Not profound, not trying to be profound, totally worth it - Hell or High Water

It isn't Bergman or Renoir but (David) Mackenzie's Hell or High Water is about as entertaining a movie as you can find in the well-worn genre of sympathetic (to a degree) bank-robbers slash buddy movies - in this case the buddies are brothers, one a generally good guy who's never been in trouble w/ the law and the other his older brother just out of prison and a hothead trouble-maker. They begin a string of low-stakes bank robberies in north Texas, and it first we have no idea why they're taking such risks for such small payouts, but they have a pretty clever scheme going that we piece together as the movie slips along; meanwhile, on the side of the law, Jeff Bridges plays a down-and-out Ranger on the verge of retirement, and in a very sleepy way he and his partner, a part-Mexican part Comanche sidekick, and yes, obviously there are Lone Ranger echoes, though these rangers are in a fallen world. Part of the beauty of this film is the outstanding cinematography - we really get a sense of the desolation of the North Texas land, the dull open spaces, the lonely small towns, and cheap restaurants and motels and casinos along the highway, the beautiful sky. The movie also has a terrific soundtrack, thanks to Nick Cave. And the script is sharp and witty - though at times I lost some of the dialogue in the mumbled, low-key delivery by Bridges et al. I don't like films that glorify crime and violence, and this film comes close but withholds moral judgment. And - as with so many crime movies - some elements don't quite ring true when you think about them the next day, but it sure takes you along for the ride. There are surprises along the route, leading right up to a very interesting conclusion - not profound, not trying to be profound, totally worth watching.