SummaryTwo brothers—Toby (Chris Pine), a straight-living, divorced father trying to make a better life for his son; and Tanner (Ben Foster), a short-tempered ex-con with a loose trigger finger—come together to rob branch after branch of the bank that is foreclosing on their family land. The hold-ups are part of a last-ditch scheme to take back a future ... Read More
Directed By:David Mackenzie
Written By:Taylor Sheridan
Hell or High Water
Metascore
Universal Acclaim
88
User score
Generally Favorable
8.0
My Score
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Top Cast
Metascore
Universal Acclaim
98% Positive
46 Reviews
46 Reviews
2% Mixed
1 Review
1 Review
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Aug 19, 2016
100
And Bridges? What's there to say about a man who makes it look so easy, and who - in one breathless, pivotal scene - runs through a range of emotion like a wild pony running across the land. Genius, any way you look at it.
Aug 11, 2016
100
With electrifying, graceful direction by David Mackenzie...a rich, darkly humorous and deeply insightful screenplay by Taylor Sheridan...and no fewer than four performances as good as anything I’ve seen onscreen this year, Hell or High Water is an instant classic modern-day Western, traveling down familiar roads but always, always with a fresh and original spin.
User score
Generally Favorable
89% Positive
686 Ratings
686 Ratings
9% Mixed
69 Ratings
69 Ratings
2% Negative
18 Ratings
18 Ratings
Jul 16, 2023
10
A perfect film. A compelling premise, good acting, good pacing. The movie is slow, but I never felt bored or disengaged. And no moralizing, just actions with consequences. No tidy bow to wrap it up.
Mar 30, 2021
10
One of, if not 2016's best movie.
This modern day western with it's tale of vengeance and brotherly love has all the hallmarks of an American classic.
A well written, beautifully shot movie, that has an excellent soundtrack, it is hard to find too many, if any, flaws with this movie.
Aug 11, 2016
90
Hell or High Water is that rare offering that both feels old-fashioned in its action-thriller gratification and in-the-moment about everything else.
Sep 5, 2016
80
Taut, tense and burnished by Jeff Bridges at his best. This is a deceptively simple tale of Texan cops and robbers that drags the Old West into the modern age.
May 20, 2016
80
Despite treading some familiar territory, British director David Mackenzie's new film Hell or High Water proves itself a brilliantly executed, sharply written genre gem.
Aug 12, 2016
60
A film with a fistful of memorable moments—most of them involving Bridges hurling insults at people—but not a great deal new to say.
May 16, 2020
10
Hell or High Water was one the best films of 2016 and deservedly so. Efficiently executed film with great cinematography, great cast and good story and is done in a way that elevates it above most modern westerns
Apr 13, 2025
6
An ok film with some good performances. The storyline is ok as is the direction, but it's only ok, not great. Worth a watch, although I wouldn't rush back to watch it again!
Aug 28, 2024
6
Bridges is fantastic, of course, but I didn't see anything original here in a highly derivative movie, with a very ambiguous (or confused) moral tone. Watchable, but forgettable
Aug 26, 2016
3
A dull film about mainly uninteresting people. One critic I read mentioned “Bonnie and Clyde” when reviewing this film, and I wonder what he was smoking. Ben Foster and Chris Pike do a good job with the two main characters, but their real motivations were murky until the very end when things finally got interesting. But that was more the scriptwriter’s fault and not theirs. Jeff Bridges played the Jeff Bridges character and I read he was “foul-mouthed.” I found his “joshing” with his partner highly offensive and racist. If you love clichés and despair, this is the movie for you.
Jun 3, 2019
2
Jeff Bridges has adopted a "marbles in the mouth" method of speaking to play these gruff characters and it is just too tiresome. Chris Pine does a decent job. The story is slow and missed too many chances for intrigue. Every surprise is a dud. Some like it. Not me.
Production Company:
- CBS Films
- Sidney Kimmel Entertainment
- Madison Wells
- Film 44
- LBI Productions
- OddLot Entertainment
Release Date:Aug 12, 2016
Duration:1 h 42 m
Rating:R
Tagline:Blood always follows money.
Awards
Academy Awards, USA
• 4 Nominations
Golden Globes, USA
• 3 Nominations
San Diego Film Critics Society Awards
• 6 Wins & 10 Nominations
