Hell or High Water
Directed by David Mackenzie
- Joe GDecember 24, 2025Cliché and steeped in familiar Western and shoot-’em-up tropes, offering little that feels genuinely new. This feels like it was pitched as No Country for Old Men mixed with Heat, and it clearly tries to operate in that space but never reaching those standards. The film leans into strange racial dialogue that never quite works, and its message is stated so plainly it feels overly instructional. Its treatment of guns and concealed carry is especially muddled, drifting into what plays less like commentary and more like a Texan red-neck wet dream. The acting is solid but interchangeable. Chris Pine and Ben Foster are capable within a limited range, playing roles that could have been filled by almost anyone. The dialogue has moments of wit, and the film is shot competently, though nothing rises to the level of distinction. Ultimately, this plays like a modern B movie, something that might have lived at Redbox, elevated mainly by the actors attached and the buzz surrounding it. Films like The Way of the Gun and The Boondock Saints handle this kind of material with more clarity and intent. Nothing here reinvents anything, but it remains functional and mildly engaging.
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Hell or High Water Trivia
Hell or High Water was released on August 11, 2016.
Hell or High Water was directed by David Mackenzie.
Hell or High Water has a runtime of 1h 42m.
Hell or High Water was produced by Carla Hacken, Julie Yorn, Sidney Kimmel, Peter Berg.
In West Texas, two brothers go on a bank-robbing rampage. They are targeting the branches of one bank in particular, The Texas Midland Bank. This bank is about to foreclose on the mortgage on their ranch and claim the property, and robbing the bank to pay its own loan seems appropriate. On the trail of the brothers is a Texas Ranger, Marcus Hamilton, with only a few weeks to retirement.
The key characters in Hell or High Water are Marcus Hamilton (Jeff Bridges), Toby Howard (Chris Pine), Tanner Howard (Ben Foster).
Hell or High Water is rated R.
Hell or High Water is a Drama, Western, Crime film.
Hell or High Water has an audience rating of 8.8 out of 10.
Hell or High Water had a budget of $12M.
Hell or High Water has made $37.6M at the box office.