Tonight's Movie: Christmas in the Air (2017)

It may be almost Halloween, but temps here in Southern California are unseasonably hot, in the mid 90s this week.

It was thus the perfect time to pretend it's colder and wish winter here...by watching a Christmas movie! That film was CHRISTMAS IN THE AIR (2017) from Hallmark Movies & Mysteries Channel.

Star and co-executive producer Catherine Bell plays Lydia, a professional organizer who chances to meet a harried widowed dad of two while on a shopping trip.

That dad, Robert Trent (Eric Close), and his brother George (Ken Tremblett), who run their own toy company, have less than two weeks to prepare for a big meeting with Lawrence Hennessey (Malcolm Stewart), the owner of a superstore who might be interested in carrying their products.

In addition to hosting Mr. Hennessey and his wife (Beverley Breuer) for an office tour and a pre-Christmas dinner at his house, Robert must cope with daughter Amelia's (Trinity Likins) class play, getting ready for Christmas, and the fact that his house is a mess. Enter Lydia, who calmly sets about helping Robert reorganize his life...while Robert simultaneously shows buttoned-down Lydia that sometimes a little mess and spontaneity can be a good thing.

This film, like other good Hallmark titles such as A CHRISTMAS TO REMEMBER (2017) or MISS CHRISTMAS (2017), is what my dad terms a "family romance," which I think is an apt description. While a relationship develops between the lead couple, it's really the story of a larger group of people helping one another. Having lost her own mother, Lydia is able to sensitively interact with young Amelia and her brother Thomas (Jesse Filkow). A simple scene involving cookie baking with the kids is touching along with creating happy holiday vibes; one sees that it means as much to Lydia as it does the children.

This is what you might call a straightforward and simple Hallmark film; there's nothing especially unusual about it and you know where the story will end up, but it's very well crafted and provides a pleasant 84 minutes of entertainment in a lovely holiday setting. Catherine Bell is appealing in the lead role, and little Trinity Likins is a particularly cute child actress. I found the movie quite enjoyable.

The film's title is apparently a play on words referring to one of Robert's toys as well as the holiday season. (When I first read the title I thought maybe plane travel was involved!) It was written by Jana King and directed by Martin Wood. The movie was filmed by Michael Balfry in British Columbia.

CHRISTMAS IN THE AIR is available on DVD. Unfortunately the sound balancing on this one is sub-par, with background music and noises at times drowning out Bell's quiet voice. Other than a muffled soundtrack which at times requires the volume to be turned up, it's an attractive DVD.

This week Hallmark kicks off its run of nonstop Christmas movies until New Year's, so watch the Hallmark website this film to be shown in the weeks ahead.

Tonight's Movie: The Daughters of Joshua Cabe (1972) - A Kino Lorber DVD Review

The TV-movie THE DAUGHTERS OF JOSHUA CABE (1972) has been released on DVD by Kino Lorber.

Buddy Ebsen leads a good cast in this short 73-minute Western comedy-drama. He plays the titular Joshua Cabe, a widowed homesteader who learns a new law will put his right to the land he works with partner Bitterroot (Jack Elam) at risk. Joshua's archenemy Amos Wetherall (Leif Erickson, THE HIGH CHAPARRAL) figures he'll finally be able to get his hands on a good chunk of Joshua's land.

Having additional family members file on sections of land will enable Joshua to retain all of his current property, so he travels to St. Louis to track down his long-lost daughters, who were sent East to be raised by his sister after his wife died. He hasn't heard from his daughters in years, and upon arrival in St. Louis he discovers that one of the girls (Julie Mannix) is now a nun and the other two are married and live in faraway New York. Clearly none of them are in a position to move west with him, especially as quickly as is needed.

Circumstances lead Joshua to hit on another idea: adopting daughters who can then file the claims for him. He finds three women in distress who need fresh starts and are (somewhat reluctantly) willing to move west: Mae (Lesley Ann Warren), a "lady of ill repute"; Charity (Karen Valentine), a thief newly eligible for parole from prison; and Ada (Sandra Dee), a pickpocket Joshua saves from arrest. As the advertising tagline said, "Joshua Cabe needed three daughters, fast...What he got were three fast daughters!"

