Bullet Points: The Highwaymen

Kevin Costner might become the Clint Eastwood of my generation. He’s made some wonderful Westerns in his career and has been a bona fide superstar for decades now so it should come as no surprise to anyone that his films in recent years are showing him at his grizzled best. I love watching elder action stars sink back into the type of roles which helped to make them famous. The only way you could make this more of a Kevin Costner film is if you put a baseball in one hand and a six shooter in the other.

Synopsis: The outlaws made headlines. The lawmen made history. From Director John Lee Hancock, The Highwaymen follows the untold story of the legendary detectives who brought down Bonnie and Clyde. When the full force of the FBI and the latest forensic technology aren’t enough to capture the nation’s most notorious criminals, two former Texas Rangers (Kevin Costner and Woody Harrelson) must rely on their gut instincts and old school skills to get the job done.

• American Outlaws: The film starts in Texas, 1934. The Barrow Gang has already established itself as both elite criminals and surprising favorites of the downtrodden masses. Americans have always romanticized the Bonnie & Clyde duo and The Highwaymen takes special care to show how the common man has turned them into 1930s Robin Hood. We learn that not only were they not taking from the rich to give to the poor, they were also some devilishly cruel cop killers.
• Bring back the Rangers: The film starts with a prison break scene that includes members of the Barrow Gang with an assist from the demure Bonnie Parker. The Texas Rangers had already been disbanded by Governor Ma Ferguson (Kathy Bates) brings veteran lawman Frank Hamer (Kevin Costner) back in to track down the killers. Hamer brings on an old partner of his in Maney Gault (Woody Harrelson) and the two men set out on the trail of the killers. How could they pass up $130 a month?

• Terminator Shopping Spree: You would more apt to think this movie would feature a Terminator-style shooting spree but Frank Hamer goes on a Terminator-style shopping spree at a local gun shop. He picks up several rifles, pistols, Thompson machine guns, and the infamous Browning Automatic Rifles that will be used in the final moments of the duo’s lives.

• The Chase: Unlike the real events of Hamer and Gault’s chase, the film shows that they were very close to Bonnie and Clyde in different instances. I would imagine that it’s to show how clever the gang had become at staying under the radar and escaping authorities both local and federal. What is great about this aspect of the film is that it gives us a great chance to get to know Hamer and Gault. Costner and Harrelson couldn’t be better in their roles as the aging Rangers and they really feel like a pair of men “out of time”.

• Open Range: The Rangers use old school methods to find Bonnie and Clyde whereas all of the federal agents working for the young FBI can’t catch them using all their “high tech” gadgets. It’s some of the better scenes watching Costner and Harrelson treat some of the other authorities like crap and then just go about their way. Unlike most movies about Bonnie and Clyde, this one spends far more time on apprehending them instead of glamorizing their lives. In fact, the only time we get a real look at the duo is before the fateful moment where they’re perforated by a few hundred bullets.

• Iconic: The final minutes of film are among the most powerful. After catching the leaders of the Barrow Gang in a blizzard of bullets, Hamer and Gault watch as the bloody car is towed through the middle of town. The way that the crowd reacts to the destruction is downright disgusting and I immediately wondered if this would still be the case today. Yeah, it probably would be. If you’re interested in seeing a more modern tale then Woody Harrelson has you hooked up with 1994’s Natural Born Killers.

The Verdict: I thought The Highwaymen was both unique for telling the story from a different perspective and extremely entertaining. The acting was top notch with Costner and Harrelson being totally kickass. Excellent direction from John Lee Hancock (The Founder, The Blind Side, The Alamo) really puts this movie into a position to be the best Netflix film to date. I thought that movies like Gangster Squad and Public Enemies had too many characters without ever really focusing on the motivations of the leads. The Highwaymen is the opposite as we delve into the backstories, motivations, and personal demons of Hamer and Gault. It also doesn’t hurt to have such a great cast. Check it out!