The Highwaymen's promises to tell the "the untold true story" of the "legends who took down Bonnie and Clyde".
Netflix's tag line is referring to Texan Ranger Frank Hamer ( Kevin Costner ) and his ex-partner Maney Gault ( Woody Harrelson ), the duo who came out of retirement to take down the notorious robbers Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker .
If you're coming to The Highwaymen expecting a wild ride, full of gun shoot outs and glamour, then you'll be disappointed.
Instead, the film follows Hamer and Gault, two ageing Rangers brought back as special investigators by the head of Texas prisons Lee Simmons and first woman governor Ma Ferguson to end the robbery spree of the notorious gang reputed to have killed 10 law officers and 3 civilians.
Of course, this isn't the first time the exploits of the pair have been immortalised in cinema history, Arthur Penn's 1967 film Bonnie & Clyde cemented them in pop culture, catapulting them - again - to celebrity status.
It's the Great Depression, times are hard, and it's easy to see why Bonnie and Clyde have captured people's imaginations.
Gault calls the duo "cold-blooded killers, more adored than movie stars" and he's not wrong, whether it's women imitating Bonnie's fashion or a petrol pump hand describing them as Robin Hoods, "only stealing from the banks" until Hamer smartly points out they're not giving to the poor.
In The Highwaymen Bonnie and Clyde are barely in sight, with mere glimpses of their passing car or the pair as they enter a building. They're not the stars here - this isn't their story.
The question is, does it pay off? The Highwaymen has the soft pace of a detective movie, a ruggedness of a western and the graphic shoot outs of an old action film.
Costner and Harrelson are portrayed as rebels, which might seem far fetched when you see them out of breath pursuing a suspect or baffled by new technology like a wiretap.
But the film treats these issues with gentle humour alongside the brutal lengths they are willing to go to catch the criminals at large. After all, it's based on a true story. Hamer is riddled with bullets, Gault is struggling and a burden on his daughter, they have their baggage but they get the job done.
The chemistry between Costner and Harrelson is sweet, which seems a strange word to use, but not when you see them poke fun at each other. Harrelson easily switches between the seriousness of confessing to the younger officers the sheer number of people he's killed and the toll it has taken to the lightness of teasing his partner.
Costner plays Hamer with a quiet strength, from the first moment we see him - he has a warthog rather than a guard dog - is clear. He's not someone to mess with but stands outside the norm.
That's The Highwaymen to a tee, it's outside of expectation, and that's a good thing.
The team could have easily glamorised the brutal rampage of Bonnie and Clyde, playing up to their stylised iconic status, but it doesn't.
At times it means the pace can feel a bit slow as the Rangers study maps - endless maps - or study the ground looking for clues, but there's a charm to it.
It's just a shame it's takes us on more of a stroll than a fast paced walk through events.
What's for certain is this is a movie that sets out to right the history books, placing the law abiding at the heart of the story instead of the lawbreakers.
It's been a long journey for The Highwaymen. The project started back in 2005 with Paul Newman and Robert Redford attached to the project, but it wasn't until 2013 that Universal Pictures picked it up.
The film finally found it's home with Netflix, and the extensive research - and time - John Fusco has paid off, giving his script a truth that might surprise viewers.
Fusco takes a little dramatic license with Hamer's tale, such as when they finally catch up with Bonnie and Clyde , but for the most part it stays faithful to events.
For those looking for the "untold story" look no further, but if you're seeking out gunfights and a high-paced chase, well, there's always Penn's Bonnie and Clyde...
The Highwaymen is on Netflix from March 29, 2019.
