Hell or High Water Trivia Quiz

Answer: The drawers are empty.

Elsie puts out her cigarette and begins to unlock the front door of the bank when she is ambushed by two men brandishing guns. The robbers are dressed alike in ski masks, hoodies, and baggy pants, but that's where the similarity ends. The first bank robber has a short fuse and is aggressive in the extreme; he pushes Elsie roughly into the bank so that she falls to the floor. The other bank robber is reserved and polite. "Can you please stand up and take us to the cash drawer, ma'am?" he says calmly. "I will not," Elsie says, defiant. The first bank robber growls his reply: "We ain't asking." He pulls Elsie to her feet by her hair and escorts her behind the counter. "There's no money in the drawers yet," she explains in frustration. "It's in the safe and I ain't got the code." She unlocks the drawer with her key to prove her point. Sure enough, it's empty. The first bank robber curses. "Y'all are new at this I'm guessing," Elsie remarks, and explains that Mister Clauson, the bank manager, is the only person who can open the safe. "He'll be here soon, and I suggest you fellers don't be," she adds. "All you're guilty of right now is being stupid. Just leave and that's all it'll be." The first robber turns around and takes several menacing steps towards Elsie. "Tell me I'm stupid again," he says quietly.

The robbers are Tanner Howard, impulsive and all bravado, and his younger brother, Toby, the more thoughtful of the pair who often has to defuse the situations created by his older brother. They wait for the manager to arrive, and then rush off to the bank's branch in Olney to rob it before it gets too crowded. The robberies are Toby's brainchild, but he needs his brother's help if he is to pull off his plan.

Answer: Texas Midlands Bank only has branches in Texas.

Marcus Hamilton is silver-haired and in his late 60s, but he still has a few good years left in him. He sits at his desk reading a letter, and you can just make out the words "Mandatory Retirement" in the subject line. He puts the letter away when his partner, Alberto Parker, walks in. Alberto is about 20 years younger than Marcus, and is half Native American and half Latino. "You hear about these bank robberies?" he says. Marcus turns to look at his partner. "Why are you always dressed like me?" Marcus asks, changing the subject. "This is our uniform," Alberto replies, exasperation creeping into his voice. "We ain't got no uniform," Marcus says. "You can wear whatever color shirt you choose. You just keep choosing mine." Alberto walks round Marcus' desk and leans against the window. "Ranger regs say white, blue, or tan dress shirts. Stands to reason every once in a while we're gonna be dressed the same," he says matter-of-factly. "You wanna hear about these bank robberies, or you'll just sit there and let Alzheimer's run its course?" With that, Marcus becomes all business and asks which banks were hit. "Texas Midlands - the branch in Archer City and the branch in Olney," Alberto replies. "FBI want an assist?" Marcus asks.

"Midlands ain't got any branches outside Texas," Alberto explains. "Plus they're just hitting the drawers for a few thousand. FBI don't want it." He hands the information sheet to his partner, who reads it with renewed interest. "You may get to have some fun before they send you off to the rocking chair yet," Alberto adds.

Answer: To rob the bank across the street

Toby takes his time polishing off his chicken-fried steak, while his brother grills him for information. Tanner learns that Toby hasn't seen his two sons in over a year, and hasn't even told them that their grandmother died recently. "You want a little advice?" Tanner asks. "Go see them tomorrow." Toby just chews his food. "You got any idea how much I owe Debbie in child support?" he asks. "You've got enough in your front pocket to fix that problem right now," Tanner replies. When Toby says that they can't spare the money, Tanner suggests hitting another bank. "You know, you talk like we ain't gonna get away with this," Toby says without looking up from his plate. "I've never met nobody who got away with anything, ever," Tanner replies. "You?" When Toby asks why he agreed to help him, Tanner tells him, "Because you asked, little brother."

Tanner excuses himself and asks Toby to get the check and meet him out front. While the waitress flirts with Toby, Tanner dons his ski mask and robs the branch of the Texas Statewide Bank across the street from the diner.

Answer: By insulting him

The portrayal of Marcus and Alberto's relationship is one of the highlights of the film, as the partners revel in every opportunity to trade barbs and insults with each other. When Marcus remarks that he might be able to "dodge [his] retirement in a blaze of glory" if they get in a shootout with the bank robbers, Alberto tell him, "I've seen you shoot. There won't be much glory in it." Marcus just laughs it off and says, "Oh well, I'm lucky I got a half-breed by my side to avenge me. If you can stay sober long enough, knowing how you Injuns like the bottle." When Alberto asks Marcus to order him some food at the diner in Vernon, Marcus tells him that they probably don't serve pemmican, playing up to an Indian stereotype. When Alberto reminds him that he's also part Mexican, Marcus replies, "I'm gonna get to that when I'm through with the Indian insults, but it's gonna be a while."

