Hell or High Water is a great film which demands repeated viewings. Written by Taylor Sheridan who I’m a big fan of, indeed I blogged recently about his blistering directorial debut Wind River.
It has been in the past, unusual for American films to be so openly critical of America and its problems with race and the more recent issues with the affects and impact of the credit crisis that’s been rumbling on since 2007.
Want to know why Trump is so popular in America? His call out to the common man in the steel belt can be seen and felt in this film, which shows the American Midwest as a piss poor, low down, rusting wasteland where everyone is struggling for money.
A key scene sees a police officer asking a waitress for the money that two bank robbers gave her as a tip – it’s telling that she won’t hand over the $200. She needs it to keep a roof over her daughter’s head.
I wrote in my blogpost about Wind River that “Sheridan looks at race, the death of America and bringing those guilty to account.” And the same themes are being examined in Hell or High Water.
Worthy themes are fine, but script writers and film makers need the skills, ambitions and pure bottle to realise these themes as good, compelling drama. Hell or High Water is just that. A tough unforgiving and exciting action film, but also a political statement about where America has ended up.
See it…
Matthew Cooper has been a script writer for hire for over 20 years. He’s written for most of the UK soaps, including writing award winning episodes of Emmerdale, EastEnders, Hollyoaks and Family Affairs and has been BAFTA shortlisted and Royal Television Society nominated as a script writer. He’s also a leading UK script consultant. You can find some of his broadcast credits on the IMDb. You can get in touch with Matthew on matcoop23@yahoo.co.uk or hire him on Peopleperhour