**An extinct, dusty town somewhere in Texas. Two rangers sit on the terrace of a slovenly café, waiting for something to happen. Nothing wrong with the bank branch on the other side of the street, but given the series of recent robberies, things could change quickly. And so the duo stays quiet, while pessimistically musing about the state of their country, already traditionally controlled by greed.**

In that small, but fine, scene half-way through _Hell or High Water_, director David McKanzie (Starred Up), and script-writer Taylor Sheridan (Sicario, Wild River) takes his foot of the accelerator. His modern western has violent outbursts of car chases and actual violence, but takes time just as easily for rash moments of reflection and criticism of the American society. One moment alternated with a little family drama, the next with cynical humor. The great thing about the whole picture is that all those elements are continuously in balance.

Central to the plot are two brothers who have come up with a plan to keep their family farm and ranch within the family after the death of their mother. In the opening of _Hell or High Water_, Tanner (Ben Foster) and Toby (Chris Pine) deprive two branches in a row, and then tear them away in an old biscuit tin that they buried a bit later to erase their traces. Their plans are reasonably well thought out, gradually becoming clear. There's also ranger Marcus (Jeff Bridges) who wants one more moment in the spotlight before his retirement.

_Hell or High Water_ alternates between these two story-lines, on one side we get to see Toby trying to _build_ a better future for his family, and how Tanner (who just got out of prison) tries to do the same for his little brother. On the other hand we follow grumpy ranger Marcus and his colleague Alberto (Gil Birmingham), who as half-Mexican and half-Comanche-Indian had to build up an armor for the racist bullying of his companion. Especially through their eyes we see America as a dreadful sadness, in which houses are for sale everywhere and everyone who gets the chance, complains about how heavy and hopeless life has become.

In terms of atmosphere, MacKenzie's film regularly feels like the Coen Brothers' _No Country for Old Men_, which in addition to the brutal violence was also characterized by melancholy and a critical look at contemporary America. In _Hell or High Water_, however, there is more room for optimism, thanks to well-proportioned, relativating humor and the double bromance that forms the heart of the film. As violence and tension continue to increase, there is always a glimmer of hope for a better future following certain characters. Even if this is irrevocably at the expens of others. Bitter and ironic, but also very striking for a film in which that boundary between good and evil is treacherously vague.

**8.3/10**