Jeff Bridges does it again. Another outstanding performance from one of the great actors of our era. Ben Foster is quickly becoming one of the best supporting actors in the business. Chris Pine delivers what I would consider the best performance of his career.
The plot revolves around Pine's attempt to divert an endless cycle of poor, West Texans who seem to work their whole lives in a small, blue collar town with nothing to show for their hard work other than a slow, painful death after 50 years of struggle. Pine's character is driven by his love for his two sons and will do anything to keep them from having to work the dehydrated farms that are now a burden to those who own them. This scenario is called out in a great interaction between Bridges and a local rancher herding his cattle during a brush fire.
Ben Foster creates a character so deep that you are able to both sympathize with him and yet loathe his actions at the same time. This polarizing performance is full of genuine passion that could have only been garnered by someone who feels true empathy for the character he portrays.
The setting in West Texas plays a key role in the movie. The townspeople keep to themselves and support their local boys against big business much like you would see in the Irish communities of movies based in Boston or the African American communities in movies around Detroit, Baltimore, or the deep south. When the brothers start stirring up trouble, the old-timers just keep to themselves and gives the local Texas Rangers the cold shoulder.
There are three points that bring this movie down from a 10/10 to a 7/10. First, there is a lack of plot commitment. There are several sub-themes for the movie without one taking the leading line. On the surface level this movie is about a young man trying to do the best for his sons. Sub-plots consist of the relationship between Bridges and his Ranger partner, the relationship between Pine and Foster, small town vs. big banks, and then of course the common crime dramas and westerns. The second part that took this down a point was how the movie spends a lot of time building empathy for certain characters and then forces you to turn on your opinions. When I watch a movie or show, I don't want to feel betrayed by my emotions for characters. Finally, I felt the ending came up short of being definitive. I understand it was left for somewhat of interpretation, but it didn't need to end there. I really hope this wasn't a re- write to allow for a sequel. I think this movie could have easily been a 10-12 episode show on your favorite streaming website.
Overall, great acting, a solid story and some great action scenes give us a breath of fresh air during a summer of sequels and remakes. We should all enjoy performances from Jeff Bridges while he is in his prime and revel in watching Foster continue his consistent, solid performances. Pine delivers his breakthrough performance while transitioning from heartthrob eye-candy to a solid, leading man. This is one of the best movies of the summer of 2016.
The plot revolves around Pine's attempt to divert an endless cycle of poor, West Texans who seem to work their whole lives in a small, blue collar town with nothing to show for their hard work other than a slow, painful death after 50 years of struggle. Pine's character is driven by his love for his two sons and will do anything to keep them from having to work the dehydrated farms that are now a burden to those who own them. This scenario is called out in a great interaction between Bridges and a local rancher herding his cattle during a brush fire.
Ben Foster creates a character so deep that you are able to both sympathize with him and yet loathe his actions at the same time. This polarizing performance is full of genuine passion that could have only been garnered by someone who feels true empathy for the character he portrays.
The setting in West Texas plays a key role in the movie. The townspeople keep to themselves and support their local boys against big business much like you would see in the Irish communities of movies based in Boston or the African American communities in movies around Detroit, Baltimore, or the deep south. When the brothers start stirring up trouble, the old-timers just keep to themselves and gives the local Texas Rangers the cold shoulder.
There are three points that bring this movie down from a 10/10 to a 7/10. First, there is a lack of plot commitment. There are several sub-themes for the movie without one taking the leading line. On the surface level this movie is about a young man trying to do the best for his sons. Sub-plots consist of the relationship between Bridges and his Ranger partner, the relationship between Pine and Foster, small town vs. big banks, and then of course the common crime dramas and westerns. The second part that took this down a point was how the movie spends a lot of time building empathy for certain characters and then forces you to turn on your opinions. When I watch a movie or show, I don't want to feel betrayed by my emotions for characters. Finally, I felt the ending came up short of being definitive. I understand it was left for somewhat of interpretation, but it didn't need to end there. I really hope this wasn't a re- write to allow for a sequel. I think this movie could have easily been a 10-12 episode show on your favorite streaming website.
Overall, great acting, a solid story and some great action scenes give us a breath of fresh air during a summer of sequels and remakes. We should all enjoy performances from Jeff Bridges while he is in his prime and revel in watching Foster continue his consistent, solid performances. Pine delivers his breakthrough performance while transitioning from heartthrob eye-candy to a solid, leading man. This is one of the best movies of the summer of 2016.