--- title: "The Highwaymen: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/the-highwaymen/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/the-highwaymen" critics_score: 53 critics_reviews: 22 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # The Highwaymen (2019): what the critics said Critics' score 53 from 22 reviews: 4 positive, 10 mixed, 8 negative. The consensus on The Highwaymen is mixed, with praise concentrated on Kevin Costner and Woody Harrelson rather than the pursuit around them. Across favourable and unfavourable reviews, their weary rapport, irritable exchanges and contrasting performances give the film much of its appeal. Some critics also admire the expansive landscapes and period detail, though the leads are the more consistent source of enthusiasm. The main divide concerns whether this lawmen-centred retelling offers a useful correction to the romanticising of Bonnie and Clyde or merely replaces it with another selective account. The Los Angeles Times welcomes a sober, effective counterpoint; The Guardian regards it as an unconvincing defence of police brutality and reactionary masculinity. Between those poles, reservations cluster around sluggish pacing, familiar procedure and underdeveloped moral questions. The spread is wide, but complaints about a lack of urgency recur even among critics who enjoy the central partnership. ## Los Angeles Times — Michael Ordoña Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 14 March 2019. Ordoña finds the film a sober, effective counterpoint to the romanticized Bonnie and Clyde story. He especially praises Kevin Costner’s grounded performance and the actors’ ability to convey the lawmen’s shared history without clichés. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-the-highwaymen-review-20190314-story.html) ## Radio Times — Andrew Collins Rating 4/5. Collins gives the film four stars, presenting it as a retelling of the Bonnie and Clyde story from the lawmen’s perspective. The supplied excerpt singles out the focus on the two retired Texas Rangers. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-1kp14d/the-highwaymen/) ## IndieWire — Eric Kohn Rating B-. 11 March 2019. Festival review. Kohn finds the film a sturdy, well-acted but overly familiar procedural that falls short of making its case against the classic Bonnie and Clyde story. He praises the chemistry between Costner and Harrelson and the cinematography’s expansive golden landscapes. [Read the review](https://www.indiewire.com/features/general/the-highwaymen-review-kevin-costner-woody-harrelson-netflix-sxsw-1202050326/) ## Variety — Joe Leydon Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 10 March 2019. Festival review. Leydon finds the film workmanlike but engaging, chiefly as a showcase for its well-matched leads. He praises Costner and Harrelson’s chemistry and world-weary performances, while noting that few scenes are conventionally exciting. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2019/film/reviews/sxsw-film-review-kevin-costner-and-woody-harrelson-in-the-highwaymen-1203159672/) ## Empire — Ian Freer Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 26 March 2019. Freer finds the film enjoyable but leisurely, with too little excitement or urgency. He singles out the chemistry between Kevin Costner and Woody Harrelson as its chief strength. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/highwaymen-2-review/) ## RogerEbert.com Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). The page is blocked by a browser check, so the critic’s verdict cannot be determined. No praise or complaint from the review is available in the provided text. [Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-highwaymen-2019) ## Screen Daily — Tim Grierson Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 13 March 2019. The available page does not reveal the critic’s verdict. It also does not show what the critic singles out for praise or complaint. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/the-highwaymen-review/5137611.article) ## The New York Times Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 14 March 2019. The page content is unavailable, so the critic’s verdict cannot be determined. No praise or complaint can be reliably identified from the available text. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/14/movies/the-highwaymen-review.html) ## Vulture — Bilge Ebiri Fi1m's normalised score 60/100 (inferred from the text). 28 March 2019. Ebiri finds the film well-acted and somber, but says its ideas about changing law enforcement remain underdeveloped. He praises the time spent with Costner and Harrelson, whose contrasting performances anchor the laconic road movie. [Read the review](https://www.vulture.com/2019/03/the-highwaymen-netflix-movie-review.html) ## The AV Club — Jesse Hassenger Rating C. 26 March 2019. Hassenger finds the film a plodding, dull drama with little to say about its criminals or lawmen. He singles out Costner and Harrelson’s irritable, car-bound exchanges as the moments that give it some life. