In epic modern Western Hell or High Water (out on digital download, Blu-ray and DVD now), brothers Toby (Chris Pine) and Tanner (Ben Foster) steal from the banks, sticking two fingers up at a society which hasn’t treated them well. In celebration of the Awards nominated film’s home entertainment release and in honour of the big screen rebels who just don’t give a f***, this feature takes a look at cinema’s greatest characters who have rebelled against the system.

Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991)

The original and best, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves is the big screen tale of the original gangsta; Robin Hood (played by Kevin Costner), whose tale of stealing from the rich and giving to the poor is known the world over. Having been imprisoned in Jerusalem, Robin returns home to find his father dead, his home in ruins and the malicious Sheriff of Nottingham (played by the late Alan Rickman, who earned a Best Supporting Actor BAFTA for the role) terrorising the town. Joining forces with Little John and his band of outlaws, Robin leads the charge to defy the Sheriff and save the good people of Nottingham. The film proved to be the second highest grossing of that year and has stood the test of time to become a cult classic. The film also reached dizzying heights of notoriety due to its theme song, the Oscar nominated (and wedding favourite) ‘Everything I do, I do it for you’ by Bryan Adams. The song spent 16 consecutive weeks as the UK number one – one of the longest in chart history.

Catch Me If You Can (2002)

Catch Me If You Can serves a dual purpose on this list; showcasing a rebel of the highest order who merrily exploits the system, and offering a chance to watch vintage Leo at his scene-stealing best. The film is based on the true story of Frank Abagnale Jr (played by DiCaprio), a teenage criminal who conned millions of dollars out of various US companies before the age of 19; posing as a Pan Am pilot, doctor and parish prosecutor on his path to banking obscene amounts of cash. In fact, the real life Abagnale Jr. proved so good at defrauding the system that following his capture and punishment, the FBI turned to him to help them catch similar menaces to society. The film earned plaudits with both audiences and the industry, earning supporting actor Christopher Walken a BAFTA win and Oscar nomination in the process.

V for Vendetta (2006)

A classic good versus evil story in an atypical setting, V for Vendetta is a dystopian thriller with heavy political undertones. Although released over 10 years ago, the film provides an unsettling allegory for government oppression – and interestingly, is set in 2020 where – amongst other locations – the US system has broken down. Stepping away from the political implications, the film features an iconic central character; V (played by Hugo Weaving), whose first job as no. 1 vigilante is to rescue Evey Hammond (Natalie Portman), an employee of the state run British Television Network, from her oppressors. V goes on to become a figurehead for the oppressed, distributing Guy Fawkes masks and setting a plot to blow up Parliament into motion. The impact of V’s character has extended beyond the film, with the stylised Guy Fawkes mask (created by illustrator David Lloyd) becoming a symbol of wider protest; being used in recent times by the online ‘hacktivist’ group, Anonymous.

Tower Heist (2011)

Earning a place on this list if not for quality but for ultimate rebel points is 2011’s Tower Heist. With shades of Robin Hood, the central characters unite to steal back money that their boss took from them. The plot follows Josh Kovaks (Ben Stiller), Charlie Gibbs (Casey Affleck) and Enrique Dev’reaux (Michael Peňa), employees of an exclusive apartment building who lose their pensions at the hands of a rich businessman owner. Together with criminal Slide (Eddie Murphy) and others, this motley band of renegades plots to break into the businessman’s apartment to steal back their hard-earned cash, whilst trying to avoid the FBI.

Now You See Me (2013)

On first glance it’s hard to see how a group of illusionists can be classed as ‘rebels’, but J. Daniel Atlas (played by Jesse Eisenberg) and his accomplices are not any ordinary magicians… Atlas and his fellow illusionists’ performance steal the show in more ways than one, as the quartet performs bank heists during their performances and showers their audiences with the stolen money. Another classic Robin Hood-esque plot, were it not for shrewd FBI agent Dylan Rhodes (Mark Ruffalo) and Interpol agent Alma Dray (Mélanie Laurent); a pair the ‘Prince of Thieves’ certainly didn’t have to contend with. Starring Isla Fisher, Dave Franco and Woody Harrelson as the remaining three members of the Four Horsemen, Now You See Me is a modern take on the classic rebellion stereotype, offering four slick professionals whose act is well rehearsed and even better executed – role models to wannabe rebels everywhere.