The women aren't quite prepared for just how rough things will be living on the frontier, especially as Amos and his sons (William Katt, Don Stroud, Michael Anderson Jr., and Paul Koslo) trash Joshua's home while he's away, but they gradually come to care about Joshua and his ranch. When the Wetheralls decide to confront Joshua and Bitterroot in a gun showdown, the ladies take decisive action.

I enjoyed this movie, which was pleasant light entertainment. Sure, it's not the world's greatest script and it particularly could have stood more time to show the women adjusting to life on the frontier, but the cast is good, with a bunch of real pros, and it moves quickly.

Warren, it must be said, spends too much time staring blankly and seems to be "phoning it in," not making much of her part, but the two "Gidgets" in the film, Valentine and Dee, are lively and quite entertaining, with Valentine coming off particularly well as spunky Charity. Ebsen and Elam have some nice touching moments.

I remember seeing the ads for this film when I was a little girl, but I never saw it -- I'm sure part of the reason was it was too "adult" for me at the time -- so it was fun to finally check the movie out after all these years.

I really appreciate Kino Lorber regularly releasing TV-movies on DVD; the older TV prints may not be appropriate for Blu-ray, yet Kino Lorber still gives us the chance to revisit old favorites and discover unseen titles.

Great examples of Kino's TV-movie releases are longtime personal favorites YOUNG PIONEERS (1976) and YOUNG PIONEERS' CHRISTMAS (1976), which I reviewed last January. They've also released an interesting-looking version of SOUTH PACIFIC (2001), starring Glenn Close, and additional early '70s TV Westerns, THE TRACKERS (1971) and THE BOUNTY MAN (1972), all of which will be reviewed here in the future.

THE DAUGHTERS OF JOSHUA CABE was written by Paul Savage and directed by Philip Leacock, who did extensive work in episodic television, including THE WALTONS, DYNASTY, and FALCON CREST. It was filmed by Arch Dalzell.

The DVD print looks fine, nothing stunning but about what one would expect of a 1972 TV-movie. The disc includes a gallery of trailers for four additional films available from Kino Lorber; unlike most Kino Lorber discs, the trailers do not have separate menu listings but run one immediately after the other.

Thanks to Kino Lorber for providing a review copy of this DVD.

Tonight's Movie: Never Fear (1950) - A Kino Lorber Blu-ray Review

NEVER FEAR (1950), the first official directing credit for Ida Lupino, was recently released on Blu-ray by Kino Lorber.

Lupino had previously done uncredited directing work on NOT WANTED (1949), which is also now available from Kino Lorber and will be reviewed here in the near future. Like NOT WANTED and the later HARD, FAST AND BEAUTIFUL (1951), NEVER FEAR stars actress-dancer Sally Forrest.

Forrest plays Carol Williams, a young dancer who is just starting to reach professional success with her partner, Guy Richards (Keefe Brasselle). That success is echoed in Carol and Guy's personal lives, as they've just become engaged.

Carol unexpectedly collapses and is diagnosed with polio, which leaves her unable to walk. After a hospital stay she is transferred to the Kabat-Kaiser Institute in Santa Monica for a lengthy period of rehabilitation.

Despite initial progress and the encouragement of Guy, her father (Herbert Butterfield), the rehab staff, and her fellow patients, Carol grows increasingly despondent about the battle she's facing to walk again, let alone dance. She spirals into depression and breaks up with Guy despite his love and entreaties to continue with their plans to marry. It will take time, physical progress, and a gradual journey of self-discovery for Carol to accept her "new normal" and be ready to move forward with her life.

This was an engrossing film with appealing young lead players; it was a particular treat watching Forrest dance in the film's opening scenes. In addition to Forrest and Brasselle, the film also stars Hugh O'Brian in his first substantial film role. O'Brian plays a fellow patient who offers Carol support; he's quietly attracted to her but recognizes her heart is elsewhere.

