This review is in no way sponsored. All opinions expressed are 100% my own.
Something you probably already know about me is that I love a good villain. Two of the greatest real life villains are of course, Bonnie and Clyde. Now I am going to be totally honest when I say I did not know much of their story. Just that they were a couple who robbed and killed a lot of people, and they were killed in, what I thought was, a bloody shootout. Netflix recently released The Highwaymen, which is a movie that follows the story of the Texas Rangers that took them out.
Perfectly Cast
The first thing I have to say about this movie is that it was perfectly cast. My husband and I were both impressed with a lot of the big names in this movie, and each and every one of them played their parts perfectly. During the credits, they show photos of the real people that were featured in The Highwaymen and WOW! So many of them looked very much like their counterparts.
Seeing Kevin Costner and Woody Harrelson work together like this was so much fun. They had such great chemistry together and I felt like I was a part of their gang. Like I knew them and understood how they cared for each other so much.
Telling The Other Side of the Story
The thing I really liked about this movie is that it tells the side of the lawmen, not of Bonnie and Clyde. It was great to see where they were coming from. This was the great depression so this was really just a job for them. A way to earn money and take out a couple that were killing lawmen at the same time. I felt like I got to know them on a personal level, and it gives me a great deal of respect for them.
Mass Media & Hysteria
I must not have paid much attention in History class when we were covering them, because I had no idea they were that well loved. It really was the start of mass media, wasn’t it? People were obsessed with them. Protected them. Murderers! Seems so crazy doesn’t it, but then you look at other cases and realize it still happens. Seeing the people trying to touch and pull at their dead bodies, wow. Then when the movie ended they showed actual footage which proved it was like that.
About The Highwaymen
The outlaws made headlines. The lawmen made history. Watch The Highwaymen on Netflix March 29, 2019.
From director John Lee Hancock (The Blind Side), THE HIGHWAYMEN follows the untold true story of the legendary lawmen 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. THE HIGHWAYMEN also stars Kathy Bates, John Carroll Lynch, and Kim Dickens.
Stream The Highwaymen on Netflix now!
Tessa Smith is a Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer-approved Film and TV Critic. On Camera personality and TV / Film Critic with 10+ years of experience in video editing, writing, editing, moderating, and hosting.