MovieChat Forums > Hell or High Water (2016) Discussion > Criminally Underpromoted

Criminally Underpromoted

posted 8 years ago by TheReturnofCountSuckula
11 replies | jump to latest

This great film made less than 27 million. That is ridiculous. There has to be a reason. I only remember seeing commercials for it about 3 times. And yesterday when I tried to convince a female online friend to see it she said, (paraphrased) "I watched the trailer...and I'm sorry, but it is soooo not my kind of movie."

Then I watched ALL the trailers I could find, and I see what she means. They all make it look like some sophomoric Stevel Segal shoot 'em up all the way through.

Now granted, there is gun violence, but to simply characterize this film as an "action flick" is akin to calling The Sopranos a show that's just about Mafia murders, or that Six Feet Under is about undertakers.

The trailers really betray the film, imho.

Anybody else thing so?

It just annoys the hell out of me that films like the Fast and Furious, and The Transformers, make boatloads of cash. And rare gems like HoHW make peanuts because mo one knows how good they really are until Oscar time rolls around. But by then they're out of the theatres and can only make money thru DVD sales and rentals.

It's a shame.

"Stick with me, baby, and you'll be fartin' thru silk."

[–] JimmiesRustler 8 years ago

It made 27 mill and it probably cost maybe half that to make. I'd say it did pretty well.

[–] bottleshock34 8 years ago

It's actually the highest grossing indi film of the year.
On a budget of 12 million dollars it grossed 31.9 million dollars, definitely not a bad result at all.

It's really rare for an indi to make huge sums of money, but hey what it lacks in, in box office it gains in awards nominations. Which films like transformers rarely get nominated for.

"Some of the worst things imaginable have been done with the best intentions"

[–] fede_4488 8 years ago

Never heard of it until award season.

[–] Iconoclast321 (429) 8 years ago

I wouldn't call HoHW an action flick. Action flicks are known by their lack of plot and dependence on large amounts of time spent in high-speed chases and fights of all kinds.

Just b/c a film has some violence or a fight (in service of the plot) does not make it an action flick.

I never watch action flicks.

[–] [deleted] 8 years ago

better than Moonlight

[–] beith1 (364) 8 years ago

it was a very good movie. it was underpromoted which was a shame.

[–] Renovatio (2990) 8 years ago

A lot of people just get turned off at the site of a stetson in a movie... they think of them as westerns and outdated...

also, the movie might be too masculine for a contemporary audience...

their loss... solid movie

[–] [deleted] 7 years ago

This was a great film, but it seemed very Indie. An actor’s film. Sure there is action, but it centers on the characters. I found the setting very dramatic. This stark, lonely landscape of cattle fields and 1 stop pony towns. Everyone who I tried to recommend it to refused because they thought it was a western. 😕