Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire I just watched The Highwaymen

My grandparents lost their farm during the depression. They had good crops in the barn but there was no money in circulation so they couldn't sell them for cash. They could only barter. For the lack of $200 to pay the mortgage, they lost it.

I don't know who was ultimately responsible for the lack of cash, but a lot of people blamed the banks. B&C actually mostly robbed small stores and gas stations but they did hit several banks and got a false reputation for being bank robbers. That got them the support of the people.

Wifey and I watched it last night and thoroughly enjoyed it. Thought it was interesting that they used the actual road/location to film the shootout. The road is paved now and they had to truck in a gazillion loads of dirt to cover the asphalt. The actual location of the ambush is only about 15 or so miles off I-20, east of Shreveport.

I’ve seen the actual car they were killed in and was able to look inside it. It was said both of them were hit over 50 times each. I believe it.

My memory is vague but I think that stretch of the present road is about 1/4 mile from the actual site of the shooting.

Watched it last night with my wife. She usually doesn't like movies with a lot of violence but she did this. It was well made.

Costner has a pretty good body of work. I'm not surprised that it's watchable.

Woody is always tolerable as Woody.

Watched it yesterday. Very slow movie.

My father's parents lived in Nashville during the depression. They said they about starved to death.

My wife's grandparents live on a farm in rural Macon County. Her grandmother said she heard something about a recession on the radio, but didn't really have any idea what they were talking about. Things there were just as they'd always been.

Oh I'm sure....the actual site has a pull off for parking if I remember correctly and a stone marker.

Just watched it, now my wife is watching it again - from the beginning - she missed the first part.
Costner and Harrelson do an excellent job; film does not glamourize the gangsters.

Different times, different values: great movie!

It has 2 scenes with Bonnie walking up and shooting cops on the ground. Some historians say that there's no record of her actually shooting at anyone. She often carried a gun but they say that no one ever saw her shoot one.

The scene showing them crossing Red River into Oklahoma was actually filmed on an abandoned bridge across the Brazos about twenty miles from where I’m sitting as I type this, here in Young County.

I consider it as a tribute to their attempt at authenticity to go to that much trouble for what was a minor scene.

I liked the movie even though, as usual, most of the actors couldn’t get their accent right.... especially the guy playing Clyde Barrow’s father.

TheRealHawkeye: I disagree with your prediction - both the VarmintWife and I thought it was well acted, well photographed, realistic, entertaining and very much worth watching - I will indeed watch it again this coming week.
I highly recommend the "movie"!
Would liked to have seen it on the big screen but just not possible here in SW Montana.
LOVED all the cool guns!
Even though, I am sure, 90% of the actors, directors, film crew workers and writers were/are "liberals" - they did a great job making this great historically based (correct!) movie.
And for that I give them accolades.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

lapua6547: I have to ask, in reference to your disdain of the pace of this movie, are you the type that enjoys the crude and boring non-stop computer generated shoot-out, building crushing, earth-exploding flying superhero hero gibberish movies?
Let me advise you as a 29 (twenty nine!) year veteran of law enforcement that a typical day/week/month/year/career in law enforcement is NOT non-stop action!
The periods in between terrifying and unusual incidents is often slow paced - but never the less interesting and worthwhile.
I thought the Highwaymen was an absolute success of a movie with great acting, great writing, great filming and a wonderfully told interesting story - I'll double check my contention/opinion when I watch this movie again next week.
I only wish I had a larger T.V. screen (current model is 65"!). My neighbor has a home theater and I'll get to him and "invite" myself to watch it on his big screen when he returns from Arizona.
Again "I" highly recommend this movie.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

Akin to getting chickish on someone that don't like the same food as you. About par though, you got that going on.

In a previous job, I dealt with a guy over in Minden, LA. He told me they towed their car on a trailer through town (not sure exactly which town, may have been Minden) with the bodies still in it. Said his Dad was a kid at the time and jumped up on the trailer and looked at the car and inside. Pretty rough.

He told me this story about 10 years ago and it's given me a fascination for that and events leading up to it. Guess I'll have to watch it.......

I liked the movie a lot. tough, understated protagonists. real depression. real guns. interaction between Hamer and Barrow Sr. was good even if not historical. real politics.

Damn lucky none of the good guys got shot in a melee like that.

And at the end, the realization of what media and celebrity can add up to.

I am surprised this movie was so good.

I wish somebody could have predicted.

I would have watched sooner.

My adopted grandfather and his brother had a gunshop/ sporting goods/radio shop in Austin Texas on 6th st. That Hamer frequented. They were good friends. Petmecky’s guns and sporting goods eas around the corner on Congress Ave.

As far as what kinda guns I know that they had 94 Win Carbines and Win Model 12’s for rental guns. Grandpa Marvin said they inventoried 75, 94’s in 30-30 out at $12 each when he sold the business in 1946. They sold lots of the usual sporting rifles and shotguns of the day. He personally did not like Savage 99’s and Win model 24 shotguns. 😊. He never mentioned them selling Colt Monitors or Thompsons. Or such guns. They also had a store policy when purchasing a used firearm. They would never give more that half the retail price of the new gun. And that would have been top dollar for a clean like new model.

in the movie, Hamer had a catalog, with what he wanted circled.

doubt if that store supported it's own catalog.

not sure about that detail.

i never saw him order a remington 8 , but seemed like he had one in the movie, and I didn't see the 15 round police magazine either.

IIRC - from reading a recent biography of Hamer - https://www.tbr.txstate.edu/archives/fall-2016/texas-ranger.html

The Remington - in .25 Remington - was his personal weapon and he'd owned it for years by then.