For those who do not know the tale of the infamous couple Bonnie and Clyde, here is a little background on the duo so that you can enjoy the March 2019 release of their story recreated through Netflix’s “The Highwaymen.” While their story has sometimes been depicted as a colorful love story, it was much more than that. Clyde Champion Barrow and his love, Bonnie Parker were shot and killed in a police ambush in Bienville Parish, Louisiana just before dawn on May 23, 1934. They died instantly in a hail of bullets.
How it all began
The twosome who were suspected of committing crimes ranging from several robberies, kidnapping and 13 murders, met in Texas in January of 1930.
At that time Bonnie, 21, was married to an imprisoned murderer and Clyde, 21, was single. Shortly after that their meeting he was arrested and sent to jail for burglary but escaped thanks to a gun Bonnie had smuggled to him. He was soon recaptured and sent back to prison. Clyde was soon paroled in February 1932, when he rejoined Bonnie, and their crime spree began.
Netflix's Take
"The Highwaymen" written by John Fusco, (“Marco Polo”, Crouching Tiger, and “Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny”), John Lee Hancock, (“The Blind Side” and "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil”), is based on the true story of the former Texas Rangers, Manny Gault and Frank Hamer (Woody Harrelson and Kevin Costner, respectively) who used their gut instincts to track down and kill Bonnie and Clyde.
While we may know the eventual outcome of the story Hancock uses the effects of suspense to take us on a journey, that is said to paint these lovers in a new light. In previous adaptations of their story, such as the 1967 film “Bonnie and Clyde”, starring Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway we see them as two almost fictitious characters.
They are often romanticized as two rides or die lovers who have shared an intense attraction from first sight.
Here in this story, it should more grounded in the reality of who they are and their crimes. In the past, they were interpreted as partners in crime who embark on a life of crime with the intention of just having fun without wanting to hurt anyone...yet they have guns.
Hancock’s version is not set to paint things as rosy.
The Cast
In addition to Harrelson and Costner, this gritty retelling also stars Kathy Bates (“American Horror Story” and “Misery”), John Carroll Lynch, (“The Handmaid’s Tale”), Thomas Mann, (“The Land of Steady Habits), Kim Dickens, (“Fear the Walking Dead”), W. Earl Brown, (“Deadwood”) and William Sadler, (“The Blacklist”).
Check out “The Highwaymen” when the film launches globally on Netflix March 29, 2019.
