Hell or High Water

If mild-mannered British director David Mackenzie's previous film - the brutal prison drama Starred Up - came as something of a surprise, his follow-up is a revelation, mastering the style and language of modern Americana like a native. Scripted by Sons of Anarchy star Taylor Sheridan, who also wrote drug cartel thriller Sicario, this rustic noir invokes the spirit of the Coen brothers in a story of desperate men in desperate times. Set firmly in the shadow of the financial collapse of 2008, it sees two redneck brothers, ex-con Tanner (Ben Foster) and divorced father Toby (Chris Pine), teaming up to rob a series of banks in the Texas area. The boys are careful to cover their tracks but Texas Ranger Marcus Hamilton (Jeff Bridges), soon to retire, is hard on their trail. It's a familiar story but one very well told, skewed by dry detail and snappy dialogue, scoring three top-notch performances with a great dustbowl soundtrack by Warren Ellis and Nick Cave.