Hell or high water

Movie
German title	Hell or high water
Original title	Hell or high water
Country of production	United States
original language	English
Publishing year	2016
length	102 minutes
Age rating	FSK 12
Rod
Director	David Mackenzie
script	Taylor Sheridan
production	Peter Berg , ; Carla Hacken , ; Sidney Kimmel , ; Julie Yorn
music	Nick Cave , ; Warren Ellis
camera	Giles Nuttgens
cut	Jake Roberts
occupation
	Ben Foster : Tanner Howard; Chris Pine : Toby Howard; Jeff Bridges : Marcus Hamilton; Gil Birmingham : Alberto Parker; Marin Ireland : Debbie Howard; Dale Dickey : Elsie; William Sterchi : Mr. Clauson; Kristin Berg : Olney Teller; Katy Mixon : Jenny Ann; Kevin Rankin : Billy Rayburn;

Hell or High Water is an American neo-western directed by David Mackenzie , which premiered on May 16, 2016 at the Cannes Film Festival . The film was released in selected US cinemas on August 12, 2016, before launching nationwide on August 19, 2016. The film was released in German cinemas on January 12, 2017.

At the 2017 Academy Awards , Hell or High Water received nominations in four categories, including Best Picture and Best Screenplay .

action

The impetuous Tanner Howard and his younger brother Toby embark on a raid across Texas . Tanner was in prison ten years after shooting his father and was released from prison a year ago. Meanwhile, Toby took care of her mother until her death. They both know that their heavily mortgage- backed farmland is home to an abundant oil well . They therefore plan to raid only the branches of the bank that they owe to in order to be able to pay off the mortgage before the land goes to the bank. Her mother left the farm to Toby alone. He lives separated from his wife and two sons and wants to leave the farm to his sons to ensure that they do not grow up in poverty like their parents and grandparents.

The raids on the first two banks early in the morning are successful, even if the brothers are more lucky than sensible. And since the surveillance cameras don't work, they can escape undetected. The captured money wash them successful in the casino of a Indian Reservation in neighboring Oklahoma . Soon, however, they track down the Texas ranger Marcus Hamilton, who is about to retire, and his Indian-Mexican partner Alberto Parker. They received a first hint when Tanner spontaneously and without agreement raided the branch of another bank with working cameras.

Since the loot so far is not enough, the brothers now decide to rob the large bank branch in the city of Post . But unlike the previous banks, this branch is full of customers, and an exchange of fire ensues in which two people are shot by Tanner and Toby is shot. The citizens of Post take up the pursuit of the escaping brothers. With an assault rifle , Tanner manages to repel the pursuers. The brothers then split up. While Toby manages to get through a police checkpoint unscathed with his car, Tanner deliberately attracts the attention of the pursuers. He drives into the mountains, sets his car on fire and continues on foot. With a sniper rifle he keeps his pursuers at a distance and shoots Parker in the process. With the help of a local, Hamilton stalked Tanner's position over a neighboring hill and was able to shoot him.

Toby then manages to pay off the bank and set up a trust fund . The oil income for his sons should be administered through this.

In the end, the now retired Hamilton drives to the Howards farm to find out the motivation for the robberies from Toby, whom he believes to be complicit without having enough evidence. Toby does not confess anything, but makes it clear that he would do anything for the future of his children.

production

Staff, cast and dubbing

Taylor Sheridan's screenplay was at the top of the 2012 Black List , the list of Hollywood's most popular non-film scripts. The film represents the second part of his American Frontier trilogy. Directed by the British David Mackenzie . The other films in the trilogy are Sicario from 2015 and Wind River from 2017.

The roles of Tanner and Toby Howard, the brothers who raid several banks in the film, were cast with Ben Foster and Chris Pine . Jeff Bridges plays Texas ranger Marcus Hamilton, Gil Birmingham plays his partner Alberto Parker.

Nico Sablik and Martin Kautz lend their voices to Chris Pine and Ben Foster in the film. Jeff Bridges is spoken in German by Joachim Tennstedt .

Filming

In the Estancia , the shooting took place in front of the Blue Ribbon Bar & Grill

The shooting took place in May 2015 in the cities and the surrounding area of Clovis , Estancia , Portales , Tucumcari , Albuquerque and at the Caprock Escarpment in Quay County , New Mexico , they served as a backdrop for rural Texas . The scenes that take place in an Oklahoma casino were shot at the Route 66 Casino in Albuquerque.

The film initially had the working title Comancheria . The word is the Spanish and nowadays common name for the tribal area on the Southern Plains in what is now the United States , which is shared by the various Comanche groups and extends over New Mexico and the west of Texas. The final title of the film, Hell or High Water , refers to the English phrase “come hell or high water”, which means “may hell or high water come”, so “come what may”. Pine, who was preparing to shoot the movie Star Trek Beyond , stood in front of the camera for a total of 2½ weeks for Hell or High Water .

