The Highwaymen
2019 · Directed by John Lee Hancock
Original language: English
- crime
- drama
- thriller
The story
In 1934, Frank Hamer and Manny Gault, two former Texas Rangers, are commissioned to put an end to the wave of vicious crimes perpetrated by Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow, a notorious duo of infamous robbers and cold-blooded killers who nevertheless are worshiped by the public.
What it’s like
Weathered Depression-era Texas rendered in dust-brown earth, washed-out sky and sun-bleached asphalt, with long, patient shots of two older men driving dirt roads in cars and trucks that look slow and mechanical against the open land. The camera holds back and lets wide landscapes and quiet interiors (sparse kitchens, smoky diners, a forensic lab's cool fluorescent light) breathe, while the score stays restrained: plain acoustic strings, a little brushed percussion, and long stretches of wind and engine hum. The vibe is dry, elegiac and unhurried, a slow-burn manhunt with the pulse of a road movie and the melancholy of a late-life reckoning. Violence is real but sparing: a few sudden, shocking shootings and ambush scenes, the bodies and their aftermath shown plainly, with no gore for its own sake and no sexual content. Pacing is measured, almost meditative, and the emotional register is grave and reflective, following two aging lawmen who have to face the public's romance with outlaws and their own sense of obsolescence. Suits a rainy afternoon, a quiet evening alone, or anyone who likes old-fashioned crime stories told with restraint, rather than action-packed thrills.
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