Hell or High Water is a psychological and action movie directed by the Scottish film director Davie Mackenzie which came out in 2016. As in many other movies directed by him, the attention falls on the inner struggles experienced by the characters, on their background stories and the way their experiences influenced their present actions. In time, this manner of portraying the characters became something commonly found in the films directed by Davie Mackenzie, a directorial signature.
This characteristic is maybe most notable in the film ‘’Hell or High Water’’ in which the complicated story of two brothers who become outlaws, is presented. The attention of the viewer also falls on the two people who make their life mission to catch the brothers, the rangers Marcus Hamilton and Alberto Parker.
The characters in the film are multidimensional, complex and as a result they can’t be labeled as good or bad. A grater accent is put on the circumstances that led them to their current situation than on their actions and this humanizes the main characters, the brothers who in other conventional movies would have become the villains just because of their actions. On the opposite side, the characters who should be the protagonists, namely the two rangers, are presented as being the negative characters, for the way they chose to deal with the situation at hand.
The director focuses on the background story of the two brothers, named Toby and Tanner. When the movie starts, the two, after some consideration, decide to go on a bank robbing spree after Toby risks of losing his ranch and having it being taken by the bank. His story is tragic from many reasons. First of all, Toby came from an abusive family and after his father died, he took over the responsibility of looking after his mother. Toby’s mother died before the film began and so Toby was left on his own. He also went through a divorce and lost his job as an oil worker, events which left him with no money and with little prospects about the future.
Tanner’s background story is even more tragic. Just like Toby, he was abused as a child. It is implied that Tanner had to suffer abuse to a greater extent than Toby and this pushed him over the edge one day. Thus, Toby killed his own father and from that point on his life spirals down. He is unable to keep a job, has a violent attitude and in comparison with Toby, he enjoys hurting people. Because of this, Tanner spent most of his life going in and out of prisons and having problems being adjusted and a good member of society. His affinity towards violence and his love of violence are explained to some extent by his childhood experiences and instead of criticizing him, the viewer may feel compassionate towards him, the idea promoted being that he did not had a say in the way his life turned out to be.
It is also interesting to analyze the way the rangers are portrayed, the traditional protagonists in many movies. The two rangers are less developed when compared with Toby and Tanner and as a result they appear to be one dimensional. Their background stories remain a mystery and so the viewer only has access to their present actions. The only redeemable quality they have is their sense of commandership and this is best shows after Alberto is killed and Marcus decides to revenge him. From that point on, Marcus’s hunt for the brothers becomes an honorable quest. Until then however, it was something less honorable, his desire to catch the brothers being fueled by his desire to have one more exciting adventure before he retires. His quest to catch the brothers is a game of cat and mouse, Marcuse describing it as an exhilarating game. Marcus and Alberto are not driven by a sense of justice, but rather by boredom. Thus, in many senses, Marcus and Alberto become the antagonists in the film.
The way the four characters are presented in the film are unconventional, making the viewer constantly change their opinion about the actions carried out by the characters. It is a realist movie, refusing to stereotype their characters and to label them as being universally good or bad. The complexity of the characters keeps the viewer at the edge of their seat, wondering what is the truth and what it the true meaning of the word hero and villain.