The Hunger Games (2012 – 2015)

It is no secret that The Hunger Games heroine, Katniss Everdeen (played by Jennifer Lawrence) has become a silver screen symbol of bravery and fighting for what is morally right, rather than the boundaries dictated by the world she lives in. Katniss begins The Hunger Games quadruplet of films as an innocent bystander, swept up in the ramifications of an unfair world. However as the narrative develops, Katniss’ moral compass pulls ever harder; and by the third instalment, The Hunger Games – Mockingjay Part 1, Katniss has become the face of the revolution. Not only does Jennifer Lawrence’s Katniss prove a defiant and determined leader of her world, the character has had wider implications of providing a strong female role model to a generation of girls; encouraging them to use their own minds and not follow the crowd.

Hell or High Water is out now on Blu-ray, DVD and digital download, courtesy of STUDIOCANAL

Everyone knows that when it comes to movies, the score delivers a lot of the magic but in Kubo And The Two Strings (available on digital platforms on January 2^nd and on 3D Blu-ray, Blu-ray and DVD on January 16^th) the music is quite literally magical. The latest stop motion animation from the critically adored Laika Films (Boxtrolls, Coraline) is at once a thrillingly epic fantasy adventure and an absolutely stunning visual journey that is literally about music; Kubo, a little boy with a flair for storytelling thanks to his magical shamisen (a traditional Japanese guitar-like instrument) searches for three magical items to defeat the vengeful Moon King, using his shamisen to help him complete his quest. Repeatedly, music saves the day as Kubo battles terrifying monsters, conjures a sailboat out of fallen leaves, and ultimately battles the Moon King. But Kubo And The Two Strings isn’t the first instance of music and magic being intertwined across film, literature and even video games, as this handy guide aims to illustrate!

The Pied Piper Of Hamelin – Flute

In the great tradition of all German fairytales, the ‘real’ story of the Pied Piper is dark – a rat catcher with a magical flute leads a town’s children away while all the adults are in church in punishment for the mayor refusing to honour a deal that saw said piper perform a similar act to rid the town of its rat infestation. Various iterations of the story go darker, with the piper leaving behind a crippled boy who couldn’t keep up with the others, a deaf boy who couldn’t hear, and a blind boy who couldn’t see. Safe to say a heart-warming adaptation in the vein of Kubo And The Two Strings has not so far been forthcoming…

Harry Potter And The Philosopher’s Stone – Magical Harp

On a somewhat lighter note, Boy Wizard Harry Potter has a rather more whimsical encounter with a magical musical instrument in the first instalment of JK Rowling’s word-beating book series. The magical harp in question has been enchanted to play a tune that will keep Fluffy (a seriously giant dog) in a peaceful sleep unless the secret entrance to the Philosopher’s Stone’s hiding place is disturbed. Needless to say, our plucky hero and his friends nevertheless manage to circumnavigate this (and many other) threats in order to defeat Voldemort and save the day for the first (but not the last) time.

The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe – Pan Pipes

On a similar theme, duplicitous but ultimately heroic fawn, Mr Tumnus lulls Lucy, the first ‘Son/Daughter of Adam’ to pass through the wardrobe into Narnia, into a magical sleep upon discovering her, using his magical pan pipes to help him with the task. As ever with a CS Lewis story, though, good will out and Mr Tumnus actually turns on the evil White Witch who set him the awful task and ends up being complicit in saving the day when the war between Aslan and the forces of good reaches its peak against the Witch and her nightmarish minions. Essential reading for any child.

