Do Toby & Marcus Ever Settle The Score?

Taylor Sheridan’s neo-Western masterpiece Hell or High Water ends on an ambiguous note, and some viewers may wonder if Toby (Chris Pine) and Marcus (Jeff Bridges) ever had their final shootout. Hell or High Water is one of the best neo-Westerns ever made, and one of Chris Pine’s best movies, and it’s clear to see why. The story of Toby and Tanner Howard (Ben Foster) robbing banks and facing off against Texas Rangers Marcus and Alberto (Gil Birmingham) is perfect Western fare, and it all led to a shootout in the desert.

After their final bank robbery, Toby and Tanner parted ways, with Toby going to use the money to buy back his mother’s land and Tanner going to his death in a shootout with the law. Alberto saw his untimely end in that shootout, but Marcus quickly got his revenge by shooting Tanner in the head. In the final moments of Hell or High Water, Marcus retired and Toby had secured his family’s future, but their last conversation was so filled with nuance and clever dialog that it might need some explaining.

Why Tanner Really Makes His Last Stand In Hell Or High Water

Tanner Was Too Wild For The Modern World, So He Went Out On His Own Terms

Near the end of Hell or High Water, Tanner and Toby split up. Toby went to the bank to use the robbery earnings to buy back his mother’s land, and Tanner went up onto the hill he died on to have a standoff with the police. Tanner’s last stand in Hell or High Water did make sure Toby could escape alive, but he also did it for a deeper reason: he wanted to. Tanner was a wild man, and he was too wild for the modern world. As Marcus mentions later in the film, if he had escaped with the money, he would have just robbed again.

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Tanner knew the modern world had moved past him, so he decided to go out on his own terms. His final words show why: as Tanner said “Lord of the plains, that’s me,” he felt free and wild in a world that didn’t want him to be. Tanner also mentioned earlier in Hell or High Water that he’s everyone’s enemy, and his last stand was a chance to let some of his anger out. It was a sad moment, as Hell or High Water managed to make viewers care about Tanner despite his many flaws, but Tanner was at least happy as Marcus shot him in the head.

Why Alberto Dies Instead Of Marcus & What His Death Means

Marcus Was Ready To Die & Alberto Wasn’t, Which Flips Toby & Tanner’s Relationship

Throughout Hell or High Water, it seemed like Marcus was going to die: he was about to retire against his will, and the world had moved past his era of being a wandering lawman just as much as it had moved past Tanner’s era of being a bank robber. Despite that, during Tanner’s shootout with the police, Alberto (Gil Birmingham), Marcus’ Texas Ranger partner, was the one to die. By subverting expectations and having Alberto die unceremoniously, Hell or High Water made Alberto and Marcus a perfect parallel to Toby and Tanner.

In Toby and Tanner’s case, Tanner felt the world had left him behind, he was ready to go out in a blaze of glory, and he did just that. In Marcus and Alberto’s case, Marcus was the one who felt like the world had moved on without him, yet Alberto died instead. Alberto’s death shows that the two duos of Hell or High Water are inverses of each other. Even their final moments are exact opposites: Tanner and Toby had a touching moment where they actually shared their love for one another, while Marcus’ last words to Alberto were yet another insensitive joke.

How Did Toby Get His Mother’s Land Back In Hell Or High Water?

Toby Had A Masterful Financial Plan Even Before Robbing The Banks

By the end of Hell or High Water, Toby had managed to regain his mother’s land, secure the land’s oil rights for his sons, and even set up a trust in their name, all without being caught. It’s fairly well explained in the film, but Toby’s financial plan could still use some clearing up. Toby took the money he stole in the bank robberies to the casino to essentially launder it and report it as gambling winnings. He then used that money to pay off the reverse mortgage and property tax on his mother’s land.

The real genius of Toby’s plan, however, came a bit later. He put the land and the oil rights to it in a trust for his sons, meaning it would be safe from the authorities or anyone else until they became adults. Then, Toby had Texas Midlands manage the trust both to get the law off his scent and to encourage Texas Midlands to not turn on him. It worked beautifully: Texas Midlands refused to cooperate with the investigation into Toby because they were managing his wildly profitable trust, and Toby got out of the robberies scot-free.

Why Marcus Came To Toby’s House & What Happens After Hell Or High Water Explained

Marcus Knew Toby Robbed The Banks & Wanted To Go Out In A Blaze Of Glory, But Hell Or High Water Doesn’t Reveal If He Ever Did

The final scene of Hell or High Water saw Marcus come to Toby’s house for a tense conversation. Marcus, however, had just retired from the Texas Rangers, and he wouldn’t have been able to arrest Toby even if he did have any evidence. Marcus, however, went to Toby’s house because he knew that Toby was involved with the robberies, and he wanted to know why he did it. As he said, the fact that Toby got away and Alberto died would haunt Marcus until his final days, and he was seeking some sort of closure.

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Marcus would have been fine with a different type of closure and peace, however. As he left his house, Marcus brought a pistol with him, and he immediately told Toby that he would be within his right to shoot him dead. In keeping with Hell or High Water‘s parallels between the duos, Marcus felt that the world had left him behind, and he went to Toby’s house to go out in a blaze of glory, just as Tanner made his last stand. Toby even offered to give him “peace” at the end of the movie, and Marcus said he’d like to see how the chips fall.

Despite setting up a final shootout between Marcus and Toby, Hell or High Water doesn’t show who got their peace first. Instead, it ends with Marcus and Toby open to the possibility of killing one another, which is for the best. It doesn’t matter whether Toby killed Marcus or vice versa, and it doesn’t even matter if they ever had a shootout. Toby had already won: he broke the “sickness” of poverty as he referred to it, and his children’s future would never be in danger no matter what happened to him. Likewise, Marcus had already lost: all a shootout would give him is death or a murder on his conscience.

The Real Meaning Of Hell Or High Water’s Ending Explained

Hell Or High Water Touches On Everything From Familial Love To Anger At The American Banking System & The Idea Of The World Leaving People Behind

One of the reasons Hell or High Water is such a beloved part of Taylor Sheridan’s filmography is because of how many different themes it touches on. On the surface, Hell or High Water is a story about what a man would do to secure a future for his family and loved ones. Toby never stole a dollar for himself: he did it for his children, and he didn’t even live in their house at the end of the movie. He didn’t care whether he was caught or killed, just that his kids wouldn’t have to live in poverty like he did.

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Hell or High Water also gives a voice to a very common and valid anger at the American banking system. There’s something vicariously satisfying about watching Toby rob the bank who robbed him and his family blind, and using that same money to cover his tracks. Texas Midland Bank nearly destroyed the Howard family, but Toby also used Texas Midland to save his family. In neo-Western fashion, Hell or High Water finds a sort of frontier justice, but instead of bandits, it’s the U.S. banking system at the other end of the rope.

At its core, however, Hell or High Water is a story about how the world leaves some people behind, while others are able to adapt. Marcus and Tanner were both left behind; they’re relics of a Wild West filled with bank robbers and sheriffs, and they play by old rules. Toby is the only character in Hell or High Water who truly adapted to the modern world: he beat the banks at their own game and lived long enough to see the cycle of poverty broken. Hell or High Water is the quintessential neo-Western story about gunslingers in a world that doesn’t want them anymore.

Movie

My Favorite Movies
My Watchlist

Hell or High Water

8/10

Release Date

August 12, 2016

Runtime

97minutes

Director

David Mackenzie

Writers

Taylor Sheridan

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