There are probably hundreds or even many thousands of series made each year. It is then no surprise that you sometimes find a very good series that you love to watch, although the series is already a couple of years old. For me, this happened with Bonnie and Clyde. This four-part ‘mini-series’ was released in 2013 on simultaneously on A&E, History, and Lifetime.
The two-part TV movie is based on the true story of Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker. Barrow, a charismatic convicted armed robber, sweeps Parker – a young and impressionable, petite, small-town waitress, who is already married – off her feet. In the early 1930s, the two embark on one of the most infamous crime sprees in American history. They are able to stay one step ahead of the “laws” while they rob bigger banks in the state. However, Bonnie pushes Clyde to commit more dangerous crimes and rob banks across the state line to generate headlines in the newspapers, and their life of crime soon leads to their deaths.
The cast consists out of the following:
– Emile Hirsch as Clyde Barrow, bank robber and getaway driver
– Holliday Grainger as Bonnie Parker, married waitress turned bank robber
– Lane Garrison as Marvin “Buck” Barrow, Clyde’s older brother
– Sarah Hyland as Blanche Barrow, Buck’s young wife who is a member of the Barrow Gang
– Holly Hunter as Emma Parker, Bonnie’s mother
– William Hurt as Frank Hamer retired Texas Ranger called out of retirement to track down and capture Bonnie and Clyde
– Austin Hebert as Ted Hinton, Dallas County, Texas, Deputy Sheriff and posse member of Bonnie and Clyde’s capture
– Elizabeth Reaser as P.J. Lane, The Herald newspaper reporter who wrote about Bonnie and Clyde’s crime spree
– Desmond Phillips as Ray Hamilton, bank robber and first member of Bonnie and Clyde’s gang
– Aaron Jay Rome as Ralph Fults, outlaw and escape artist of the Barrow Gang
– Garrett Kruithof as Henry Methvin, bank robber and last member of the Barrow Gang
– Jonathan Vane as Captain Harley Grace
I would say that this series is a mix of good and bad. There is some excellent cinematography and sound design, but there is also the creative license and lack of historical accuracy. This series is better suitable for entertaining purposes than for an accurate historical purpose. The conclusion hereby is that if you just want to watch something fun and don’t mind that it is not 100% correct, then this is the show for you!