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/kevin-costner-and-woody-harrelson-are-together-at-last-1833533407) ## Slant Magazine — Chuck Bowen Rating 2/4. 27 March 2019. Bowen finds the film’s reactionary outlook and stodgy classicism tedious, despite its dogged intensity. He praises Kevin Costner’s commanding, unsentimental performance as Frank Hamer. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/review-with-much-stodginess-the-highwaymen-takes-aim-at-bonnie-and-clydes-legend/) ## Little White Lies — Adam Woodward Rating 3/2/2. 26 March 2019. The critic finds the film a dull, unconvincing exercise in revisionist history. They single out its selective celebration of Frank Hamer while overlooking the troubling history bound up with his career. [Read the review](https://lwlies.com/reviews/the-highwaymen) ## The Independent — Clarisse Loughrey Rating 2/5. 28 March 2019. The critic finds the film’s sermon against romanticising Bonnie and Clyde tiresome and directionless. She praises the performances of Kevin Costner and Woody Harrelson, but faults the film for avoiding why the outlaws appealed to the public. [Read the review](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/the-highwaymen-review-bonnie-and-clyde-netflix-cast-kevin-costner-woody-harrelson-a8842201.html) ## The Hollywood Reporter — THR Staff Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 11 March 2019. Festival review. The critic finds the film workmanlike and artistically inferior to its predecessor, criticizing its self-righteous lack of nuance. Costner and Harrelson give fine performances, but the review faults the film’s heavy-handed dramatic monologues. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/highwaymen-1193763/) ## The Guardian — Charles Bramesco Fi1m's normalised score 10/100 (inferred from the text). 11 March 2019. Festival review. Bramesco finds the film an odious, unconvincing defense of its lawmen protagonists. He criticizes its efforts to excuse police brutality and its reactionary, insecure view of masculinity. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2019/mar/10/the-highwaymen-review-netflix-kevin-costner-woody-harrelson) ## Den of Geek — David Crow Rating 3/5. 15 March 2019. Crow finds the film old-fashioned but worthwhile, though it softens its moral exploration of frontier justice. He especially praises Woody Harrelson’s warmth, which helps enliven the long stretches of road-trip conversation. [Read the review](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/the-highwaymen-review-kevin-costner-woody-harrelson/) ## /Film — Matt Donato Rating 5.5 out of 10. 13 March 2019. Festival review. Donato finds the film an overlong, sluggish drama whose historical perspective and strong cast cannot sustain its execution. He praises Costner and Harrelson’s performances, while criticizing the repetitive pacing and excessive length. [Read the review](https://www.slashfilm.com/564944/the-highwaymen-review/) ## The Ringer — Rob Harvilla Fi1m's normalised score 50/100 (inferred from the text). 29 March 2019. Harvilla finds the film an OK, occasionally splendid hang, but ultimately an anticlimactic and overly scolding experience. He praises Costner and Harrelson’s charisma and the film’s handsome period details and vistas. [Read the review](https://www.theringer.com/2019/03/29/movies/netflix-highwaymen-review-kevin-costner-woody-harrelson) ## Collider — Eric Vespe Rating D. 19 March 2019. Festival review. The critic finds the film dull and overly familiar, despite its strong cast. He singles out the scene between Kevin Costner and William Sadler as its most dynamic moment. [Read the review](https://collider.com/the-highwaymen-review-costner-and-harrelson-hunt-bonnie-and-clyde/) ## The Wrap Fi1m's normalised score 35/100 (inferred from the text). 28 March 2019. Festival review. The critic finds the film an interesting reframing of Bonnie and Clyde’s story, but says its slow pace keeps it from being entertaining or gripping. They praise the choice to keep Bonnie and Clyde’s faces hidden until the end, and single out the carefully tailored costumes for reinforcing the characters’ image and reality. [Read the review](https://www.thewrap.com/the-highwaymen-film-review-woody-harrelson-kevin-costner-bonnie-clyde-netflix/) ## Consequence — Randall Colburn Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 19 March 2019. Colburn finds the film’s revisionist mission intriguing but says its languid pace and one-dimensional treatment of Bonnie and Clyde undermine it. He praises the rapport and performances of Kevin Costner and Woody Harrelson, especially Harrelson’s humor and vulnerability. [Read the review](https://consequence.net/2019/03/film-review-highwaymen/) ## Eye for Film — Amber Wilkinson Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 25 March 2019. Wilkinson finds the film slow and undermined by its retrograde attitude toward women. She praises the rumpled pairing of Kevin Costner and Woody Harrelson as its main source of fun. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/the-highwaymen-2019-film-review-by-amber-wilkinson) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/the-highwaymen.md