Marcus's insults produce nothing but a deadpan reaction from Alberto, who can also give as good as he gets. After Marcus shoots down Alberto's theory of the robbery in Archer City, Alberto reminds Marcus of his impending retirement by saying, "I don't know how you're gonna survive without somebody to outsmart." When Marcus goes a little too far with his insults after a long day, he tells Alberto, "In a year's time, it's my teasing that you're gonna miss. It's what you'll laugh about when you stand over my grave and wish me well." Alberto doesn't miss the opening. "God, I hope that's tomorrow," he tells Marcus wearily. "Oh, that was a good one," Marcus encourages. "You'll get the hang of this yet." It's at that moment that the audience realizes that Marcus's racist remarks are the only way he knows to express his fondness for Alberto.

Answer: An Indian casino

The boys make it to the casino, and head straight for the bar. They order whiskeys and drink a toast to Toby's sons. "Let's go change that money," Tanner announces. They exchange the cash from the banks for chips. "Sorry, I just sold my car," Toby tells the window teller sheepishly. "This is how the fella paid me." The teller doesn't miss a beat. "We take it any way you bring it, mister," she says with a smile. Tanner grabs a handful of chips for the poker tables, while Toby heads for the bar to watch the game. "Don't lose it all," he yells after his brother. After Toby more than doubles his chips, they cash everything out at the cashier. "Would you like to pay this out in cash or check?" the teller asks. Tanner reminds his brother about his child support. "Four in cash, rest in check," Toby says. "Who would you like the check made out to?" she asks. "Texas Midlands Bank," Toby replies, as Tanner stifles a laugh.

Later in the film, the brothers pay a visit to the lawyer who is helping Toby set up a trust to hold the family ranch for his sons. Toby needs the money to redeem the reverse mortgage on the property, and the funds need to be cleaned before they can be used to repay the bank. As the lawyer explains, "There's no way to trace funds from a casino, all right? Once you get the checks to the bank, the trust is untouchable." Tanner is apprehensive. "And you can't tell nobody nothing, right?" he asks. "Well, what is there to tell?" the lawyer replies. "I mean, you boys won that money gambling, didn't you?"

Answer: They found oil on the land

As the characters in the film travel through one dilapidated West Texas town after another, they pass roadside billboards with signs proclaiming "Debt relief" and "Easy credit at Statewide", that serve as a reminder of both the area's depressed economic condition and the financial institutions that brought about the recession in the first place. Toby's plan of stealing the $43,000 he needs from the bank who sold his mother the predatory mortgage is explained by his lawyer as a fitting take on frontier justice. "They loaned the least they could, just enough to keep your mama poor, on a guaranteed return. Thought they could swipe her land for $25,000. That's just so arrogant it makes my teeth hurt," he says. "To see you boys pay those bastards with their own money? Well, if that ain't Texan, I don't know what is."

How saving the family ranch from foreclosure helps at all is only explained when Toby pays a visit to his son, Justin, midway through the film. Toby tells Justin that his grandmother died, and that he's giving the ranch to him and his brother. "What am I supposed to do with a ranch?" Justin asks. "Anything but sell it," Toby replies. "We found oil on it. You and your brother ain't gonna have to worry about money no more." Toby goes on to say that Justin may hear about things that he and Tanner did, and makes Justin promise not to be like them. "Whatever I hear, I won't believe," Justin says dutifully. "No, you believe it - I did all of it," Toby replies. "Now you, you do it different." He looks over at the bottle of beer he had given to his son. "Ain't gonna drink it?" he asks. Justin looks at his father and says, "You tell me not to be like you, and then you offer me a beer. Which is it?" Toby smiles at this. "Good boy," he says.

Answer: "What *don't* you want?"

Marcus and Alberto enter the restaurant and sit at a table. Through the window, they have a decent view of the Texas Midlands Bank branch across the street. An old waitress walks up to them. "Howdy ma'am. How you doing today?" Marcus says. "Hot, and I don't mean the good kind," replies the waitress, before adding, "So, what *don't* you want?" Marcus and Alberto are clearly confused by her question, so the waitress puts them out of their misery. "You know, I been working here 44 years. Ain't nobody ever ordered nothing but T-bone steak and a baked potato, except this one asshole from New York tried to order trout back in 1987," she explains. "So, you either *don't* want the corn on the cob, or you *don't* want the green beans. So what *don't* you want?"

Marcus and Alberto both decline the green beans, and the waitress starts to write up their order. "Steaks cooked medium rare," she begins to say, only to be interrupted by Alberto. "Can I get my steak cooked..." he begins to say, but he is cut off by the waitress. "That weren't no question," she declares. She decides their drink order for them, and ambles off toward the kitchen. "My word," Marcus remarks to Alberto once she is out of earshot.

