Writing, acting, directing; Taylor Sheridan is known for many things and how. The cowboy whisperer of Hollywood, the man is responsible for some incredible work including Sicario, Wind River, and of course, the Yellowstone franchise which has everyone and then some hooked to it. Clearly, he knows how to tell raw and intense stories all while delivering something new each time.
The 2016 film, Hell or High Water, is a great example of Taylor Sheridan’s incredible mind. the neo-Western crime drama focuses on two brothers carrying out a series of bank robberies in order to save their family ranch. Hell or High Water is extremely personal to Taylor Sheridan, even though it is not autobiographical. But did you know that the film was not supposed to be of the neo-western genre and this was just a happy accident?
Hell or High Water is Deeply Personal to Taylor Sheridan
Talking to Interview Magazine about his 2017 neo-Western crime film, Wind River, Taylor Sheridan was asked if this film felt more personal to him than Hell or High Water and Sicario. To this, Sheridan replied that it sure was very personal to him but for a different reason.
As for Hell or High Water, a film he wrote but didn’t direct, he added that, although not autobiographical, it is close to his life as it is based on where he is from as well as on some of the members of his family.
In short, while Hell or High Water is personal to him on a specific level, Wind River is personal on a more complex level.
He stated,
It’s very personal for different reasons. Hell or High Water is not autobiographical, but it’s about the region where I’m from and members of my family, so it’s about something rooted in truth for me. It’s personal in a very specific way. Whereas this is personal in a way that is a little more difficult to articulate.
Starring Chris Pine and Ben Foster, HoHW premiered at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival and went on to receive unending critical acclaim, both for its story as well as the cast’s performance. Not only was it nominated for four Oscars, but The American Film Institute included it in its selection of the ten best movies of the year.
How it Turned into an Accidental Neo-Western Film
Sheridan revealed that HoHW was originally supposed to be a road film instead of the neo-Western drama that it became. He stated that the film is set in rural west Texas and that modern-day Texas is quite “identifiable as the old west” which is why the film was automatically considered a western.
He said, (via IndieWire),
It takes place in rural west Texas. People in Texas wear cowboy hats, they’re good at keeping the sun off your neck and face. You set something in modern-day Texas, which is so identifiable as the old west, and everyone’s wearing guns, so it looks like it’s going to be by default partially considered a western.
Sheridan added that HoHW began as a buddy road film as well as a heist thriller with just a few elements of the Western genre here and there.
…buddy road film which was also a heist thriller, with elements of the inevitable showdown of a western with some of the real consequences of the flawed characters of a real drama. I wanted it to feel real.
Sheridan wanted his movie to stay with the viewers for days after they watched it which is exactly what happened as Chicago Sun Times’ Richard Roeper stated that “the moment it was over was the moment” he “wanted to see it again.” HoHW made $37 million at the worldwide box office on a budget of $12 million. On Rotten Tomatoes, it sits proudly with a high score of 97%.
You can rent/buy Hell or High Water on Prime Video.
