Hell or High Water

Directed by David Mackenzie and written by Taylor Sheridan, Hell or High Water is the story of two brothers who decide to rob banks to save their family ranch as they are being pursued by two Texas Rangers. The film is a crime thriller set in West Texas as it play into a battle between brothers and the two men trying to go after them. Starring Ben Foster, Chris Pine, Gil Birmingham, Marin Ireland, Katy Mixon, Dale Dickey, and Jeff Bridges. Hell or High Water is a rapturous yet gripping film from David Mackenzie.

A series of robberies in West Texas prompts an aging Texas Ranger and his new partner to investigate these robberies as they’re unaware that the two robbers are brothers trying to save their family ranch by robbing the banks that is taking away the ranch. It’s a film that play into a world that has two brothers becoming desperate over a reverse mortgage as the family ranch is about to foreclosed as the timing of it is bad since their mother had passed three weeks earlier. They would rob banks and go to Indian casinos to use the money to gamble and then use that money as a check to the banks they stole the money from. Taylor Sheridan’s screenplay is definitely play into the motivations of Toby Howard (Chris Pine) and his older ex-con brother Tanner (Ben Foster) as the latter wants to help his younger brother save the ranch as Toby is aware of how rich the land is and wants to pass it on to his sons.

While Tanner is definitely more experienced in robberies as he would do all of the yelling and intimidation tactics, it is Toby that remains quiet and makes sure things go quietly as he knows what he has to do for his sons and his ex-wife Debbie (Marin Ireland). Being aware of these robberies is Marcus Hamilton (Jeff Bridges) who is days away from retirement as he is joined by his new partner Alberto Parker (Gil Birmingham) as they drive around various small town in Texas wondering where the next bank will hit. Sheridan’s dialogue and portrayal of characters is key to the film in the way he portrays the Howard brothers as well as Hamilton as men who carry old ideas of the west where Hamilton does say politically-incorrect things toward his half-Native American/half-Mexican partner as well as the fact that he believes these robbers are robbing these specific banks for a reason. Especially as Parker says something about what is happening as there is a hint of irony into what the brothers are doing as it relates to how the Native Americans lost their homes except that things are much darker and more complicated.

David Mackenzie’s direction is definitely ravishing in the way he captures this feel of the American West in not just its vast beauty but also for being this area that is disconnected by the major cities of America where many of these small towns become stricken with poverty and almost become some short of ghost town. Shot on various locations in New Mexico as West Texas, the film does play as this idea of the West in a modern setting where Mackenzie would use wide shots to capture the beauty of these locations from the shots of the deserts and mountains. The locations don’t just play to this decline of the West due to modernism but also for the fact that the old ways are gone as it’s something the Howard brothers seem to fight for as it relates to their ranch. Mackenzie would use some close-up and medium shots to play into the characters interacting with each other as well as some long shots to capture the action as it plays out.

Even as Mackenzie would create elements of tension and dark humor in the film as some of the violent moments are restrained until the third act. Notably as there is an element of suspense and terror that looms throughout the film as Hamilton and the Howard brothers never interact or see each other. It just adds to this air of suspense as a showdown is inevitable but also play into the idea of what had been lost in the West prompting these two forces to finally meet and see what it’s all about. Overall, Mackenzie creates a gripping yet haunting film about a Texas Ranger trying to capture two brothers who are robbing banks to save their family ranch.

Cinematographer Giles Nuttgens does brilliant work with the film’s gorgeous cinematography to play into the sunny and dream-like look of the Texan skylines as well as the usage of unique lighting for some of the interiors including some of the scenes in the casinos and natural lighting for a restaurant Hamilton and Parker go to. Editor Jake Roberts does excellent work with the editing as it is straightforward with some rhythmic cuts to play into the suspense. Production designer Tom Duffield, with set decorator Wilhelm Pfau and art director Steve Cooper, does fantastic work with the look of Howard family ranch as well as some of the places that the characters go to.

Costume designer Malgosia Turzanska does nice work with the costumes from the cowboy-like clothes of the Howard brothers to the Texas Ranger uniform that Hamilton and Parker wear. Sound designer Frank Gaeta does amazing work with the film’s sound as it play into the suspense and some of the natural elements of the locations. The film’s music by Nick Cave and Warren Ellis is incredible as its mixture of eerie strings and keyboard music play into the drama and decline of the West as it is a major highlight of the film while director David Mackenzie and editor Jake Roberts supervise the film’s soundtrack that mainly features a mixture of country, rock, and blues.

