When the movie starts, you assume that the brothers (Chris Pine and Ben Foster) are just out for a bank-robbing joy ride thru the forlorn, foreclosed Texas midlands. As the plot develops, it becomes clear that there’s more to their plan. While they go from bank to bank, the sheriff (Jeff Bridges in a crotchety comic role) pursues them with quiet patience and logic. This is NOT a wildly-violent crime caper or a Tarantinoesque script with snappy repartee. It’s a smartly-written, well-directed drama with involving characters and exceptional performances all around. A clean action film that’s intelligently crafted to rise above the genre.
(4 / 5)