandoned towns and poverty seem as limitless as the vast spaces that sap the pride of generations even unborn.

In the backdrop, billboards promising miracles of reverse mortgages and other such schemes can’t be missed, and they don’t get past Bridges either. He knows early on that the measured crime spree is attempting to undo shenanigans leveled at Pine’s family by Texas Midlands Bank.

Zipping through the dust in a series of stolen clunkers, Pine leaves the warp core of his other vehicle behind and relinquishes galactic command without effort or worry of being typecast. Cause in tow, Pine is easy to root for, and the landscape certainly doesn’t jump through hoops to impede the path.

On the other hand, his costar’s range also doesn’t box him into past roles and casts doubt on the whole endeavor. In other words, the whiney characters portrayed in The Punisher and Six Feet Under easily fall in favor of past tough guys roles like 3:10 Yuma and diminish the just retribution his brother seeks.

Of course, the Sheriff at the top of his game as retirement will soon lay him waste, the inevitable showdown awaits. Will we feel vindicated of a benign Robin Hood or the good guy who goes down in flames—setting a mass of bystanders a blaze with him.

But the banks win either way, and their depravity is what is really limitless.

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