What 'Hell or High Water' Tells Us About Power, Economics, and Life Anonymous 12th Grade

In David Mckenzie’s Hell or High Water, we are introduced to brothers Toby and Tanner Howard (played by Chris Pine and Ben Foster, respectively). They have been poor their whole lives and are at risk of losing a piece of property to the bank which is later revealed to have a fair amount of oil on it. To pay of their debts (thereby stopping the bank from taking the property), and to stop the vicious cycle of poverty in their family, the dynamic duo have started to rob Texas Midlands Bank branches – the same bank that preyed on both their financial and moral vulnerability. To pay off what the film portrays as a predatory bank loan, the boys need to raise approximately $40,000. To make a long story short, after a lengthy series of trial and tribulations, the boys succeed in raising the money and securing the financial future of their family. Along the way, though, we watch a number of encounters that help to illuminate two of the films many themes: how technology has changed the way people make a living and the terrible effect poverty and a lack of opportunity has a people.

There is scene in Hell or High Water that has stuck with me since I first saw it in 2016. It’s a scene in the middle of the film which shows Texas Ranger...