Tenacious D In The Pick Of Destiny – Guitar

A slightly more oblique entry, Tenacious D In The Pick Of Destiny sees Jack Black and his musical partner Kyle Glass embroiled in a plot to find and gain control of a supernatural guitar pick (actually a piece of Satan’s own tooth) that affords guitar players a profound gift for music. Plot isn’t entirely central to this cult classic but, such as it goes, the pair end up splitting the pick in two before Satan gets hold of his tooth again and threatens to unleash his supernatural powers against the earth. Fortunately, and as far as any of this makes any sense, the duo challenge Satan to a ‘rock off’ he can’t refuse and save the day thanks to their natural ability to rock. Of course…

The Legend Of Zelda – The Ocarina Of Time

One of many entries into the famous Legend of Zelda games, the Ocarina Of Time is often lauded as one of the best. A complex plot sees our hero, Link, sent back and forth in time in order to free a series of Sages from magical incarceration in order to save the world from the dastardly Ganondorf, the series’ longstanding antagonist. One of the ways in which Link traverses the enormous game area is by using a magical ocarina (a legitimate, real world instrument too) that allows him to teleport and solve certain puzzles. Interesting fact: following the game’s release, sales of real ocarinas apparently shot through the roof.

Game Of Thrones – The Horn Of Winter

In the highly successful book series A Song of Ice and Fire (that spawned HBO’s world-beating Game of Thrones TV series) the Horn of Winter is a legendary horn with magical properties. Legend has it that Joramun, a wildling King-Beyond-the-Wall, blew the horn and “woke the giants from the earth.” It is also widely claimed that blowing the Horn will destroy the Wall, an action that would have devastating consequences and allow the growing army of white walkers to consume all life in the Seven Kingdoms. Let’s see if this particular enchanted instruments makes it into the final two seasons of the show, shall we?

Kubo and the Two Strings arrives on digital platforms from 2^nd January, 2017, and on Blu-ray and DVD from 16^th January, courtesy of Universal Pictures (UK)

EDIT:  Here are two lovely featurettes!

Crafting An Epic:

https://youtu.be/4tvnnlarKlY

Creatures of Darkness: 

https://youtu.be/0xlsCql2isU

Hell or High Water, available to on Blu-ray, DVD and digital download now, is one of the essential films of the year. A morality tale that also manages to question the virtue of that morality in the face of rampant unfairness, David MacKenzie’s modern ode to old school Westerns is impossible to ignore and, once seen, harder to forget. That’s thanks in no small part to the laconic charm of the legendary Jeff Bridges (starring here as the Sheriff and ostensible ‘hero’ of the piece) but it is two incendiary performances from Chris Pine and Ben Foster as the brothers on a crime spree (to settle their mother’s mortgage) that help Hell or High Water really stick in the mind. The pair might have more altruistic reasons for their crimes but they’re no less watchable for that, placing their criminal relationship in some admirable celluloid company:

Tanner & Toby Howard – Hell or High Water (2016)

The Howard boys would probably consider themselves altruistic before they labelled themselves criminals but the fact remains that walking into a series of banks with sawn-off shotguns will earn you the attention of the local police – even if those you’re robbing have a certain sympathy for you and your motives (the Howards are trying to prevent a Texan banking chain from foreclosing on their mother’s farm by robbing the amount they’re short from said banking chain). Toby (Chris Pine) is the more measured of the two brothers, which is saying little when you look at Tanner (Ben Foster) and his collection of ticks, twitches and trigger urges, but we won’t spoil things for those yet to enjoy one the films of 2016 by indicating how things go for these self-styled Robin Hoods.

Jesse & Frank James (and family) – The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007)

The infamous Jesse James: 19^th century Missouri outlaw, guerrilla, gang leader, bank robber, train robber, murderer and younger brother to Frank James, the other half of the James Gang. Jesse took the lead in the gang, just as he did in Ron Hanson’s 1983 novel The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford which chronicled the life and death of the iconic outlaw and was adapted for film in 2007 with Brad Pitt as Jesse, Sam Shepard as Frank and Casey Affleck as Robert Ford. Set in 1881, Robert Ford, a younger member of the notorious James gang becomes so inextricably drawn to and frightened of his mentor that his own delusions of grandeur force him to consider doing the unthinkable.

