Taylor Sheridan cemented himself as one of the most influential modern voices in the Western genre with Yellowstone, but it is an earlier heist movie he wrote that is his true Western masterpiece. 

Sheridan’s Yellowstone universe of shows has made him one of the biggest names in television and created a franchise that has come to define Westerns in recent years.

Along with the Yellowstone prequels that explore aspects of the more traditional Western period, the original Yellowstone series features Sheridan’s distinct commentary on the modern Western story.

However, before conquering television, Sheridan carved out his writing career with some notable movies. Sheridan’s work in Sicario proves that he was far more than just a Western writer.

However, one of his best movies showcases the brilliant modern perspectives he brings to the Western genre while also delivering the kind of thrills and adventure fans of the genre expect. While Yellowstone might be where most of Sheridan’s fans know him from, this underrated movie is one that those fans need to seek out.

Hell Or High Water Is The Perfect Modern Western

Sheridan Uses Western Tropes To Examine Modern America

Hell or High Water is a terrific 2016 crime movie that has elements of a heist story, but really works best as a modern Western.

Written by Taylor Sheridan and directed by David Mackenzie, Hell or High Water stars Chris Pine and Ben Foster as two brothers who set out on a crime spree, robbing several banks across Texas, while being pursued by Jeff Bridges’ Texas Ranger.

Like those Old West legends, the reality of Hell or High Water‘s protagonists is that they are flawed.

The premise alone sounds like one of the classic Western movies that defined the genre, dealing with bank robbers and lawmen in the West. However, the movie is set in modern times and draws on very relevant modern issues to reshape the Western genre. The bank-robbing brothers are not doing it simply to be outlaws.

In fact, Pine’s Toby is uneasy about the whole thing compared to Foster’s wilder Tanner. However, they see it as a means of getting enough money to save Toby’s home from being foreclosed on by the bank.

The fact that the brothers are paying the bank with money they are robbing directly from the banks sets Toby and Tanner up to be folk heroes of sorts, similar to the legends of the Old West.

However, like those Old West legends, the reality of Hell or High Water‘s protagonists is that they are flawed. Toby is a caring and compassionate man looking for redemption as a father. Tanner is a supportive brother, but he is also largely in it for the thrill, killing anyone who gets in his way.

Sheridan uses the tropes of a Western story to examine modern America and its struggles. Specifically, the movie focuses on the hardships faced by those people who are attempting to hang on to the way of life that started out on the frontier, but has become impossible in the face of the corporations and financial institutions that take everything from them.

These heavy themes elevate the thrilling adventure aspect of the movie, including a climax that delivers a modern update on a classic Western shootout while also reflecting the complicated feelings of the movie.

Fans Of Yellowstone Are Likely To Love Hell Or High Water

Hell Or High Water Shares Many Similar Themes With Yellowstone

Yellowstone became one of the most popular shows on television, elevating Sheridan’s career. While he has plenty of shows to occupy audiences, Hell or High Water is one movie that Yellowstone fans need to check out.

The movie shares a lot of elements with the series, reflecting some of the themes and topics that Sheridan would go on to explore. While its heist story is much different from the soap opera-esque drama of Yellowstone, there are a lot of similarities.

At the center of Hell or High Water, it is about one man’s fight to hold onto the land that his family owns so he can pass it on to the next generation.

Sheridan’s television Westerns have also highlighted the history of Native Americans and their stories, something that is also included significantly in Hell or High Water. Bridges’ Texas Ranger, Marcus Hamilton, is partnered with fellow Ranger Alberto Parker (Gil Birmingham), who puts up with Marcus’ racist taunts while also earning a lot of respect from the older man.

However, Parker gets one of the best moments in the movie, explaining how, hundreds of years ago, his people had their land taken by the people of Texas, and now their ancestors are having their land taken from them by the banks.

Birmingham is part of the Yellowstone cast, playing Thomas Rainwater throughout the series, casting that was perhaps inspired by Birmingham’s role in Hell or High Water.

Sheridan himself also appears briefly in the movie in one scene as a cowboy leading his cattle away from a fire that is burning his land. His lament over the struggles of modern cowboy life leads him to say, “And I wonder why my kids won’t do this s*** for a living.” That reflects a strong theme of the Yellowstone universe and passing this hard way of life down through the generations.

At the center of Hell or High Water, it is about one man’s fight to hold onto the land that his family owns so he can pass it on to the next generation. The lengths he goes to and the moral ambiguity of his mission reflect the journey of John Dutton in Yellowstone, proving that Taylor Sheridan understands that, in modern Westerns, good and bad are not as straightforward.