In David Mackenzie’s new film, Hell or High Water, the sprawling West Texas setting -- as beautiful as it is rugged -- conceals the crushing desolation of its sun-bleached towns whose futures have long since shriveled in the Texas heat. Hard-pressed ranchers, abandoned farm equipment, ramshackle gas stations, and 3-table diners are as plentiful as the broken down pump jacks that dot the plains. The people here are beaten-down and desperate -- the banks having sucked them dry.

It’s this soul-crushing despair that drives two young ski-masked outlaws, brothers Toby and Tanner (Chris Pine and Ben Foster), to walk into a small branch of Midlands Bank, and walk out with their hands full of cash from the teller drawers. They hit a few more branches of the same bank across the state, always taking only small bills to minimize their chances of being caught.

Their goal is two-fold: stick it to the banks that have been sticking it to the townspeople people for so many years and get just enough money to keep their late mother’s ranch out of foreclosure. As their plan unfolds, however, a deliciously sneaky third wrinkle is revealed that I won’t spoil here, but let’s just say that the banks get screwed twice as the scenario unfolds.

On the brothers’ tail are a pair of swaggering Texas Rangers -- grizzled Marcus and straight-laced Alberto (Jeff Bridges and Gil Birmingham). This is Marcus’s last case before he heads to the easy life of front porch-rocking and bird house-building. His slow Texas drawl cleverly masks a sharp wit and a legendary notoriety for always catching the bad guy. He’s much sharper than he lets on and his constant non-PC ribbing of Alberto’s mixed Mexican and Indian race never gets in the way of letting us know he’s always trying to stay one step ahead of the bank robbers. Despite their obvious differences, there’s a respectable rapport between the two lawmen that brings a much-needed sense of ease and humor to the often overwhelmingly sorrowful proceedings. Besides the impoverished Texas landscape that has taken a massive toll on its hardscrabble inhabitants, these two are the stars of the show. Hell or High Water is always better when Bridges and Birmingham are sharing the screen.

That’s not to say Pine and Foster are ever overshadowed, however. Surprisingly, they both bring a much-welcomed emotional heft to their roles. Pine shows a painful darkness behind his forebodingly calm demeanor that we’ve not often seen from him, while Foster twitches inside his hair-trigger impatience as he eagerly anticipates their next holdup. The two are brothers, but like Marcus and Alberto, their differences are lovingly crafted by screenwriter Taylor Sheridan whose story relies on vital oxymoronic pairings for a lot of its success. Rangers Marcus and Alberto, the evil banks and the downtrodden townspeople, and the small cities against the open plains pair up with equal screen time from Mackenzie. Foster and Pine certainly hold up their end of the bargain with performances to be considered among their very best.

Hell or High Water is a familiar modern-day crime story that plays out with many of the themes and elements common to the classic Westerns of the ‘50s and ‘60s. Throw in the grit and grime of more recent affairs such as Peckinpah’s The Getaway, and the Coens’ Fargo, and No Country for Old Men for a vivid illustration of the look and feel Mackenzie pulls off here. One thing Hell or High Water will never be called, however, is formulaic. It will always have you on your toes even if you figure out early on where it is going. It's fresh and exciting, yet at the same time comfortable, dangerous, and moody. Watching Hell or High Water is like slipping on a well-worn pair of leather slippers. The kind with the fuzzy flannel lining. Just know that Texas spiders and scorpions like to hide in fuzzy flannel slippers. Beware!

(Released by CBS Films and rated “R” for some strong violence, language throughout and brief sexuality.)

Review also posted at www.franksreelreviews.com.