FILM | Reviews
CRIME DRAMA HELL OR HIGH WATER (15) 102min ●●●●●
‘God, I love west Texas,’ remarks lawman Marcus (Jeff Bridges) after an encounter with yet another colourful local. Hell or High Water has much the same motto, revelling in lavish quantities of Southern sass as it winningly combines Heat-style action, social commentary and character comedy. Despite its affection for tarnished Americana, one of England’s finest is at the helm: director David Mackenzie, following the formidable, grimly British Starred Up. The story follows flamboyantly reckless career criminal Tanner (Ben Foster at his
showstopping best) and his taciturn brother Toby (Chris Pine) as they rob multiple branches of Texas Midlands Bank. On their tail are gruff Texas Ranger Marcus – mere weeks from retirement, he’s like an elderly bulldog working his way through a mouthful of wasps – and his half-Indian, half-Mexican partner Alberto (Gil Birmingham). The leisurely pace of the older men’s pursuit is in stark contrast to the brothers’ apparent rashness.
Working from a terrific script by Taylor Sheridan (Sicario), Mackenzie has crafted a crime film of rare warmth and charm – one that delights in its downtime, in speech inflections and region-specific humour, and that amusingly notes that a local fondness for weaponry and a tendency toward bloody mindedness add a certain je ne sais quoi to a hostage situation. Hell or High Water wears the twists and turns of an intelligently conceived, all-is-not-as-
it-seems narrative lightly; it boasts ample vitality but opts to keep things largely low key, undermining its own swagger and giving a sensational cast room to do their thing. Moreover, Mackenzie’s tenth feature cultivates great compassion for its characters, while making salient wider points about exploitation and community erosion. Its salty flavour and penchant for tomfoolery can’t mask the aching heart at its core. (Emma Simmonds) ■ General release from Fri 9 Sep.
COMEDY WAR ON EVERYONE (15) 98min ●●●●●
After his celebrated debut The Guard and the equally revered follow-up Calvary, writer-director John Michael McDonagh stumbles as he makes his first foray into American moviemaking. Like The Guard, War on Everyone deals with cops that walk a fine line between upholding and breaking the law. But while Brendan Gleeson brought poignancy and pathos to The Guard, War on Everyone feels more like pastiche as it filches from Starsky & Hutch, Pulp Fiction and more besides. Alexander Skarsgård and Michael Peña play two out- for-themselves New Mexico cops, who think nothing
of casual violence, drug-taking and petty larceny in their everyday (dereliction of) duties. There’s a labyrinthine plot, involving Theo James’ arrogant aristocrat, the mastermind behind a racetrack heist that initially lures in our two anti-heroes with the promise of a quick buck.
McDonagh’s nose for twisted absurdist humour serves him well, typified by the opening scene which sees a cocaine-smuggling mime artist mown down. If it had stayed in this realm, War on Everyone could have worked. But amid a very violent third act, McDonagh’s insistence on wrapping up the plot with the leading men suddenly gaining consciences spoils proceedings. (James Mottram) ■ General release from Fri 7 Oct.
58 THE LIST 1 Sep–3 Nov 2016
DRAMA URBAN HYMN (15) 111min ●●●●●
This heart-warming British drama marks a welcome return for director Michael Caton-Jones (Scandal, Rob Roy) after nearly a decade away from filmmaking. Set in the aftermath of the 2011 London riots, Urban Hymn stars Letitia Wright as troubled young offender Jamie Harrison, whose time in care is drawing to a close as she nears her 18th birthday and whose dreams of becoming a singer cause a rift with her jealous best friend Leanne (Isabella Laughland). Graduating from a string of TV roles, Wright delivers a vibrant turn as Jamie’s tough exterior slowly cracks and reveals a smile that lights up the screen. Laughland is equally good, managing to find a measure of sympathy in what could easily have been a monstrous caricature, while Shirley Henderson is superb as a haunted social worker driven by her own tragic past.
Keeping tight control of the tone, Caton-Jones (who describes the film as ‘a sort of Ken Loach musical’) maintains an effective balance of strong social realism and feelgood elements. Transcending the occasionally familiar beats of Nick Moorcroft’s script, he delivers something that strikes a powerfully emotional note, augmented by some off-the-beaten-track soundtrack choices and pitch-perfect performances. (Matthew Turner) ■ Selected release from Fri 30 Sep.
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DRAMA LITTLE MEN (TBC) 85min ●●●●●
Ira Sachs’ last film, Love Is Strange, focused on the enduring love between two men, one middle-aged, the other late in life. Yet it ended with a gesture that kick-started a teenager’s passage from petulant kid to considerate young man, and Little Men picks up where that film left off, at least thematically, with coming-of-age now the primary focus.
It’s the story of 13-year-old Jake Jardine (Theo Taplitz), who moves to Brooklyn with his parents (Greg Kinnear and Jennifer Ehle) when his grandfather passes away. The Jardines have inherited a retail premises currently occupied by dressmaker Leonor (Paulina García) and, as the adults bicker over Leonor’s rent, her son Tony (Michael Barbieri) and Jake become friends. The film forgoes clichés and the obvious emotional angles to
fruitfully explore the frustrations of ‘kidulthood’ – in particular, the boys’ futile attempts to affect change in the fractious communications between their families. The central tenancy dispute is engaging too, for what it says
about changing neighbourhoods, class and intergenerational relations, but Little Men is frequently insightful, superbly performed and presents us with a rainbow of recognisable humanity. (Emma Simmonds) ■ Selected release from Fri 23 Sep.