As a viewer, at some point in the film's relatively short 82 minutes I reached a point of growing frustrated by Carol's self-pity and insistence on turning away from love, being ready for her to start gaining some insights into her reactions and emotions earlier in the film than it happens; that said, her story seems realistic. Someone in the grips of a huge personal trauma and life change isn't necessarily always going to be the easiest person to interact with, and everyone has their own timetable.

Despite the length of time spent on Carol's despondent emotional state, the movie is quite interesting. The film's authenticity is aided immeasurably by filming at the Kabat-Kaiser Institute, with actual patients as extras. Extensive scenes depicting physical therapy and recreation were quite interesting on multiple levels, including gaining an understanding of what treatment was available to patients at the time. And as I watched patients square dancing in wheelchairs, I mused about what a refreshingly unusual film sequence it was for its era.

The film was written by director Lupino and her then-husband Collier Young; they divorced in 1951 and Young married Joan Fontaine the following year. Rather remarkably, Lupino then directed Fontaine in THE BIGAMIST (1953), with Young having written the screenplay; that film is also just out from Kino Lorber.

The excellent black and white cinematography was by Archie Stout, with some of the rehab scenes having a stark, almost documentary-style look, in contrast to the inky blacks of the nightclub dance sequence.

The supporting cast includes Eve Miller (THE BIG TREES), Lawrence Dobkin, Stanley Waxman, and Kevin O'Morrison. Ida Lupino's sister Rita plays Josie, one of Carol's fellow patients.

NEVER FEAR is available from Kino Lorber as a single-title DVD or as part of the four-film Ida Lupino Filmmaker Collection, where it's boxed with NOT WANTED, THE BIGAMIST, and THE HITCH-HIKER (1953).

The Kino Lorber print of NEVER FEAR is excellent. It comes with a commentary track by Alexandra Heller-Nicholas and a gallery of trailers for five additional films available from Kino Lorber.

Thanks to Kino Lorber for providing a review copy of this Blu-ray.

Tonight's Movie: Bronco Billy (1980) - A Warner Archive Blu-ray Review

BRONCO BILLY (1980) is a sweet-natured film about a traveling Western show which stars and was directed by Clint Eastwood. It was recently released on Blu-ray by the Warner Archive.

Eastwood plays the titular Bronco Billy, who heads up a struggling, old-fashioned tent show. His employees are an odd lot; for instance, the ringmaster, Doc (Scatman Crothers), did time for practicing medicine without a license. There's also Leonard (Sam Bottoms), a young man Billy taught to do roping tricks; Lefty LeBow (Bill McKinney), who is missing a hand; and Chief Big Eagle (Dan Vadis) and his wife Running Water (Sierra Pecheur), who's not really an Indian, but she's decided she is one anyway.

But then, Billy was originally a shoe salesman from New Jersey who did time for shooting his unfaithful wife, so why not?

The troupe struggles from town to town, barely making ends meet yet finding their communal life satisfying. Into their world comes Antoinette Lily (Sondra Locke), a wealthy heiress whose husband (Geoffrey Lewis) has abandoned her on their wedding night after she makes clear they're married in name only. (It's a complicated story.) "Miss Lily" has been left without even a suitcase, but Bronco Billy and his crew take her under their wing.

When Miss Lily learns that her husband has been arrested for her murder, she decides to get even with him by remaining with Bronco Billy's show, where she works as his assistant. Little does the initially snobby and rude Miss Lily expect to find herself starting to like the life -- and liking Billy even more.

Matters come to a head when the show stops for a visit at a home for the mentally ill where her "husband" has been sentenced to live for life...

This was my first time to see this film, and while it's a bit of an oddball movie, I was charmed. In fact, its offbeat nature is part of the reason I liked it!

The plot is not your run-of-the-mill movie; despite being filled with ex-cons and people doing nutty things -- Billy wants to rob a train at one point?! -- it has a loving and optimistic tone. The themes of people caring for one another and deliberately choosing to remake their lives into something better than their previous existence resonated strongly with me. A scene where Running Water tells Antoinette that she has to decide who she wants to be, with the light bulb almost visibly clicking on in Antoinette's mind, was particularly good.

