Hell or High Water [DVD]

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.

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, one a dangerous career criminal not long out of jail, the other a lonely divorcee with his sons' best interests at heart, embark upon a series of bank robberies, the aim being, ironically, to use the spoils to pay back the bank before it forecloses on their late mother's oil-rich ranch. A wily Texas ranger on the brink of retirement believes he can trace their movements and apprehend them at their next hit. Beautiful scenery of a parched Texas landscape and an evocative C & W score aid a clever, unusual script aided by three excellent performances, Ben Foster as the trigger-happy older brother, Chris Pine playing against his usual heroic hunk image and the reliable Jeff Bridges, playfully taunting his Native American side-kick, who dominate the film though the supporting players all look as they are real hicks and not actors. There are shades of 'No Country for Old Men' in its depiction of a world-weary lawman pursuing his quarry against a barren landscape but the film is original and well worth seeing. It is up for several Oscars but, with the possible exception of Bridges, I fear it will lose out .

This is a review of the 4K bluray version of the film Hell or high water is one of the best movies from the last few years. It's a Jeff Bridges movie and how he didn't get an Oscar I'll never know The standard bluray looks like all digitally shot movies. It looks washed out with bland boring colours. The 4K disc is the complete antithesis of the the HD version. Colours are vibrant, accurate and truly beautiful. Now the movie looks like it was shot on celluloid. Isn't it weird that we use a modern technology and use HDR etc to make a movie look like it was shot 75 years ago. The movie itself is marvellous It's cops and robbers of the highest quality. Hell or high water is an essential 4K bluray with a beautiful colour palette and excellent score. Do not miss the 4K bluray but avoid the 1080p bluray.

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

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.

In some ways I was expecting this film to be a flop . The rather slow pace I was expecting to disinterest me half way through. Neither scenario happened. What a great film. Jeff Bridges laconic portrayal of West Texas law enforcement Ranger was seemingly a perfect foil for the undercurrent of the film and help sets the tempo, as did the rather good country soundtrack. This is just another bank robbery film - only better than most. The banaged up cars and the dustbowl of the Mid-West really create an atmosphere of small-town USA . I guess the lack of CGI and the inability to turn this film into a game will hurt it's broad appeal across the generations - but this is a fine film for the discerning movie buff - make no mistake.

I enjoyed this film, had some depth to it.