The Highwaymen (2019)
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Two former Texas Rangers are tasked with hunting down the notorious outlaws Bonnie and Clyde.
The story
In 1934, after two years on the run, criminals Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow break several associates out of Texas' Eastham Prison Farm. Texas Department of Corrections Chief Lee Simmons persuades Governor "Ma" Ferguson to hire former Texas Ranger Frank Hamer to track them down. After the fugitive gang is involved in a devastating shootout in Missouri, Hamer reluctantly leaves retirement and his wife Gladys to join the manhunt. He recruits his former partner, Benjamin Maney Gault, despite his misgivings about Gault's sobriety and decayed policing abilities. The duo begins a grueling pursuit across the American landscape to apprehend the infamous pair.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In 1934, after two years on the run, criminals Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow break several associates out of Texas' Eastham Prison Farm. Texas Department of Corrections Chief Lee Simmons persuades Governor "Ma" Ferguson to hire former Texas Ranger Frank Hamer to track them down. After the fugitive gang is involved in a devastating shootout in Missouri, Hamer reluctantly leaves retirement and his wife Gladys to join the manhunt. He recruits his former partner, Benjamin Maney Gault, despite his misgivings about Gault's sobriety and decayed policing abilities. Information from FBI wiretapping leads them to Dallas, where they meet Sheriff "Smoot" Schmid and Deputy Ted Hinton. The Rangers track the gang through Oklahoma and Kansas, eventually deducing they will stop in Coffeyville for supplies. After a chase in a dirt field, they return to Dallas to find Bonnie's family. Hamer interrogates an associate, Wade McNabb, while Gault is threatened by thugs. They eventually deduce the gang is heading to Bienville Parish, Louisiana. Joining forces with local law enforcement, they stage an ambush on a road to Ivy's house. Bonnie and Clyde arrive, but are gunned down by the posse. The bullet-riddled car is towed to Arcadia, Louisiana, where it is mobbed by onlookers. Refusing an interview with the Associated Press, Hamer and Gault drive home, with Hamer finally allowing Gault to drive.
- First release year
- 2019
- Runtime (minutes)
- 132
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- John Lee Hancock
- Writers
- John Fusco · writer
- Cast and characters
- Kevin Costner · Frank Hamer; Woody Harrelson · Maney Gault; Kathy Bates; John Carroll Lynch; Kim Dickens; Thomas Mann; William Sadler
- Genres
- period crime thriller; historical films; buddy films; crime drama films; historical crime films; historical drama films
- Themes
- Law and Order; Justice; Outlaw Culture; Friendship
- Tone and mood
- Serious; Historical; Gritty
- Setting
- United States, 1934
- Premise and plot tags
- True Story; Western; Buddy Cop; Manhunt
- Source material / true-story basis
- Original pitch
- Reception
- The film received mixed reviews from critics.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 58 · scale: 100 · review count: 28
- Awards and nominations
- Satellite Award · Best Miniseries or Television Film · 2020 · Nomination
- Production trivia
- The film was in development hell for many years, with producer Casey Silver looking into the project as early as 2005.; It was originally pitched as a possible Paul Newman and Robert Redford project.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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