Film music

The soundtrack comes from the Australian musician Nick Cave and the English author and musician Warren Ellis . It is the twelfth collaboration between Cave and Ellis for a film score. Commenting on the artists' commitment, director David Mackenzie said: “What I love about Nick and Warren's score is that it's epic and expansive without being bombastic. For me as a filmmaker, this is particularly lucky because the music manages to convey abundance and feeling, but does not feel manipulative or overwhelmed. "

The soundtrack includes 15 songs, with some titles by other musicians such as Townes Van Zandt or Waylon Jennings . It was released on August 19, 2016 by Milan Records . The songs Comancheria and Mama's Room had already been released in July 2016 . On September 16, 2016, the soundtrack debuted at number 12 in the soundtrack album charts in the UK one.

In December 2016, the soundtrack was included in the list of candidates (longlist) at the Academy Awards 2017 in the category Best Film Music , from which the members of the Academy will determine the official nominations.

publication

Chris Pine at the premiere for the film in Cannes 2016

David Mackenzie at the launch of the film at the Arclight Hollywood Theater

The film premiered on May 16, 2016 as part of the Cannes Film Festival and was released in selected US cinemas on August 12, 2016, before launching nationwide on August 19, 2016. The film was distributed by Lionsgate and CBS Films . The film was presented to a German specialist audience for the first time in September 2016 at the Leipzig Film Art Fair. The film opened in German cinemas on January 12, 2017. On February 3, 2020, the film was included in the Netflix program.

reception

Age rating

In Germany the film is FSK 12. The reason for the release states: “The film is staged in the style of a modern Western and told very calmly. Shootings in which people also die are very rare. However, this is in no way sensationally staged. Children from the age of 12 are not overwhelmed or frightened by the short scenes of violence that are conclusively embedded in the dramaturgy. "

Reviews

The film was able to convince 97 percent of the critics at Rotten Tomatoes and was thus one of the best-rated films of 2016. In addition, the film emerged from the 18th Annual Golden Tomato Awards as the winner in the Best Thriller category . In summary, it says: " Hell or High Water is a well-played and well-made western and thriller , which instead of senseless shootings relies on a sovereign dramaturgy and elaborate characters." The website Metacritic determined a score of 88 based on 47 reviews. From the American Film Institute was hell or high water in the top 10 list of the November 2016 AFI Movies of the Year added.

Entertainment Weekly's Chris Nashawaty says you had to go back to 1967, to Bonnie and Clyde , to find a bank robbery movie that felt as much as it was from that era, like Hell or High Water . Kyle Smith of the New York Post says the film defies its insignificant political innuendos with a force of West Texas vibe, intelligent dialogue, and closely watched relationships. The location of the film is also important for Owen Gleiberman from Variety , and he describes Hell or High Water as a captivatingly good film about crime, fear and the brotherly love that takes place in the apparently sleepy West of Texas and, although it does look so authentic, feel absolutely strange.

Matt Singer from Screencrush explains the stylistic devices used by the makers of the film and says that the film is an exciting and determined thriller that uses the iconography of the classic western to tell a modern story. Regarding the making of the film, Michael Phillips of the Chicago Tribune says the film is stuck with one foot in junk film conventions and the other in a somewhat stimulating, morally sensitive, contemporary response to these conventions. But what the film mainly shows, according to Phillips, is a clean and straight, dramatic line. Pol Schock also remarks from the Luxemburger Wort , according to the motto “story comes first”, Mackenzie never loses sight of the plot: “The antagonistic couples Howard brother and Texas Ranger are slowly moving towards each other. The story is told side by side from both perspectives - the horizon of action seems plausible and the viewer is faced with the difficult question of deciding which side is more likeable to him. "

Alexandra Seitz from epd Film says: “ Taylor Sheridan's script, which skilfully works into the hands of the respective acting strengths of the main actors, smoothly incorporates proven motifs from classic westerns into a story from the present day of economic policy and thus once again proves the impressive adaptability of this original American genre . "

Gross profit

The cost of producing the film was $ 12 million. This is offset by income of currently around 37 million US dollars. After the film originally started as an art-house film , it became one of the most successful independent films of the year after its nationwide theatrical release in the USA .

Awards (selection)

The film received a large number of nominations and awards, including multiple nominations for the 2016 Chicago Film Critics Association Awards , an award for the Artios Awards 2017, and a nomination for the Excellence in Production Design Awards 2017 . The film was shortlisted for Best Thriller and Best Screenplay at the Three Empire Awards 2017 . At the 2017 Academy Awards , Hell or High Water received nominations in four categories, including Best Picture and Best Screenplay . The following list contains a selection of the most famous award ceremonies.