Although the film is set around the time it was made, circa 1980 -- there's reference to the Vietnam War, among other things -- in many ways this movie feels more like it's set in the Depression era, akin to the recently viewed THE HIGHWAYMEN (2019). It's not just the Wild West show and the hand-to-mouth existence of its performers; the "runaway heiress" theme seems like something out of a '30s screwball comedy. The fact that Locke is garbed for much of the film in an oversized '30s-style house dress, the only thing she can find to wear after her husband hits the road, adds to the impression of the film being set in an earlier era.

Eastwood is terrific in this, simultaneously scary and adorable. His Billy won't put up with a bank being robbed, momentarily turning the character into a Dirty Harry type, and he pitches a fit if his employees don't do what he says. But he will spend his last dollar to save a friend and despite the financial difficulty, he regularly performs free shows for orphans and mental patients. And he's all about being a great role model for children, telling them to eat their oatmeal, mind their parents, and say their bedtime prayers.

I liked the additional theme of kindness sometimes being repaid in unusual ways; the help Billy receives after his tent burns down is quite touching -- and funny. I laughed out loud at the first shot of the replacement tent.

All in all, this is a feel good film which left me with a big smile on my face. I'll happily watch it again in the future and probably not wait very long to do so. I suspect I will appreciate it even more on a second viewing, understanding what's in store.

BRONCO BILLY was written by Dennis Hacklin and filmed by David Worth. It runs 116 minutes.

The Warner Archive Blu-ray is a good-looking widescreen print with a strong soundtrack. The lone extra is the trailer.

Thanks to the Warner Archive for providing a review copy of this Blu-ray. Warner Archive Blu-rays may be ordered from Amazon or from any online retailers where DVDs and Blu-rays are sold.

Tonight's Movie: Mustang Country (1976) at the Lone Pine Film Festival

I'm not reviewing the titles seen at this year's 30th Lone Pine Film Festival in any particular order, so next I think I'll dive into the very last film we saw at the festival, MUSTANG COUNTRY (1976).

Joel McCrea came out of retirement to star in this film, which is set in the 1920s. There are only three other actors in the movie, two of them very small parts, so McCrea carries the film on his capable shoulders. He plays Dan, a retired rodeo rider who now lives in a cabin on a farm owned by his daughter and son-in-law.

Accompanied by his dog Luke, Dan is tracking a wild stallion he calls Shoshone. He has no luck capturing the magnificent horse, nor do his friends Griff (Robert Fuller) and Dan (Patrick Wayne).

Dan is injured while trying to capture the horse on his own and is aided by Nika (Nika Mina), a young Indian boy who has run away from school. Dan and Nika decide to work together for a week to try to capture the horse, and if successful they'll split the proceeds.

Dan and Nika's quest is a struggle, but perhaps in the end it's more about helping one another and what is learned along the way...and ironically, the need for some help is what leads them closer to Shoshone.

I'm generally not big on "nature" type films and I was pleased that I liked this movie more than I expected, especially given its middling reputation. It's about on a par with a '70s Disney film in terms of being a bit sentimental, with nice production values and attractive Technicolor photography. It's no classic, but it's well done for a film of its type, and spending 79 minutes with the relaxed yet always compelling Joel McCrea in the beautiful great outdoors is more than enough reason to watch.

I did have one problem with the story which I won't disclose in the interest of being spoiler free, but the film violates what I consider a cardinal rule for acceptable animal films. Other than that, I liked the movie.

I was rather surprised when the film ended and I realized that Fuller and Wayne had essentially only made cameo appearances in the film. I kept expecting the movie to circle back to their characters at some point, but it never did.

Director John C. Champion had produced TV's LARAMIE (1959-63) starring Fuller, which is what led Fuller to agree to take his brief role. Fuller and Wayne add some nice energy to the film and feel authentic as cowboys, though I think I'd enjoy them more on a second viewing, having a better concept of their characters and knowing their appearances would be limited.

Champion, incidentally, also wrote and produced MUSTANG COUNTRY.

In his introduction at the festival Wyatt McCrea, seen here, recounted that he was on the set of MUSTANG COUNTRY as a teenager, and it was there that he first truly realized the depth and significance of his grandfather's career as he listened to conversations on the set.