Seth & Richard Gecko – From Dusk Till Dawn (1998)

It says something about the regulars at New Mexican dive bar (the delightfully named Titty Twister) that Seth and Richard Gecko (George Clooney and Quentin Tarantino respectively) are the heroes of the piece. Misogynistic, brutal, not to mention on the run from a hoard of policemen keen to discuss a string of violent robberies, the brothers hole up in the bar but soon find themselves on the receiving end of some unwanted advances from a nest of particularly thirsty vampires. Seth (Clooney proving that even he can’t pull off a neck tattoo) even flirts with some morals as he opts to help safe Harvey Keitel and Juliette Lewis’ born again Christians live to pray another day!

Hans & Simon Gruber – Die Hard (1988), Die Hard With A Vengeance (1995)

Mrs Gruber clearly didn’t ever sit down with her two sons and have the chat about not pursuing a life of crime. Nor did Simon Gruber have the good sense to sit down and study the steps that led to his brother’s demise in Die Hard before deciding to try and rob Wall Street in the third film in the series (whilst also elaborately trying to get revenge against Bruce Willis’ John McLane at the same time. Still, none of this really matters considering that Hans Gruber is one if cinema’s great villains (thanks to Alan Rickman’s iconic performance) and Jeremy Irons’ sibling is one of the campest, with both leaving tooth marks in all of the scenery. The equivalent of two of Britain’s finest actors hamming it up in panto and all the better for it.

The Kray Twins – Legend (2016)

The life, times and atrocities of the ruthless east end twins have been portrayed countless times on the big and small screen. Ronnie and Reggie Kray and their gang, The Firm, were infamous for their brutality in armed robberies, murders, protection rackets and domination of organised crime in the east end of London beginning in the late 1950s. By the late 1960s they had become bonafide celebrities and were even interviewed on national television before they were finally arrested and convicted in 1969 by Scotland Yard, and are now cemented in the annals of London pop culture. The story of the rise and fall of London’s most notorious gangsters was seen most recently in 2016’s Legend, in which Tom Hardy gave an impressive performance as both Krays. A classic crime thriller taking us into the secret history of the 1960s and the extraordinary events that secured the infamy of the Kray Twins.

Leatherface & Family – Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)

The family that dines together stays together? When a bunch of pretty hateful teenagers descend onto a dilapidated farmhouse asking for help with their broken down van, the last thing they expect is to be served up as a Sunday roast but Leatherface (loosely based on infamous real-life serial killer Ed Gein, who took the faces off his victims and wore them himself) and his clan of walking advice against inbreeding have different ideas. This being the late 1970s and with horror-meister Tobe Hooper in charge, what follows is an equal opportunities slice and dice as all of the cast – including a disabled teen in a wheelchair – meet unflinchingly grisly ends.

Michael, Sonny & Fredo Corleone – The Godfather (1972)

Last but by no means least, the most infamous filmic Italian-American family dynasty of all time, the Corleones. The epic Godfather saga follows a 1940s New York mafia family and their struggle to protect their empire from rival families as the leadership switches from the father, Don (Marlon Brando), to his youngest son Michael (Al Pacino) with the help of his brothers Sonny (James Caan) and Fredo (John Cazale). Just like his father, youngest of the brothers Michael is cool, calm and ruthless, particularly opposite the volatile and confrontational eldest Sonny, whereas the middle brother Fredo is somewhat of a liability. Despite their differences in personality, all three of the Corleone brothers place huge significance on the value of family, and that is the bedrock of the dynasty’s success.

Hell or High Water is out now on Blu-ray, DVD and digital download, courtesy of STUDIOCANAL