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A30 PEOPLE & ARTS
Saturday 30 March 2019
Happy hunting Bonnie and Clyde in ‘The Highwaymen’

By MARK KENNEDY For film fans of a certain
It's hard to begin watching age, we've practically
the Netflix movie "The High- seen the fatal ambush. "The
waymen" and not think Highwaymen" is haunted
about the way it will inevi- by the 1967 film "Bonnie
tably end — in a famous and Clyde," which had at
ambush and a hail of bul- its final scene a torrent of
lets. gunfire riddling Faye Dun-
That's what happened to away and Warren Beatty.
Bonnie Parker and Clyde That film romanticized the
Barrow on May 23, 1934, the criminal duo who killed
day the law finally caught 13, and their fatal ambush
up to the couple who had seemed less like a neces-
spent years on a multi-state sary law enforcement ac-
murder spree. tion than a gutless slaying.

This image released by Netflix shows Woody Harrelson, left, and Kevin Costner in a scene from
"The Highwaymen."
Associated Press

Now, 52 years later, comes begged to come out of re- ground and ready to go,"
the reverse view with "The tirement, just this once, to he tells his partner. They're
Highwaymen," screenwriter hunt down the killers, only a great odd couple.
John Fusco's tale of how to endure guff by the new The script at times tries too
two handkerchief-wip- generation for their old hard — "There's always
ing, retired Texas Rangers fashioned methods. blood at the end of the
tracked them down. "Your time has past, cow- road" is one clunky line —
If Bonnie and Clyde were boy," one young officer tells and lingers a little too much
the heroes of director Ar- them, revealing that law on symbols (like greyhound
thur Penn's 1967 film, law- enforcement has become hood ornaments). There's
men Frank Hamer (Kevin addicted to wire taps and a very evocative score by
Costner) and Maney Gault aerial surveillance. Instead, Thomas Newman and Han-
(Woody Harrelson) are the Hamer and Gault have cock's style is cool and un-
ones here — gruff, taci- their gut instincts and test- rushed, letting the miles of
turn and hard-nosed of- ed skills, like looking at foot- highway roll and making
ficers. Director John Lee prints in dirt. Hamer knows his action sequences feel
Hancock is so unwilling to where to find the duo: all the more electric when
glamorize the young out- "Outlaws and mustangs al- they occur.
laws that he virtually never ways come home," he says. Now, when it comes to the
focuses his camera on Bon- The film has been gestat- end, this film describes the
nie and Clyde, instead us- ing so long that it was once final shoot-out in a very dif-
ing dreamlike filters or odd going to star Robert Red- ferent way than "Bonnie
angles. ford and Paul Newman, and Clyde." (Hint, the cops
Like its predecessor, there's which raises all kinds of nos- had some honor.) The film
lots of cultural commen- talgia issues. (Think about often feels in many ways
tary going on in the moody the leads of "Butch Cassidy as an attempt to correct
and enjoyable Netflix take and the Sundance Kid" and history, or at least the pre-
— issues of criminal deter- "The Sting" donning fedoras vious Dunaway-Beatty-led
minism, ageism, poverty, and dark suits, getting into portrayal of a bumbling
moral compromising and, Depression-era Fords and Hamer. But there are mo-
of course, celebrity. fighting on the OTHER side ments of beautiful stillness
A cult sprang up around of the law). and nicely-filmed sequenc-
Bonnie and Clyde — includ- Costner plays his Hamer es — like a nifty car chase
ing women aping Bonnie's like a classic Costner role; in dust clouds — that make
fashion — and fans gland- silent and focused, with a the hunt enjoyable. You'll
handed the pair like movie moral charisma and a sly know how it ends, but this
stars. Harrelson's character hint of sweetness under- time things are different:
notes that while talent used neath the grumpy exterior. The good guys win.
to lead to fame, "now you Harrelson turns in another "The Highwaymen," a Net-
just shoot people." fine performance, just the flix release, is rated R for
There's a throw-back, West- kind of sassy, good ol' boy violence and language.
ern feel to the film, with you'd want next to you Running time: 132 minutes.
its flabby, creaky heroes on a stakeout. "I'm above Three stars out of four.q