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As the godfather of modern Westerns, Taylor Sheridan is very astute about the corporate world’s needs and the commercial fanfare’s demands. Balancing the two gives the studios and the viewers a perfect amalgamation of sustainable, profitable, and binge-worthy dramas likeYellowstoneandHell or High Water.
But it is not always the world of mainstream media that lets out the genius in Sheridan. As a cowboy himself, the desire to own the largest and most famous ranch in the whole world (the Four Sixes) juxtaposes his need to protect the cattle and ranch lifestyle that is currently racing toward extinction. It is this extinction that has become the filmmaker’s latest obsession when it comes to scripting a story for film or television.
Taylor Sheridan Obsesses Over the American West
After two decades of focusing on the wrong side of the entertainment sector,Taylor Sheridanswerved his focus to tell the audience a story about the modern American Midwest. The genre of Westerns was dead, as far as Hollywood was concerned, and ironically, it wasKevin Costner‘sWyatt Earpthat personally kicked the bucket and made it happen.
And so, after finding incredible success with his first attempt at writing a screenplay (Sicario), Sheridan went to work to compose a tale about a crippled middle America through a beautifully crafted neo-Western crime drama that won Taylor Sheridan his first Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay.
“What is the secret sauce of this guy?”: Yellowstone Creator Taylor Sheridan Has 3 Great Qualities That Make His Shows and Movies So Impeccably Addictive
The film in question,Hell or High Water, helped revive the genre that was long thought extinct – not unlike its subject matter that shows a dwindling way of lifestyle facing a constant threat of foreclosure or bankruptcy through the eyes of two brothers planning a final heist going up against a crafty Texas lawman.
Made on a budget of only $12 million, the film raked in 4 Oscar nominations, scoring 97% onRotten Tomatoes, and cashing in $37.5 million in worldwide sales [viaThe Numbers].
Sheridan Exposes a Harsh Truth in His Films
Despite a lackluster career as an actor, Taylor Sheridan hit the ground running as a writer, later transitioning into an acclaimed director. In the two decades he spent struggling, aspiring, and dreaming the American Dream, Sheridan read a whole array of bad scripts that he credits with teaching him hownotto write a story. Instead, he reverse-manufactured his learnings to compose a film trilogy that showed how crippled modern America is right now.
WithSicario, Sheridan tackled the issue of the international border drug war that plagues America,Hell or High Waterexplored the remnants of a bygone era’s lifestyle that was once the beating heart of the American Midwest andWind Riverexposes the complete breakdown of the American justice system.
In an interview withCollider, Sheridan revealed:
If you think about it, it’s three fathers, each facing a failure… whether that failure was innocence or naiveté about, I believe, the rule of law with Alejandro [in Sicario]. [For] Toby in Hell or High Water, that failure is an inability to provide and so he makes a decision to operate outside the rule of law in this sort of selfish martyrdom. And with Cory [in Wind River], his failure is trusting his child where he lives in a place where the rule of law doesn’t exist.
“One of the best cold blooded scenes ever”: Taylor Sheridan Must Return to What He Does Best in Hollywood Instead of Yellowstone Universe That is Spreading Him Thin
And so, when Sheridan pennedHell or High Water, he was inspired to critique the unjust banking system in America and how it ruined lives and generations, the repercussions of which can still be felt in modern-day American society. In an interview withIndieWire, Sheridan claimed:
Hell or High Water is about how much has changed in 100 years, and how much things haven’t. What are the consequences of decisions and actions that are a century old and today? I was exploring the death of a way of life, and the acute consequences of the mortgage crisis in East Texas.
Although Taylor Sheridan continues to impress the audience with his highly dramatic and fictional tales of the American West, the touch of factual truth that colors these films and television series makes Sheridan one of the best assets of Hollywood right now who is equipped to deal with social and political issues of the current society while also delivering award-worthy blockbusters.
Hell or High Wateris currently streaming on Paramount+.
Diya Majumdar
Senior Writer
Articles Published :2410
Diya Majumdar is a Senior Content Writer at FandomWire with over 2000 published articles on the website. Since 2022, she has been working as an entertainment journalist with a special focus on films and pop culture.Among the countless genres and themes of Hollywood, the ones that particularly favor Diya’s tastes include Game of Thrones, DC, and well-aged thrillers and classics.