Answer: The branch is crowded with customers

Toby and Tanner attempt to rob the bank in Jayton, but when they get there they find that the front door has been chained and padlocked, and the branch closed. They start to head out to the branch in Coleman, when Tanner convinces Toby that they should go instead to the bigger branch in Post. The boys leave Toby's car four miles outside of town and take Tanner's truck into Post. As they approach the bank, Toby becomes uneasy. "The town looks busy," he says, and points out that the bank is too big. "Aw, this ain't your first rodeo," Tanner replies. "Bigger bank, more money."

They enter the bank, and stand frozen at the sight before them - dozens of customers waiting in line and staring back at them. Tanner takes control of the situation and gets everyone to drop to the floor, before heading behind the counter to empty out the cash drawers. Toby tries to control the customers on the floor, but there are too many. One woman uses her phone to send a text to her father ("They are robbing the bank come quickly"), while another customer begins to reach for a gun tucked down the front of his jeans. Suddenly, a shot rings out. An old security guard has made his way from the back of the bank, and has opened fire on Tanner, but misses. Tanner sends the guard to the ground with a few shots. The customer with the gun gets up on his knees and opens fire on Toby, but also misses. Toby and the customer exchange shots, allowing Tanner to jump over the counter and fire a single round into the side of the man's head. Customers start screaming. Toby and Tanner run outside towards their truck, as a volley of shots rains down on them. A group of armed men have pulled up outside the bank and are waiting for them. Tanner drives off as Toby jumps into the back of the truck, with the townsfolk in pursuit.

Answer: Gunshot

Tanner sends Toby off with the money and drives off in the other direction, so that he can draw the convoy of police cruisers away from his younger brother. He pulls into a dirt road and drives up the side of a hill, stopping to light a can of gasoline with a piece of rag. He jumps out of the truck and lets it roll back down the hill to collide with the nearest cruiser, exploding in a fiery blaze. Tanner makes use of the diversion to clear the distance to the ridge, taking cover in the brush. He settles in and begins firing at the lawmen with his rifle. Marcus and Alberto are taking cover behind a cruiser when a shot fires out and hits Alberto squarely under his left eye, sending him down to the ground. As a horrified Marcus pulls his partner behind the vehicle, we see that the wound is most certainly fatal.

Marcus runs up the road toward the townspeople approaching in their pickups. "How well do you know the land around here?" he yells at a local as he gets into his truck. "Like the back of my hand," comes the reply. Marcus gets the local to drive him behind Tanner's position on the hill, and borrows his rifle. "You're pretty winded, you oughta let me take the shot," the local says to Marcus. "Not on your life," Marcus says. "He's mine." He locates Tanner on the hill just left of a tree and exhales. "I got you," he whispers, and pulls the trigger. The shot rings out across the ridge and hits Tanner straight through his right temple, killing him instantly.

Answer: "Maybe I'll give it to you."

The authorities have dismissed Toby as a person of interest in the robberies, but Marcus isn't convinced. He decides to drive out to the ranch to see for himself. After an awkward introduction, Marcus takes a seat on the porch and accepts Toby's gracious offer of a beer. "Why did you do it?" he finally asks. "I know why your brother, Tanner, did it. He robbed them banks because he liked it. He shot my partner 300 yards away 'cause he liked it. It made him feel good." Marcus takes a sip of his beer, and goes on to describe all the things that Tanner would have bought with the money. "He'd spend it all just to give an excuse to steal some more, but not you," he says. "There's nothing new around here except them pump jacks, each one of them making you a month what you and your brother stole from all four banks combined. Help me understand, then. Help me understand why four people died so you could steal money that it don't seem you've spent, that it don't seem you need."

"I've been poor my whole life," Toby says wistfully. "So were my parents, their parents before them. It's like a disease, passing from generation to generation, becomes a sickness. That's what it is. Infects every person you know, but not my boys. Not anymore. This is theirs now." It's the closest thing to a confession that Marcus will get out of Toby. The two of them square off in the afternoon sun, with neither one looking away from the other until Toby's ex-wife pulls up with their kids, effectively breaking their stalemate. Marcus makes his excuses and begins to leave, when Toby calls out to him and invites him to look him up in town to finish their conversation. "Oh, I'd like that. I'll be seeing you," Marcus replies. "Soon, I hope. I'm ready to be done with this," Toby says. "You'll never be done with it no matter what. It's gonna haunt you, son, for the rest of your days," Marcus says, as he puts on his sunglasses. "But you won't be alone. It's gonna haunt me too."

"If you stop by, maybe I'll give you peace," Toby says. "Maybe," Marcus replies thoughtfully. "Maybe I'll give it to you." He takes one last look at Toby and then turns and walks across the yard, gets into his car, and drives off.