The Highwaymen

Classic storytelling, a captivating visual aspect and precise acting performances. Pot-bellied Costner is an uncompromising tough guy and Harrelson delivers the necessary human dimension, where his story just before the end works much better than the climax, when they shoot Bonnie and Clyde full of holes. Hancock smuggled into the picture a dig at the current state of affairs, where the masses and the media deserve nothing but contempt. The slow tempo with emphasis on depicting the characters works excellently and Newman’s music is very nostalgic. This type of picture is woefully lacking at movie theaters, like meat in a veggie burger. (12/04/2019)

Really genuine “too old for this shit" classical, old school, Western in a long time. And the fact that it takes place in 1930s when the economic crisis is in full swing and the cars are covering endless distances instead of horses, doesn´t change it at all. Slowly (I really mean very slowly) flowing, based on the central duo, beautifully captured and played. It's openly “McCarthy's" style, that´s for sure. In other words, it´s seemingly “only" genre movie with melancholic ambiance that is hard to resist. Its captivating (non) pace will either put you to sleep reliably or enchant you completely. (29/03/2019)

An old-school classic. The film starts off slowly, trying to give viewers a closer look at the two main characters, which I consider important when you're going to spend a good amount of time with them. Some might find this pacing problematic, and I would understand that, but I quickly got used to this style. I guess I expected Bonnie and Clyde to get more screen time, but unfortunately, that didn’t happen. Otherwise, Kevin Costner and Woody Harrelson were great; the scene with Woody in the bathroom was definitely a highlight of the film (a bit of a shame they hinted at it in the trailers). These actors have charisma to spare, which added credibility to their characters (though I still can’t shake the feeling that if the film had been made in the 80s with Newman and Redford, it would have been on a whole different level). The dialogue was excellent, and the atmosphere of the 1930s was palpable in every shot. Don’t expect much action; the film doesn’t try to be anything other than a solid drama. But strong moments do come, whether it’s the scene with the murdered policemen or the final showdown, which certainly wasn’t shy with the bullets. I recommend it, and also suggest reading up on the real Hamer and Gault. It’s worth it. I give the film 80%. (22/04/2019)

Nice but bland, The Highwaymen is a safe bet. Any hopes of originality for this version of the famous story die in the first third with the clichéd exposition of the main characters. And the rest of the movie does nothing to counter this assumption. But it’s not boring - Costner and Harrelson hold the movie together with their performances and Costner’s talk with Bonnie’s dad (William Sadler) goes deeper. The final shootout wasn’t all that hair-raising in real life, so the movie cannot have the epic climax that a flick in this genre needs. (17/04/2019)

An atmospheric, non-action crime film set in the 1930s that bears a little resemblance to Untouchables and Public Enemies in terms of expression, but falls short in terms of direction, scene composition, escalating tension and action. Costner and Harrelson are the draws and their cynical duo is the highlight of the film. Unfortunately, the main villains are given woefully little space and everything around them is basically insufficient. Not great enough as a robust crime drama, OK as an intimate drama between two obsolete detectives, but the ambition was obviously higher. But Netflix can check it off the list anyway. (10/04/2019)