Telling a story about the men who tracked and killed Bonnie and Clyde is a bit like trying to be the funniest person in the room around Dave Chapelle or Robin Williams. Sure you might land a joke or two, but the room will inevitably gravitate and revolve around one of those two titans. The Highwaymen is compelling and enjoyable enough, but Bonnie and Clyde it was never going to be and will never ever be.
The two men responsible for taking down Bonnie and Clyde are Frank Hamer (Kevin Costner) and Maney Gault (Woody Harrelson). Hamer is recruited out of retirement to hunt down the duo by Ma Ferguson (Kathy Bates) and Lee Simmons (John Carroll Lynch). In turn, Hamer, tracks down his ex Texas ranger Gault who’s been caretaking his grandson while his daughter works. The two then use their previous tricks of the trade to do whatever it takes to grab the tail of the Barrow clan and drag it 6 feet under the ground.
The bold choice The Highwaymen makes is completely removing Bonnie and Clyde as characters from the movie, especially bold since the movie pitch, the beginning, and the end credits start with references to the gun wielding couple. This choice is welcoming because it frees Frank and Maney to be the center of the movie that is about them. All the time that would be spent with the Barrow gang instead goes to showing us how these 2 are really good at their jobs, smartly getting inside the heads of their prey as their pursuit gets closer and closer to the outlaws while more technologically sophisticated pursuits play catch up. We also see that these men also aren’t as young as they used to be; there’s a feeling they might not be up for the big task in front of them, and the pursuit tests their readiness and resolve to do what must be done to bring Bonnie and Clyde to justice. Enough time is spent with Frank and Maney on the road that we have a good idea who these guys are and why we should root for them to end the killing spree of two very popular criminals.
When you eliminate the most charismatic characters in favor of their pursuers, however, your screenplay is bound to lag at least a bit. There’s lots of scenes of brooding and quiet, but that gets old in a 2+ hour film as more time goes on. The extra time also goes to a bunch of subplots that vary widely on their success, like Frank’s home life (poor Kim Dickens, she’s a better actress than the 5 minute love interest she’s playing here). How to pursue a criminal (via technology or street smarts) is compelling for a while…until the movie simply forgets it was telling that story. The Highwaymen, true to the title, do keep moving enough that you’re not really bored for long, but you’re also never quite engaged enough to really dig in. Or what Netflix calls the “Netflix and chill sweetspot.”
I’m pretty sure the real highwaymen of this movie would approve of their depiction in The Highwaymen, and maybe appreciate the metaphor. Here are reliable workhorses who do the job they’re supposed to do, and then get out and leave everyone be, exactly how John Lee Hancock crafted this film. So go on Netflix, take your moment, revel in it, and then get back to work…