Hell or High Water is a crime drama that follows the story of two brothers living in West Texas who have had enough of being financially exploited by the bank. They retaliate by robbing a series of branches in the span of a couple days, seeking only to pay off their loans and for one brother, Toby, to secure a future for his children. This movie doesn’t limit itself by only telling us the story of the brothers, however. Viewers also follow their pursuers, a ranger close to retirement and his partner.

The audience is immediately immersed into the action by having two banks robbed within the first ten minutes of the film. The story is completely linear, and though the entirety of the plot spans a short amount of time, it still manages to effectively develop the main characters backstories with little difficulty.

Hell or High Water very successfully instills the mood it was trying to convey to its audience, whether it be of suspense during a heist or the solemnity before one. This movie isn’t solely a thriller, including several hilariously clever one-liners.

One of the most satisfying scenes in the entire film is the ending. Without spoiling too much, it’s clear that Hell or High Water is different from most others in its genre because of it. I would recommend this film to anyone for a suspenseful film that explores how far two cowboys are willing to go for their family.