The Highwaymen 6 Things That Were Accurate (And 4 Things That Were Pure Fiction)

The Highwaymen: 6 Things That Were Accurate (And 4 Things That Were Pure Fiction)

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The Highwaymen is Netflix’s telling of the Bonnie and Clyde story – but how much of it came from real historical events?

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The Highwaymen 6 Things That Were Accurate (And 4 Things That Were Pure Fiction)

The story of Bonnie and Clyde is one that has captivated the public for decades now. There is something about the young, attractive couple and their cross-country crime spree that hit a nerve with people and speaks to our fascination with true crime stories. The latest of many films to tackle the story is The Highwaymen.

Unlike the popular 1967 Oscar-winning film about the infamous duo, this Netflix film focuses on the other side of the law. It is the true story of Frank Hamer and Maney Gault, two Texas Rangers who hunted down and killed the duo. The film is a very accurate retelling of the story as a whole, though, like many films based on true events, there are some liberties taken here and there. Have a look at what is fact and what is fiction in The Highwaymen.

10 True: Hamers And Gault’s Partnership

The Highwaymen 6 Things That Were Accurate (And 4 Things That Were Pure Fiction)

Despite being taken from true events, the film has a perfect set up for a typical buddy cop movie. We are introduced to Hamer and Gault as two former US Marshals called back into action to stop these two killers. The former relationship between the two men helps them establish an easy rapport as they set out on Bonnie and Clyde’s trail.

While the movie takes a few liberties with the timing of their partnership, Hamer and Gault did indeed know and work together before this case. And like in the film, Hamer personally chose Gault to be his partner on the manhunt.

9 False: Gault’s Hardships

The Highwaymen 6 Things That Were Accurate (And 4 Things That Were Pure Fiction)

When we are introduced to Gault early in the film, he is a hard-drinking man down on his luck. He is staying with his daughter and grandson, struggling to contribute to the impoverished household. The manhunt gives him renewed purpose but makes us question if this man is too broken from his violent past.

The real-life Gault was nowhere near this sort of sad state when Hamer recruited him. in fact, Gault had never really left law enforcement as he was working steadily as a highway patrol officer.

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8 True: The Prison Break

The Highwaymen 6 Things That Were Accurate (And 4 Things That Were Pure Fiction)

The film opens with a daring prison escape orchestrated by Bonnie and Clyde which allowed several members of their crew to escape custody. The breakout left one guard dead and another injured. The embarrassment of such a brazen act by the gang convinced the state of Texas to kick the manhunt into high gear and hire Hamer to bring them down.

The dramatic event is in fact true. It happened in 1934 at Eastham Prison as it is depicted in the film. It is also true that this crime directly led to the hiring of Hamer.

7 False: Run-Ins With Bonnie And Clyde

The Highwaymen 6 Things That Were Accurate (And 4 Things That Were Pure Fiction)

Throughout the film, Hamer and Gault are hot on the heels of the murderous couple who remain just one step ahead of them. However, their paths finally cross by accident even leading to a car chase between the Rangers and the criminals.

In reality, Hamer and Gault saw Bonnie and Clyde for the first time on the day they gunned them down. While their investigation was effective at staying on their trail, any encounters with the duo had been added for dramatic purposes.

6 True: Easter Sunday Shooting

The Highwaymen 6 Things That Were Accurate (And 4 Things That Were Pure Fiction)

The first instance when the lawmen witness the aftermath of Bonnie and Clyde’s crimes was when they gunned down two patrol officers on Easter Sunday in Grapevine, Texas. The brutal murder helps cement the fact that this film is not going to be a flattering look at the infamous couple.

Sadly, the shooting was something that actually happened, though the film plays around with the facts of the event. The murder was widely circulated in the press in detail but did little to dampen the public’s love of Bonnie and Clyde.

5 True: Bonnie’s Limp

The Highwaymen 6 Things That Were Accurate (And 4 Things That Were Pure Fiction)

In an interesting movie, the film never gives us a full look at Bonnie and Clyde until the end, offering only glimpses at them throughout the film. However, whenever we see Bonnie, she is shown to have a bad limp said to be from a car accident.

The attention to detail in the film comes through her as the limp is historically accurate at this point. The two outlaws had crashed their car at some point and battery acid leaked onto Bonnie’s leg, giving her that bad limp for the rest of her remaining days.

4 False: Bonnie The Killer

The Highwaymen 6 Things That Were Accurate (And 4 Things That Were Pure Fiction)

The film goes to great lengths to demystify any of the romantic notions about Bonnie and Clyde, showing them as cold-blooded and ruthless killers. It specifically focuses on Bonnie’s murderous side, showing her gleefully executing several victims.

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While Bonnie was certainly complicit in all of Clyde Barrow’s crimes, many scholars refute that she was ever meaningfully involved with them. Despite what the film suggests, there is no evidence tying Bonnie to any murders. Some even suggest it is unlikely she ever even carried a weapon.

3 False: Wade McNabb’s Death

The Highwaymen 6 Things That Were Accurate (And 4 Things That Were Pure Fiction)

Later in the film, Hamer and Gault attempt to get to Bonnie and Clyde through an associate of theirs, Wade McNabb who was left behind in the earlier prison break. McNabb is released from prison in order to help lead the law to his partners. However, the outlaws get to him first and brutally kill him, causing Gault to question the morality of their mission.

The first fabrication about McNabb was the prison break. While he did spend time in that same prison, he was not involved with the breakout as seen in the movie. Also, while he was murdered, it was by another associate and not related to any deals with the lawmen.

2 True: The Shooting Of Bonnie And Clyde

The Highwaymen 6 Things That Were Accurate (And 4 Things That Were Pure Fiction)

While the path that led to it is an interesting one, the big moment of the film is quite obviously the final shootout. The tense moment comes when the Rangers get an acquaintance of Bonnie and Clyde to wave down their car on the side of the road. Hamer, taking on the risk and responsibility steps out on the road and calls for the couple’s surrender. When they reach for their weapons, the lawmen open fire.

The brutality and violence of the scene is quite accurate to the real deaths of the duo. The Rangers were not taking any chances. And for an added bit of accuracy, the scene was filmed in the location of the real shootout.

1 True: Aftermath

Once the couple is dead, their bullet-riddled car and bodies are taken into town where they are besieged by a crowd of admirers. Mirroring the earlier scene where the public swoons over seeing Bonnie and Clyde in person, they now tear at their bloody corpses hoping to get a souvenir.

Disturbingly, this is quite accurate to the real aftermath. A mob of people did swarm the scene and grotesquely tried cutting body parts and clothing for their own sick keepsakes. Also, as depicted, Hamer and Gault avoided the media mayhem surrounding the shooting.

Link Source : https://screenrant.com/highwaymen-historically-accurate-fictional/

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