Joel McCrea had come out of retirement to make the film, which Wyatt remembers as a special family time. After that Joel was determined to stay retired and told anyone who offered a script not to send it to him, "because I might like it!"

MUSTANG COUNTRY was photographed by J. Barry Herron in Alberta, Canada.

Parental Advisory: This film is rated G. It is mostly fine for the whole family, but fair warning that there are a couple scenes which tug at the heartstrings and could be upsetting to young children.

MUSTANG COUNTRY is available on DVD in the four-film TCM Vault Joel McCrea Westerns Collection or as a single-title DVD.

Tonight's Movie: Indian Agent (1948) at the Lone Pine Film Festival

Our Sunday viewing at the 30th Lone Pine Film Festival included Tim Holt starring in INDIAN AGENT (1948).

I always look forward to seeing Holt films at the Lone Pine Fest; past Holt viewing at the festival includes DYNAMITE PASS (1950) and THE ARIZONA RANGER (1948), both of which I found particularly enjoyable. INDIAN AGENT was another good one.

INDIAN AGENT was part of a trend toward a more sympathetic portrayal of Indians in Westerns, soon to be followed by Gene Autry's THE COWBOY AND THE INDIANS (1949), which I wrote about last year for Classic Movie Hub, and the James Stewart Western BROKEN ARROW (1950), as well as other films which presented a more understanding take on Indian issues.

Dave Taylor (Holt) and his pal Chito (Richard Martin) are traveling home to their ranch when they see Indians led by Red Fox (Noah Beery Jr.) pursuing a wagon driven by Ellen Wheeler (Nan Leslie) and her uncle. They head off the Indians and accompany the wagon to town, where Ellen plans to start a newspaper.

Upon later arriving home, Dave and Chito are perplexed to find an Indian baby in their house. It had been left there by Red Fox's wife (Claudia Drake), as the Indians don't have enough food. Red Fox is an old friend of Dave's, so she has faith that Dave and Chito will feed the baby. The only reason Red Fox had been chasing the wagon was out of desperation for food.

It turns out that Hutchins ('30s cowboy star Tom Keene), the area Indian agent, and freighter Chip Carter (Harry Woods) have been diverting food meant for the Indians to a gold mining camp where they can sell the food for high prices.

Dave and Chito work to bring the bad guys to justice, with Ellen aiding the cause by publishing stories in her paper.

This was a well-plotted Holt film with a good cast, which also included Iron Eyes Cody, Bud Osborne, and Robert Bray.

In an article in the 2015 edition of LONE PINE IN THE MOVIES, David Rothel, author of a highly informative 1994 book on Holt, quotes Nan Leslie as saying, in part: "Tim was a natural for the Westerns because he was a good horseman. Dick Martin was also a natural for the comic relief, and he was such a darling man...Dick's presence there loosened us up. I think it did for Tim too. Tim was also very good to work with."

She fondly recalled her time in Lone Pine, with the beautiful sunrise making it more bearable to get her makeup done before 6:00 a.m., and she enjoyed her Sundays off fishing outside Independence, further up Highway 395.

Leslie died in 2000, at the age of 74. Rothel's book, incidentally, was republished in paperback in 2014.

In INDIAN AGENT I especially enjoyed the chance to see the building known in Lone Pine as the "Tim Holt Cabin," which appears in the film as Dave and Chito's home. I shared photographs of the cabin in 2014. It's deteriorating but still standing.

INDIAN AGENT was written by Norman Houston and directed by Lesley Selander. It was filmed in black and white by J. Roy Hunt.

INDIAN AGENT is available on DVD in the Warner Archive's Tim Holt Western Classics Collection, Vol. 2.

Tonight's Movie: A Demon for Trouble (1934) at the Lone Pine Film Festival

A DEMON FOR TROUBLE (1934) was a last-minute addition to our Sunday viewing schedule at this year's Lone Pine Film Festival, and I'm glad we saw it. Although lead actor Bob Steele was the only cast member whose name I recognized, the movie proved to be a satisfying 58 minutes.

