Stránky

Monday 27 August 2018

Best Supporting Actor 2016: Jeff Bridges - Hell or High Water


Hell or High Water is a great, yet quite forgettable film about a relationship between two brothers – robbers and a sheriff, who does everything to catch them. Bridges plays the sheriff. Because of the story envolving around these three character, one might argue that the role is in fact leading. It‘s actually on the line between leading and supporting and I personally don‘t mind putting him into supporting cateogory, as the film mostly centers around Chris Pine‘s character.
Bridges, as usual, has got a great screen presence throughout the film. His characterization of an old sarcastic sassy sheriff is great and very enjoyable to watch. Bridges uses accent in the role and a strange hummy way of speaking. I was distracted by it at first, yet after a short time I got used to it and I was able to fully appreciate the performance.
Bridges is very fine and enjoyable throughout the film, but the real showcase for him comes later in the film (SPOILER ALERT) when his partner is killed by Ben Foster's character. The urge to revenge for such act is wonderfully portrayed by Bridges. We completely understand him and sympathize with him. On the other hand he is able to bring some amount of shabbiness to the role. We sympathize with him, though we see a desperate man, though we realize that his actions are motivated by the revenge, despair and amok. (END OF SPOILER)
The best scene of his performance is the most subtle one at the very end of the film, when he talks to Chris Pine's character and it is their first confrontation. They talk after all of the things had already happened. Bridges (but Pine as well) brings a lot of tension to the scene.
The chances of winning an Oscar: Though the performance itself doesn‘t belong to the most memeorable ones, Bridges is a respectable persona, so I think he was the second, or the third, fighting for the second spot with Patel.