Kevin Costner and Woody Harrelson play the real-life Rangers who tracked down Bonnie and Clyde in The Highwaymen, a 2019 Netflix original directed by John Lee Hancock and written by John Fusco. The film spends 133 minutes following Frank Hamer and Manny Gault as they hunt the notorious robbers across the South in 1934.
Trailer, via Netflix.
The Setup
Bonnie and Clyde have been on the run for two years, robbing banks and killing anyone who stands in their way. The film opens with them breaking several associates out of Eastham Prison Farm. Texas Department of Corrections Chief Lee Simmons convinces Governor “Ma” Ferguson to hire Hamer, a retired Ranger, to catch them.
Hamer reluctantly agrees, leaving his wife Gladys behind. He brings in his former partner, Manny Gault, despite worries about Gault’s drinking and his outdated ways. The two men refuse to share driving duties.
The Chase
The bulk of the film follows Hamer and Gault chasing clues across multiple states. FBI wiretaps reveal the gang is heading home to Dallas. The Rangers watch Bonnie’s mother’s house and see a man throw a bottle into the yard, which is thrown back. A boy escapes with it.
The FBI believes the fugitives are in Brownsville instead. Hamer and Gault meet Dallas Sheriff “Smoot” Schmid, who introduces them to Deputy Sheriff Ted Hinton, a childhood friend who can identify the pair on sight.
The Shootout
The gang kills two policemen in Grapevine. Hamer and Gault find a rabbit at the scene, which Hinton says is likely a gift for a family member. They follow the trail to a migrant camp in Oklahoma, where a local girl confirms the gang stayed.
The Final Stand
A radio bulletin alerts the Rangers to two more murdered officers outside their jurisdiction. They are stopped at a police roadblock, which Hamer drives around. They continue to Coffeyville, Kansas, where they correctly deduce that Bonnie and Clyde are headed.
The film ends with the final confrontation, which the source describes in full detail.
The Cast
Costner and Harrelson carry the film. Kathy Bates plays Governor “Ma” Ferguson. John Carroll Lynch plays Lee Simmons. Kim Dickens plays Gladys Hamer. Thomas Mann plays Deputy Ted Hinton. William Sadler plays Henry Barrow.
Reception
The film had a limited theatrical release in the US on March 15, 2019, followed by a digital release on Netflix on March 29, 2019. It received mixed reviews from critics, scoring 5.8 out of 10.
“The legends who took down Bonnie & Clyde”
Release Dates
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| March 15, 2019 | Limited theatrical release |
| March 29, 2019 | Digital release on Netflix |
The Highwaymen is a solid, if unremarkable, entry in the genre. The chase scenes are tense, and the performances are strong. But the film never quite rises above its pulpy premise. It is a competent, occasionally thrilling look at a famous crime, but it does not offer much beyond that.
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