The movie was a remake of ARIZONA TERROR (1931) starring Ken Maynard, released just three years previously. Steele plays Bob Worth, a scrappy young cowhand who's sweet on Lita Morton (Gloria Shea).

Lita and her brother Buck (Nick Stuart) sell their desert ranch to Dyer (Walter McGrail), but when Buck heads to town with the money, he's shot and killed. It turns out Dyer is running a scam and has a trio of henchmen who steal back his money.

Bob happens across Buck's body, where he's seen and blamed for the murder; he escapes and is aided by good-natured Mexican bandido Golinda (Don Alvarado) and Golinda's girlfriend Maya (Carmen La Roux). Bob and Golinda hatch a plan to set up Dyer and expose him as both a thief and the architect of Buck's murder.

I tend to think of Bob Steele from his "older roles" playing small parts in films like ISLAND IN THE SKY (1953) or CHARLEY VARRICK (1973) or even something from a little earlier, THE BIG SLEEP (1946).

It was thus quite enjoyable for me to watch him as a "B" Western lead for the first time; I was marveling at how young he was! He was about 27 when this was filmed. My dad reminded me that Steele had gone to Glendale High with John Wayne, who was the same age. I enjoyed Steele's feisty yet good-natured personality, and he also has a nice romantic touch in a couple of scenes.

Shea is a spunky leading lady, and Alvarado makes a charming sort-of bad guy. While A DEMON FOR TROUBLE is not great art, it's everything a "B" Western should be, a solidly told story filmed in interesting Western settings. I liked it quite well.

The film makes great use of Lone Pine's Alabama Hills, with a significant percentage of the film shot outdoors. In addition to the hills, the house known locally as the "Hoppy Cabin" appears as the Mortons' home, before it was known by that name! (The first Hopalong Cassidy film was released the following year, 1935.) Photos of the cabin with its distinctive well can be seen in my posts from 2014 and 2017.

I was particularly curious about the swimming pool seen in the background when Lita is sunbathing; did it exist at the time, or was it a phony pool created for the movie?

A DEMON FOR TROUBLE was directed by Robert F. Hill, who also directed Bill Cody in FRONTIER DAYS (1934), which I saw at last year's festival.

A DEMON FOR TROUBLE was filmed by William Thompson. It was released by Supreme Pictures Corporation.

A DEMON FOR TROUBLE is available on DVD from various public domain companies such as Alpha and The Film Detective. It can also be streamed on Amazon Prime.

The Lone Pine Film Festival: Bad Day at Black Rock (1955) Locations Tour

Here's a look at one of three terrific location tours we took at last weekend's 30th Lone Pine Film Festival.

"Good Day at Black Rock" was a car caravan tour focused on the locations for BAD DAY AT BLACK ROCK (1955), with a side visit to site where the ghost town was located in THE LAW AND JAKE WADE (1958). Both films were released by MGM; please click the title links for my past reviews.

Our first stop, near the Black Rock town site, was the above unnamed dry lake bed. Our guide, Jerry Condit, provided a list of movies which were filmed at that location. (Click on this or any photo to enlarge for a closer look.) We saw another site from ARMY GIRL (1938) in the Alabama Hills that day while on a KING OF THE PECOS (1936) tour, and I've pulled that movie out to watch soon, along with some other titles on this list.

This was where the town site was built for BAD DAY AT BLACK ROCK. It's located off of Narrow Gauge Road in Lone Pine. A closed train depot we photographed in 2017 is in the same area.

More of the town was built looking this direction:

The train tracks were here:

Our guide with a still of Spencer Tracy on the tracks:

This rusty nail was found at the site of the BLACK ROCK jail. Could it have been left when the set was torn down? It's certainly possible. Bits of plaster from the GUNGA DIN (1939) temple can still occasionally be found in the Alabama Hills, and when I was on a tour in 2016 we found what was very likely a nail from an altar set built for DESERT PURSUIT (1952).

The ghost town site from THE LAW AND JAKE WADE was in walking distance of the BLACK ROCK site, seen looking towards Mount Whitney and Lone Pine Peak:

Next we headed back into the Alabama Hills on the opposite site of Lone Pine. This was the spot where Spencer Tracy's Jeep was forced off the road in BLACK ROCK:

Finally, this was the spot where Spencer Tracy hurled a Molotov cocktail at Robert Ryan:

This was a very interesting tour which we thoroughly enjoyed. We then headed back to town as the sun was setting.

