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Originally Posted by Frazod
I do wonder if the gas station scene actually happened. Wouldn't surprise me if he did something like that, though. I'm going to pick up the book that Pennywise recommended, but from what little I have read about Hamer he was a tough customer with a short fuse and a very personalized view of right and wrong.
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He was. Costner portrayed him fairly accurately.
The movie apparently tried to be historically accurate, and many portions were, such as Bonnie's limp, the crowds around the gun-shot car, the way the populace would shield them from the police, although certain events were doubtless written for the movie's sake.
From what I could see, there were 2 areas where they veered off historically:
1. the witness who saw Bonnie shoot the cop in Grapevine was later discredited. (This was in the trailer, so I don't think a spoiler alert is necessary). Later historians believe that Methvin was the one who actually pulled the trigger and it is doubtful whether Bonnie herself ever actually killed someone, although she certainly was an accomplice.
2. there is a lot of dispute over whether Bonnie and Clark were given an opportunity to surrender. I won't say where the movie goes, but this is an area where the movie really could go either way. Some people who were there said that Bonnie and Clyde were told to put their hands up. Other say that as they approached, someone began shooting. Oakley (one of the Bienville Parish deputies) later admitted that he shot first and everyone shot in response to his shot, although again, it's disputed whether Oakley did so after they were told to surrender or not.
All in all, though, the movie was pretty accurate. Hamer figured out that they were running in a circle and tried to head them off. There were real tensions between Hamer and Maney on the one hand and other law enforcement. Ma Richardson had disbanded the Rangers, more so because of her own corruption than any other reasons. She lost the next election and the Rangers were re-constituted. Her husband had been convicted of corruption and she ran for governor, although everyone knew he was pulling the strings. It's a fascinating story from many angles and I think that the director did a great job. I would certainly watch this movie again.