I watched The Highwaymen last night on netflix. It stars Kevin Costner and Woody Harrelson as the two retired U.S. Marshalls who are brought out of retirement to hunt Bonnie & Clyde during the middle of the Depression years. As funding for U.S. Marshalls had been ended by that time, the two became Highwaymen and were constricted to stay within the state of Texas, while Bonnie & Clyde traveled a robbery circuit through several states, robbing and killing along the way.
One thing this movie did was remind me how much I love seeing Kevin Costner up on the big screen. His star power has not diminished over time and may even be more than it was before. He shines so brightly in this movie, which isn’t easy considering the character he plays is more on the taciturn side.
I want you to stop for a moment and remember where Woody Harrelson started. Cheers! That’s right, remember Woodrow Huckleberry Tiberius “Woody” Boyd? See how far Woody has come and be amazed. Woody has gotten so many plum roles because he enhances any project he’s on.
If Kevin Costner and Woody Harrelson don’t draw you in to watch, I don’t know what will. These two together have an unstoppable chemistry. They are two of our finest actors. I’m reminded of Paul Newman and Robert Redford side by side.
I love the time capsule feel of The Highwaymen. As Frank Hamer (Costner) and Maney Gault (Harrelson) get into the grit of what the Depression did to the morale of the ordinary people, it isn’t difficult to see why Bonnie & Clyde were raised to hero worship status by the masses. The hero worship effectively obstructs and threatens Hamer and Gault every step of the way.
There is a superb support cast wrapped around our two relentless pursuers. Kathy Bates plays Governor “Ma” Ferguson, who takes a chance on the two retirees to “take out the trash” when her sophisticated team continues to fail at doing so, as her image is being tarnished by the failure. John Lynch (villain from Carnivale) plays Lee Simmons, an official (forgot his title) who closely advises the governor and suggests letting the retirees use their skills to stop Bonnie & Clyde. William Sadler (many roles, I remember him as a villain from The Hot Spot) plays Henry Barrow, Clyde’s father. There is an unforgettable scene between him and Kevin. W. Earl Brown (from Deadwood) plays Ivy Methvin, the father of one of the Barrow gang. Thomas Mann plays Deputy Tim Hinton, who grew up with Bonnie & Clyde and is torn between his loyalty to his old schoolmates and his mission to kill them on sight.
Netflix has produced another winner here, folks. It’s good. It’s real good.
Tao Talk 
I’ve continued to look past this, but perhaps I’ll settle in and watch… Thanks for the head’s up!
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You’re welcome, Kevin. I kept passing it by also but gave it a chance last night and was glad I did. If you watch it, let me know what you think of it.
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Rokie-dokie-Raggie!
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Thanks for the recommendation. I will catch this one.
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Definitely check it out… It was so good! You won’t regret it. 👍🤗
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I will. Thanks
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Sure thing!
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This movie was really fantastic! I agree, Netflix definitely gets an A+ for The Highwaymen. 🤗👍
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<3 I was bowled over by it, it was so good. Glad you also liked it.
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The chemistry between Costner and Harleson was amazing. I also like how they showed the pictures at the end of the film matching those of true to life crime scene. They really did an amazing job with that film! 😊
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Yes they did!
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Woody seems to be doing a bit of a genre thing these days, I guess. A few years ago he and Matthew McConaughey starred in a dark detective series on HBO “True Detective.” That got a lot of acclaim, too, and I certainly enjoyed that.
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I loved him in True Detective! He was good in that Star Wars movie, Solo, also. He just keeps getting better and better.
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So many movies have made Bonnie and Clyde out to be heroes, but this movie shows them as the scum that they were having no value on anything except themselves.
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I don’t know much about them, but some sites have said the afficianados of B&C are going to be up in arms over this perspective of them as villains.
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Hey Li,
Totally agree with you, l watched this about 2 weeks ago and really loved it, like you, l love seeing KC on the screen and have been a fan of his since he first started. Have you seen the film Mr Brooks where he plays a professional hitman? Excellent film. As for Woody, another fine actor who has really come a long long way from the supposed half wit in support to Ted Danson.
Brilliant actors in a marvelous retell of the true story and great review – nicely done.
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Thanks Rory. I saw Mr. Brooks but it’s been awhile. I don’t like to see my heroes as evildoers. Not saying I haven’t taken a shine to a villain a time or two, but KC as a hitman??? Just no.
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It shows diversity within the range, he was a ace in that :)
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Reblogged this on A Guy Called Bloke and K9 Doodlepip! and commented:
Li does a fabulous review of a brill9iant Netflix film starring Kevin Costner and Woody Harrelson – The Highwaymen 2019
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I agree, this is a good one!
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:)
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Jade,
We saw this film a few weeks ago. It really is a smashing good production. We like Kevin Costner. Woody Harleson we loved in Cheers but haven’t seen him in too many good films. He’s a good actor and was a purrfect fit for this role. Thanks for the share!
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You are welcome, Cathy. Yes it is :)
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Agree with everything you posted here Jade Li. Fantastic film, so well written, acted and photographed. Particularly the migrants, the poverty, the shanty towns, all so well portrayed. Hoping for more films like this as a balance to Marvel and super heroes.
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100% agree that Marvel is a fantastical fantasy world that has been beaten to death. It’s time to get real. Have you seen the netflix movie, Roma? It’s another “real” movie, set in Roma district of Mexico City in the 1970s.
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I would wholeheartedly agree with you, I loved every minute of this.
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:) I was telling my sons all about it yesterday.
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:)
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Costner took it easy in this film which was great. The story was tweaked somewhat as one would expect, but I really enjoyed this one. When there was nothing to be said, it wasn’t said. I am wondering if Netflix budget is increasing to buy these two stars, or if star salary is lowering? When will we expect to see Bruce Willis in one with so many straight to DVD releases he has under his belt now.
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I agree on everything you said here and wonder also. Bruce’s Glass movie was just HORRIBLE and I was really looking forward to it :(
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I started this movie the other day and totally forgot to come and pick it back up. I liked it too, so far at least… Thanks for the reminder!
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It’s good all the way through.
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very compelling show
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