David Mackenzie's 2016 neo-Western Hell and High Water paints a stark picture of rural America. Stuck in limbo between the past and the future, the small towns of West Texas struggle to survive.
The protagonists, Toby and Tanner, are at the forefront of this conflict. The film itself is seemingly set in the modern day, yet Toby and Tanner pull from the past for inspiration. Driving around the desert of Western Texas, robbing banks, and making daring escapes from the sheriff, they embody the ideal of a cowboy.
This dynamic makes Hell and High Water feel like a classic Western, yet it is not. The presence of smartphones, modern banks, and the flashing lights of the casino are never far away, and seem to haunt the characters. They face modern challenges like medical debt, yet resort to age-old solutions like bank robberies.
Toby and Tanner's fight against the changing world is especially prevalent in the gas station fight scene.
Arriving at the gas station, Mackenzie carefully frames the characters for a long take. Tanner sits slumped in the car while Toby heads inside to grab some snacks.
Curiously, a horse is included in the frame. A practical explanation is that this is just a little touch by the set design department to breathe some authenticity into their portrayal of life in West Texas. However, I believe that this is representative of the "old style of life" which Toby and Tanner adhere to. The two characters and the horse fill the frame, each occupying their distinctive third.
However, this delicate balance is quickly shattered. Toby disappears into the store, the horse rides away, and a bright green car blasting rock music rolls up. The arrival of the car corresponds with the departure of the horse, symbolizing the replacement of the old with the new. Likewise, the obnoxiously loud music overpowers the calm ambience of West Texas.
This uneasy balance between old and new quickly devolves into conflict. The teenager in the car pulls out a gun, eager to fight Tanner. Less obviously, Tanner reaches for his own gun, ready to fight for his way of life.The bright green of the car presents a stark contrast with the muted colors of Tanner's car and clothes, indicative of a change in values as the young replace the old.
However, Toby and Tanner aren't going down without a fight. Tanner sneaks up behind the teenager, proceeding to smash his head into the car door and throw him onto the ground. This small victory represents a greater theme of the film. Toby and Tanner's victory against the banks and the changing world is a "last hurrah" of their generation against a world which seems to be leaving them behind.
These modern-day cowboys are much less glamorous than their forefathers. Instead of majestic horses, they ride beaten down cars. Instead of heroes, they are vigilantes, chased by both the police and the townspeople. Beating the police and the bank, they manage to carve out a prosperous life for themselves. However, this comes at the startling cost of Tanner's life.
Today, rural America faces the same challenges that Hell or High Water portrays. Crime rates have soared to a level not seen since the age of the cowboys, debt and bankruptcy are a common plight, and the opioid crisis steals the lives of thousands. Signs of this rural decay are sprinkled throughout the beautiful wide shots of the film.
The sad reality of Hell and High Water is that "cowboys" like Toby and Tanner only seem to be winning in the movies.
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