Generally speaking, when I write reviews on the blog, I try to stick to sci-fi and fantasy. Being they are the genres I write in, and the ones I read and watch most often, it makes a lot of sense to stick to them. But today I’ve got to break that pattern. I need to write about Hell or High Water.
My wife and I got our first little date outing in recent memory, and we wanted to go see a film. We’d seen all the blockbusters that came out before our family grew a little larger, and while they had all been entertaining enough, I’d been really dissapointed by this summer’s films. When we were looking at showtimes, the only film we could really agree on was Hell or High Water. (In fairness, I really, really wanted to see it, and my wife was simply ok with it).
I’ll say this though. Hell or High Water is my favorite movie of the summer, and is probably my favorite movie in recent memory (although my memory is sketchy, so take that with a grain of salt).
I don’t want to say too much about the plot. At its core, it’s a movie about cops and robbers, and there’s nothing that’s narratively new to this movie. But, wow, is this movie well-done.
What I really loved is how quiet the movie is. It only runs about a hundred minutes, but it isn’t afraid to take its time, spending plenty of quiet moments building up its characters. When it does get violent, it is much like real life, it happens so fast, it catches you off-guard. I want more movies like this.
This is a movie about characters, and the leading cast all develop their characters flawlessly. I want to give a shout-out to the scriptwriter, who made an original and beautiful film.
So, yeah. Go see that movie. It was really good.
Ryan
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