The Sisters Brothers (2018 Jacques Audiard) / Hell or High Water (2016 David Mackenzie)

I was only thinking that morning it might be fun to watch a double bill of films called 'The General' (by Buster Keaton and John Boorman) and instead we chanced upon two great films, both coincidentally about a pair of brothers, one of whom has killed their father. Neither film has much time for women, either.

Audiard made A Prophet and Rust and Bone. His is an ultra-realistic western, fabulously photographed by Benoît Debie (winning the César, along with Audiard as director), based on Patrick DeWitt's  novel and written by the director and Thomas Bidegain. It's certainly a great plot with one left turn after another. John C Reilly and Joaquin Phoenix are the brothers in pursuit of Jake Gyllenhaal and Riz Ahmed (both giving as good performances as the two leads). Alexandre Desplat wrote the music.

Quite grim film is not without its moments of humour - John Reilly first cleaning his teeth a memorable moment.

Hell or High Water features Chris Pine and Ben Foster (Leave No Trace) as the bank-robbing brothers pursued by Jeff Bridges and Gil Birmingham, and Taylor Sheridan's screenplay was both Oscar and BAFTA nominated.

Nick Cave's Burwell-ish score evokes Fargo - film is in the same deadpan style. West Texas looks like a godforsaken place (well-chosen locations).

Mackenzie made Starred Up; Sheridan wrote the two Sicario films.