The casting by Jo Edna Boldin and Richard Hicks is wonderful as it feature some notable small roles from screenwriter Taylor Sheridan as a cowboy getting his herd of cows out of a field fire, John Paul Howard and Christopher W. Garcia as Toby’s sons, Amber Midthunder as a young bank clerk, Melanie Paplia as a hooker trying to flirt with Toby, Alma Sisneros as a hotel clerk that Tanner woos, Dale Dickey as a bank employee who is taken hostage in the film’s opening sequence, Katy Mixon as a restaurant waitress that tries to woo Toby, and Marin Ireland as Toby’s ex-wife Debbie. Gil Birmingham is fantastic as Alberto Parker as Hamilton’s new partner who bears the insults that Hamilton gives him while dealing with the severity of the case as well as bringing his own insights about the ways of the world. Ben Foster is brilliant as Tanner Howard as the eldest of the two brothers who has been convicted for robberies and such as he knows how to rob banks as he’s a little unhinged but is also someone that is vulnerable as it relates to his own troubled relationship with his parents.

Chris Pine is amazing as Toby Howard as the younger of the two brothers who is also a father as someone who is levelheaded as he laments over the situation he’s in as well as making sure his sons don’t go through the struggles he went through as a child. Finally, there’s Jeff Bridges in a phenomenal performance as Marcus Hamilton as a Texas Ranger who is about to retire that takes on this case as he doesn’t just deal with the area he’s in but also the changes of the landscape that haunts him as well as his own ideas of why these robberies are happening.

Hell or High Water is a tremendous film from David Mackenzie that features great performances from Jeff Bridges, Chris Pine, and Ben Foster. Along with its brilliant ensemble cast, Taylor Sheridan’s riveting script, the chilling score of Nick Cave and Warren Ellis, dazzling visuals, and top-notch suspense. The film is definitely an unconventional yet evocative suspense-thriller that also acts as a true western. In the end, Hell or High Water is a spectacular film from David Mackenzie.

David Mackenzie Films: (The Last Great Wilderness) – (Young Adam) – (Asylum (2005 film)) – (Hallam Foe) – (Spread) – (Perfect Sense) – (You Instead) – (Starred Up) – (Outlaw King)

© thevoid99 2017

Take Shelter

Written and directed by Jeff Nichols, Take Shelter is the story about a man who has an apocalyptic dream as he struggles to create a shelter. With his obsession becoming more intense, his relationship with his family becomes strained as he is convinced that something bad will happen. Starring Michael Shannon, Jessica Chastain, Tova Stewart, Shea Whigham, Katy Mixon, Ray McKinnon, Lisa Gay Hamilton, and Kathy Baker. Take Shelter is a chilling thriller from Jeff Nichols.

Curtis LaForche (Michael Shannon) is a respected laborer who has a loving wife in Samantha (Jessica Chastain) and a lovely yet deaf daughter Hannah (Tova Stewart) as they live happily in Texas. Then Curtis starts to have strange nightmares that revolves around an apocalyptic storm that is to wreak havoc. While Curtis is unsure about the dreams he’s having as it felt very real to him, he chooses not to tell his wife as they’re on the verge of having money for surgery for their daughter’s chance to hear. After the dreams intensify and he tells a doctor about it, he reluctantly takes pills only to realize that he’s starting to see things that might actually be happening.

While he suspects that he might be suffering from schizophrenia due to the fact that his mother (Kathy Baker) has been hospitalized for it. Curtis suddenly becomes paranoid as he decides to fix up and expand a tornado shelter in his backyard. While his friend and co-worker Dewart (Shea Whigham) reluctantly help out, Samantha wonders what is going on as she finds herself asking questions about Curtis’ behavior. Curtis finally tells Samantha about his nightmares following a health scare as well as revealing that he’s taken a loan to build his shelter. With his dreams becoming more ominous, Curtis’ paranoia starts to affect everyone as the whole town is convinced that Curtis has gone crazy. Curtis wonders if he is going crazy until a dream has him convinced that a storm is definitely coming.

