Distributed by Netflix this 2019 Casey Silver produced film is a period crime drama set in the 1930's which tells the story of two former Texas Rangers who are hired to track down the notorious criminals Bonnie & Clyde. Stuck in development hell for nearly 15 years, what was originally going to be a Universal Pictures film nearly did not get made until Netflix bought the project in 2018.
Its 1934 and America is in 'the great depression'. Bonnie & Clyde have been on the run for two years, in which time they have broke some of their gang out of prison, and they have continued a spree of violence. Begrudgingly, former Texas Ranger Frank Hamer (Kevin Costner) is brought out of retirement to help authorities, and he seduces his former colleague Benjamin Maney Gault (Woody Harrelson) to the cause too. Using all the old tricks from their past, and learning some new tricks along the way, the senior rangers hunt for Bonnie Parker (Emily Brobst) and Clyde Barrow (Edward Bossert) to bring them to justice, or to give America freedom from their heinous crimes.
Having seen different variations of the Bonnie and Clyde story, including the 1967 "Bonnie and Clyde" film, I expected this film to feature the notorious criminals more than it did. I was surprised but delighted that instead of just focusing on them, this film followed two of the lawmen that were trying to track them down. It was refreshing to see the story from the other side rather than glorifying the criminals like previous films and TV series have.
Costner and Harrelson perform well as the former Texas Rangers. With the star power that the pair have it would be easy not to believe in their characters, but they feel authentic in the roles and deliver them with credibility.
The cinematography on display is superb. The construction of the landscape and scenery is done well and looks gorgeous. At times, the sweat and the dirt in the scenes seems to ooze out of the screen and into the pores of the audience. There are apparently some historical inaccuracies compared to what has been written about the events being shown, but not enough for it to become a work of fiction. It treads the path of fact carefully, to the point that the director tried to work close to the actual Bonnie & Clyde trail as he could -filming in the same locations (or as close as possible) to where real crimes occurred.
The pace of the film has been criticized in some of the reviews I have read. While it was not the quickest film, I did not personally have a problem with it. I think the film needed to be a slow burner to build up the story and the chase. The law seems to be two steps behind all the time, and there is a noticeable shift in the last act of the film where the law has for once got ahead of the criminals. To me, the pace of the film was reminiscent of some of the crime biopics of the 1980's and 1990's. It felt like the same kind of pacing as other films I have seen Costner in, like "The Untouchables" (1987), like "JFK" (1991). Perhaps the audience that did not enjoy the pace would have preferred something with more action in, and therefore a film from the lawman's side of the chase might not be the best choice.
I enjoyed the film. I thought it was beautifully crafted and brought to life well by those in front of and behind the camera. It was entertaining to watch, and having seen previous versions of Bonnie & Clyde, I learned something new here, instead of just been romanticized by their folklore exploits of robbing the rich and giving to the poor. Some films are all-ages and can be watched by everyone, I would put this film in the grown-up film category and suggest it needs maturity and patience to enjoy it. It's a film that feels old fashioned, not just because to the 1930's period it depicts, but also in the way that this 2019 film unfolds. Real acting, simple story, basic plot with no rush and no CGI to get the audience to the end. Refreshing.
