Movie · 2016 · Western, Crime, Drama · 1h 42m · R · English
Curator score: 8.2/10 (642.7K ratings)
Blood always follows money.
Overview
A divorced dad and his ex-con brother resort to a desperate scheme in order to save their family's farm in West Texas.
Ratings
Curator score: 8.2/10
IMDb: 7.6/10
Letterboxd: 3.92/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 97%
Metacritic: 88
TMDB: 7.3/10
Director
David Mackenzie
Production
Sidney Kimmel Entertainment, Film 44, OddLot Entertainment, Estrella Media, Lionsgate, CBS Films
Cast
Jeff Bridges, Chris Pine, Ben Foster, Gil Birmingham, Marin Ireland, Kevin Rankin, Dale Dickey, William Sterchi, Kristin K. Berg, Katy Mixon, Buck Taylor, Keith Meriweather, Amber Midthunder, Jackamoe Buzzell, Joe Berryman, Taylor Sheridan, Howard Ferguson Jr., Debrianna Mansini, Paul Howard Smith, Nathaniel Augustson
Where to watch
Max
Curator Review
Verdict
A lean, emotionally grounded modern western-crime hybrid with strong performances, sharp dialogue, and a clear sense of place. It balances suspense and character work while turning economic desperation into something both tense and tragic.
Best for
Viewers who like modern westerns with crime-thriller momentum
Fans of understated, adult character drama
People drawn to regional stories about poverty, debt, and family obligation
Audiences who appreciate dry humor mixed with melancholy
Skip if
You want a fast, twist-heavy crime movie
You prefer highly stylized or mythic westerns
You dislike slow-burn storytelling and subdued emotional registers
You need a purely action-driven heist film
Overview
Hell or High Water is one of the cleanest examples of the modern American western done right: spare, tense, and rooted in economic reality. It uses the bank robbery framework not as a gimmick but as a way to explore debt, inheritance, and the brutal math of survival in a fading landscape.
Worth noting
What makes it work is the balance. The movie is tough without being cold, funny without undercutting the stakes, and morally alert without turning into a lecture. Chris Pine and Ben Foster give the outlaw side real texture, while Jeff Bridges brings a weary, lived-in authority that keeps the film grounded.
Bottom line
It feels classic in structure but contemporary in its anxieties, which is why it lands so well. This is a film about people cornered by systems bigger than themselves, and it understands that desperation can look a lot like destiny.
Top Letterboxd reviews
Todd Gaines (5★) · 2590 likes
Hell or High Water might be the most adult film I've seen this decade. No gimmicks. No juvenile tendencies. No bull. No cheap shots. It's a Deep Fried Wild West Western Texas Noir, filmed in New Mexico, but it's Texas to the bone.
Jeff Bridges is the cop. Chris Pine is the robber. However, they're both duel-protagonists. The outlaw in me wanted Mr Pine to win the duel. While my conscience cheered on Mr Bridges. Both, have polar opposite partners.… more
cinéfila... 🕯️ (2.5★) · 2084 likes
jeff bridges in this sounds like he swallowed ten tiny tom hardys and gained their combined mumbling powers
Matt Singer (4★) · 1511 likes
I needed this movie. A reminder thrillers don’t have to be dumb, and smart movies don’t have to be boring.
Full review at ScreenCrush.
2007 · Crime, Thriller, Western · 2h 2m · R · Curator 9.6/10 (3.1M ratings) · Where to watch: fuboTV, Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential, MGM Plus, Philo
Shares the same bleak Texas landscape, fatalism, and stripped-down crime tension.
1998 · Crime, Drama, Thriller · 2h 1m · R · Curator 8.0/10 (147.9K ratings) · Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video, MGM Plus, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
Another story of ordinary people making disastrous choices under financial pressure.