David Mackenzie

Hell or High Water (2016) - 3/5

This is a straightforward cops and robbers tale in rural modern Texas. It’s good at showing why the robbers are robbing, and how the cops are pursuing, but beyond that it’s a bit boring. It’s not as compelling and tense as No Country for Old Men, nor as gleefully anarchist as Thelma and Louise or Bonnie and Clyde. Mostly it plays out as expected, and while it’s not bad by any means it doesn’t present anything particularly special.

Closest comparison: It’s like What’s Eating Gilbert Grape? by way of The Highwaymen (Netflix, 2019).

Setting: Western Drama
Plot: Cops and Robbers
Tone: Family Drama