For more on the BAD DAY AT BLACK ROCK locations, please visit a 2008 post at my favorite Sierras movie location site, The Great Silence.

Tonight's Movie: The Highwaymen (2019)

I watched nine films at last weekend's Lone Pine Film Festival, and I managed to squeeze in a tenth film at our hotel!

That movie was THE HIGHWAYMEN (2019), a Netflix film which I streamed on my iPad spread over a couple of evenings. I thoroughly enjoyed and recommend it.

THE HIGHWAYMEN is the story of Frank Hamer (Kevin Costner) and Maney Gault (Woody Harrelson), Texas Rangers who are called out of retirement in the early '30s to hunt down Bonnie and Clyde and end their reign of terror. The gangsters are constantly on the move, with crimes including the murders of nine lawmen along with unarmed citizens, and local police and the FBI have failed to find and capture them.

Hamer and Gault set out with little more than a stack of maps (oh, and a massive amount of firepower in the back of their car). They work hunches and common sense, detecting patterns in the couple's travel, and gradually edge closer and closer to finding the killers and a fateful confrontation in May 1934.

The movie is on the long side at 132 minutes, but my interest in it never flagged. This was basically a police procedural, a film genre I love, and the period setting made it all the more interesting. It was fascinating watching the techniques used in the hunt as Hamer and Gault assessed clues and planned their next moves. Although, based on my limited reading, a couple incidents in the film were apparently inspired by rumor, for the most part the movie seems to have been factually accurate.

Costner is perhaps my favorite film star of the last few decades, and his taciturn lawman was wonderfully paired with Harrelson's wryly funny grizzled Ranger. They have excellent chemistry, making this also somewhat of a "buddy cop" film, albeit one that's played in a very low key. The chameleon-like Harrelson has become a wonderful character actor, to the extent it won't surprise me in the least if he wins an Oscar one of these days.

They're well supported by Kathy Bates in a smaller role as "Ma" Ferguson, the governor of Texas, who reluctantly approves the Rangers being called back to work as Bonnie and Clyde's crime spree spirals further and further out of control.

I've never had interest in seeing BONNIE AND CLYDE (1967), but have read the opinion more than once that while that film is highly regarded by many, THE HIGHWAYMEN provides a much-needed antidote. It properly makes the men who hit the road to stop them the true heroes, while it deglamorizes Bonnie and Clyde and makes clear they were not admirable "Robin Hoods of the Depression," but stone cold killers who took many innocent lives. That latter fact makes the worship of the pair by many all the more stunning; I'd previously had no idea how many thousands attended their funerals. The mob desperate for souvenirs after their deaths was another disturbing bit of history.

The period setting is excellent, and unlike many recent films set in past eras (including director John Lee Hancock's own SAVING MR. BANKS), the movie avoids a phony "CGI" feel. The viewer never thinks about green screens or that anachronisms may be hiding in the corners of the frame.

This movie joins a couple other films from director Hancock which I've enjoyed, THE ROOKIE (2002) and THE BLIND SIDE (2009). It was filmed by John Schwartzman, with a musical score by Thomas Newman. The supporting cast also includes Kim Dickens, John Carroll Lynch, Thomas Mann, Dean Denton, Emily Brobst, Edward Bossert, and William Sadler.

Parental advisory: THE HIGHWAYMEN was rated R for a brief theatrical run. I honestly felt it was more of a PG-13 level. I had some trepidation about how violent it would be, but most of the time Bonnie and Clyde's crimes are seen only in the far distance or implied without overt violence. (Ironically the most disturbing sequence, in which Bonnie is seen close up, is one that I read is factually disputed.) The scene where Hamer, Gault, and fellow law enforcement officers kill Bonnie and Clyde is certainly violent, yet manages to communicate the volume of shooting and its consequences without being overly graphic. In all cases, the violence is telegraphed ahead of time and a viewer can avoid looking at the screen.

The trailer is here.