THE REEL: The Highway Men

The Highway Men stars Frank Hamer (Kevin Costner) and Maney Gault (Woody Harrelson) who act as two retired former Texas Rangers called back into active duty to hunt and bring down the murderous outlaws. PHOTO| COURTESY

What you need to know:

  • Its main stars are Frank Hamer (Kevin Costner) and Maney Gault (Woody Harrelson) who act as two retired former Texas Rangers called back into active duty to hunt and bring down the murderous outlaws.
  • The movie has a gritty feel to it and it is based in Texas which is the cowboy capital of the US.

The lyrics of the smash hit “Bonnie and Clyde” by power showbiz couple Jay Z and Beyoncé came to mind as I watched The Highway Men.

The Highway Men is the true story of the manhunt one of the most infamous murderous outlaw couple Bonnie and Clyde and the legendary detectives who captured them.

It is rated R for some strong violence and bloody images and is 2h 12min long, classified as a Crime, Drama and Mystery.

Its main stars are Frank Hamer (Kevin Costner) and Maney Gault (Woody Harrelson) who act as two retired former Texas Rangers called back into active duty to hunt and bring down the murderous outlaws.

The movie has a gritty feel to it and it is based in Texas which is the cowboy capital of the US.

PRISON BREAK

It starts with a dramatic prison break orchestrated by the outlaws Bonnie and Clyde to set free their companions.

Right away, we get a feel of the personalities of the two as ruthless risk takers.

The outlaws begin to get a notoriety and a following among the people and this prompts the Governor, Ma Ferguson (Kathy Bates) to bring the two famed detectives out of retirement to hunt the couple.

Frank and Maney are in their sunset years, no longer as fit and agile as before and right away, there is a sense that the task may be overwhelming.

Maney is the one who has it worse since he hasn’t had a job in years and is living with his daughter and nephew, sleeping on a seat outside the house.

Yet, if there is one thing that never goes away, it’s ones God-given talent and skill and he has it in spades.

There are those within the Governor’s office who are not too sure about the two rangers’ capability to deliver on the mission and they take every opportunity to ensure that they fail.

Frank isn’t too bothered by their antics and instead, focuses on completing his mission while Maney takes it upon himself to call out the other officer’s condescending attitude.

TRIUMPHANT

The FBI are also on the trail of the couple and they are none too pleased with what as they see as two old bumbling fools who are impeding the investigation.

They employ what is the latest in technology at that time and they scoff at the old-fashioned efforts of the two, but in the end, the rangers are triumphant and get all the deserved glory.

Director John Lee Hancock employed a slow storytelling style which enables the story to unfold fully, for the different characters to come to life and for the audience to fully appreciate the story.

The violent, brutal and senseless murders of police officers by the outlaws ensures that you never forget who the rangers are hunting. The choice of cinematography, costumes of the actors, vehicles and the design of the houses served to lend authenticity to the movie.

There is a lot of poverty depicted in the movie, families squatting on farms and getting by on manual work.

Most of these people develop a lot of fondness for the outlaws, whom they ascribe a similarity to Robin Hood, robbing from the rich and enriching the poor. However, this is not the case as many of the victims are innocent law enforcement officers.

Another storytelling device used by the director was the lack of dialogue by the outlaws Bonnie and Clyde, who never talked throughout the movie, but their murderous and bloody rampage spoke volumes.

This method also served to ensure total focus on the detectives and their efforts which enables the movie to be about them and their simple but dependable skills that enabled them to come out as the victors.