The Highwaymen is a 2019 thriller about a pair of police officers who come out of retirement to catch the infamous outlaws Bonnie & Clyde.
Movies have long taken to turning villains into heroes of sorts, with countless films since the medium began spinning criminal lore into cinematic gold, with Arthur Penn‘s critically-acclaimed 1967 classic Bonnie and Clyde the quintessential example. It’s a timeless tale nowadays, the pair now iconic for their exploits and made subject of in a slew of other projects. Now comes John Lee Hancock‘s latest action film The Highwaymen, not so much about the adventures of the notorious killers but the men who chased them down. It’s a thoughtful, brutal story with two spirited turns from its lead and a sensational script.
Deep in Texas, 1934, Bonnie (Emily Brobst) and Clyde (Edward Bossert) are already deep into their cycle of violence, putting fear into some and cheers into others, as they fight for what they call justice. Governor Ferguson (Kathy Bates) is hounded by the press to end the tyranny, some, including Lee Simmons (John Carroll Lynch), who works in the office, to put the Texas Rangers hunters on the job, which she soon agrees to do, hiring retired gunslinger Frank Hamer (Kevin Costner) back to duty. Calling in former partner Maney (Woody Harrelson) to the cause, the pair hit the road old-school style, butting heads with the modern world and ways, tracking the fast-growing infamous killers into a corner.
If you’re looking for another biopic-esque film on the already romanized pages of history from Bonnie and Clyde, put that immediately aside as the duo are not the subject but the catalyst. This is an altogether different take as Hancock spins a clever and deeply arresting yarn of two men out of their time and elements up against something they only understand at it more baser core. Screenwriter John Fusco wisely keeps Bonnie and Clyde far to the peripheral, widening their mark as almost spectral warriors for a people desperate to have a glint of hope and it works in keeping them as something maybe impossible to defeat.
Costner and Harrelson are the real heroes of the story, the two a couple of old grizzled, gravelly-voiced pistons in battered old engine chugging this along in chiling fashion. Circling raggedy maps and crossing state lines as they see patterns and purpose, Hamer and Maney cross through hardened times of economic strife and hopeless communities while closing in. Meanwhile, the art is in the details as Hancock brings to life an age not often given its due.
Costner has shifted into an elder statesmen of sorts, carrying with him a powerful sense of place and presence, weathered and coarse as he barrels through this movie with great authority, Harrelson bringing his own natural weight as the sidekick to great effect. The two are great fun to watch, the film often best in the quieter moments that become filled with smart dialogue and subtle asides.
America is not well in Hancock’s story, bleak and weary, Hamer and Maney symbolic of the transition as change falls into demand while old ways find renewed value. This is a mystery as much as a manhunt, the clear line between experience and reliance on what’s new well-balanced while not overly-played. As much a character study as a sturdy action flick, Netflix raises the bar with this high-calibur effort that makes for a must see. Highly recommended.