"Former Texas Rangers Frank Hamer and Maney Gault join forces to try and capture notorious outlaws Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow."
The Highwaymen is based on the true story of how Bonnie and Clyde were taken down by two former Texas Rangers, and while that certainly sounds like a premise that is full of action; drama is definitely the correct genre for this film to be categorised in.
Let's just start by saying that the set design is spot-on, and this is one of the highest production Netflix films that I have seen of late. The cars, buildings, clothing, and general colour grading all encapsulate the 1930s to a high degree of accuracy and authenticity, and it draws you in as an audience member.
The two main leads also suit the roles well. Kevin Costner and Woody Harrelson portray Frank Hamer and Maney Gault (respectively) and both have their own unique personality quirks despite their shared backstory. Hamer being the more black and white, prone to "kill first and ask questions later", whereas Gault takes a heavy emotional toll with every life taken, but still trusts in his partners' decisions. The character development does only go so deep, and the onscreen chemistry could be stronger as you don't really feel the camaraderie between these two ex-rangers who had clearly spent a lot of time together in their past. That all being said Costner and Harrelson are the linchpins that hold the film together and if The Highwaymen were cast differently, it would be a much worse film for it.
The portrayal of Bonnie & Clyde in this film is interestingly done. With their scenes seemingly shot and edited with a different filter, the two are almost treated like non-entities. While it is certainly shown that the public do love them and support them whole-heartedly because of their "robin-hood-esque" qualities, John Lee Hancock's direction has the camera rarely showing their faces, shooting from afar, and in general, focusing on the killings; dehumanizing the criminal pair, much to the contrary of how they were portrayed in the 1967 Arthur Penn release.
This all comes down to the perspective of the premise, which looks at things from the side of law enforcement, who were being mercilessly gunned down by the criminal duo. And yet The Highwaymen still comes off as a dry, uneventful slow-burn.
The focus on law enforcement means that the story actually focuses more on the friction between the G-Men who had a different style of policing and were under strict instruction to not allow these ex-rangers to capture Bonnie & Clyde first. It creates an incredibly slow cat-and-mouse scenario in the second act that absolutely stops the film dead in its tracks on so many occasions. It feels like the film has come to an abrupt end at so many points in that second act that I was audibly exhaling and checking my wrist for the time (I say wrist because I haven't worn a watch in 5+ years), desperate for the film to end. It eventually picks up right before the climax of the film, but right when it gets interesting, the film ends.
Overall, there was some potential for a fine thriller, but the whole G-Man arc kept destroying the pace of the film that had slowly built up. There was also no need for the film to last over two hours. Cutting 20 (maybe even 30) minutes from the film would help keep things moving along at a more consistent pace, and greatly improved the film. It's not a horrible film, it just gets lost too much in the middle, and that greatly lowers its appeal.