The film is about a man’s belief that his apocalyptic nightmares are coming true as he starts to question his own sanity and the decisions that he’s making. Throughout the film, Curtis LaForche ponders if he is imagining all of this or does he really think it’s happening as a visit to see his mother would only raise more questions about his state of mind. Jeff Nichols creates a film that is part-apocalyptic thriller and part-family drama as it all centers towards a family man who is desperate to create a shelter for his family. His script dwells into this man’s paranoia that starts off with a nightmare and then shifts back into his real life as he would later have trouble deciphering in what is real and what is a dream. Curtis would question his own state of mind but couldn’t escape what he feels as his wife would start to believe that he might be telling the truth despite her own initial feelings and confusions about what her husband believes.

Nichols’ direction is truly hypnotic from start to finish in the way he opens the film with a man doing household activities outside where it starts to rain but water color is very different. Nichols creates something where it starts off as this intimate drama set nearby Austin, Texas that follows a man being a laborer who is competent and friendly while his wife sells her own handmade clothing in fair markets. Nichols does change that calm, happy tone for a darker one by creating lots of sequences involving rain and storms to play up Curtis’ state of paranoia as the film becomes a thriller but an unconventional one due to the dramatic material in the film. Nichols also creates amazing wide shots and eerie camera movements to play up the suspense as it leads to this big moment when the storm might actually happen. The result is a truly engrossing yet exhilarating film from Jeff Nichols.

Cinematographer Adam Stone does a brilliant job with the film‘s stylish yet gorgeous photography from the sunny look of the Austin suburbs to the haunting exteriors of the rain and lightning scenes plus some eerie interior shots including one in the actual shelter that Curtis has built. Editor Parke Gregg does an excellent job with the editing to help create suspense in the dream sequences as well as play up the paranoia that surrounds Curtis. Production designer Chad Keith, along with set decorator Adam Willis and art director Jennifer Kilde, does fantastic work with the set pieces created from the home of the LaForches to the shelter that he builds.

Costume designer Karen Malecki does a very good job with the clothes as a lot of it is very casual to what people would wear in Texas, that is cowboy clothing. Visual effects supervisor Chris Wells does a superb job with visual effects that is created such as the lightning and the horde of flying birds that Curtis sees. Sound designers Joshua Chase, Will Files, and Lyman Hardy do great work with the sound work to help play up the suspense and intimate locations that occurs such as Curtis’ big blow-up at a restaurant. The film’s score by David Wingo is wonderful for its melodic-driven pieces in the piano and guitars along with heavy orchestral pieces to play up the drama and suspense that occurs in the film.

The casting by Lillian Pyles is terrific for the ensemble that is created as it includes noteworthy appearances from Lisa Gay Hamilton as a counselor Curtis meets, Ray McKinnon as Curtis’ older brother Kyle, Katy Mixon as Samantha’s friend Nat, Heather Caldwell as Hannah’s teacher, Scott Knisley as Curtis’ doctor, and Robert Longstreet as Curtis’ boss. Tova Stewart is excellent as Curtis’ deaf daughter Hannah for the way she is silent throughout the film while Shea Whigham is wonderful as Curtis’ best friend/co-worker Dewart who is confused by Curtis’ actions and the decisions that Curtis would make later in the film. Kathy Baker is superb in her one scene performance as Curtis’ mentally-ill mother who reveals her own recollections of her breakdown that would question Curtis’ state of mind.

Jessica Chastain is radiant as Curtis’ wife Samantha who is baffled by her husband’s irrational thinking as well as the fact that she’s been kept in the dark. It’s a very captivating performance from the actress as she has a lot to do while showing her frustrations and sadness in the way she has to deal with her husband and how she tries to ground him. Finally, there’s Michael Shannon in an outstanding performance as Curtis LaForche. Shannon brings a manic sense of fear to his role as a man seemingly lost in his paranoia while he also shows a sense of warmth in low-key scenes where he’s just a loving father and husband. Yet, there’s also a calmness to the way Shannon brings out the craziness of his character as it’s definitely one of his best performances of his career.

Take Shelter is a tremendous yet haunting film from Jeff Nichols that features magnificent performances from Michael Shannon and Jessica Chastain. The film is definitely powerful for the way it uses suspense to capture a man’s descent into madness though he could be telling the truth. The film also serves as a real breakthrough for Jeff Nichols who is definitely one of the new voices working in American cinema. In the end, Take Shelter is a marvelous yet suspenseful film from Jeff Nichols.

Jeff Nichols Films: Shotgun Stories - Mud - Midnight Special - Loving (2016 film) - The Auteurs #58: Jeff Nichols

© thevoid99 2011