Lawless Reviews

Ever since he came up with the amazing 'The Proposition', all the following directing efforts delivered by John Hillcoat have generated some nice buzz before they were released but, eventually, none of them made much waves after all. This movie was a good example. I mean, it was not bad at all, it was actually pretty good but I can't say it really blew me away though. First of all, why did they change the title? Indeed, it used to be called 'The Wettest County in the World' and this working title sounded pretty awesome but they ended up with the rather bland 'Lawless'. Of course, who cares about the title anyway? Still, the whole thing looked really neat, there was a really nice soundtrack so the mood was pretty much pitch-perfect. Furthermore, Hillcoat had once again a really strong cast at his disposal (Shia LaBeouf, Tom Hardy, Jason Clarke, Guy Pearce, Jessica Chastain, Mia Wasikowska, Dane DeHaan, Gary Oldman) so all the ingredients seemed to be there to create something great and, yet, it turned out to be a decent watch but not much more than that, I'm afraid. I don't know, this tale was entertaining but it was missing something to be really spellbinding. Maybe there were too many characters or maybe the material was just not strong enough. Anyway, even if it didn't really blow me away, it was still a decent watch and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre. 

With a stellar cast, and a story about gangsters I was already hooked from the tittle. But do not let the stellar cast fool you, while there are great performances, some are wasted.

Gary Oldman is one of the stars of this movie, but he is wasted. He does have an awesome introduction scene though, but just wasted. I would have loved to see more Gary Oldman, but I guess the writers did not. Guy Pearce, another one of my favorites, was WAY over the top. He did have some moments though as the villain but he was just way over the top for me. As for the other characters I was able to really care for the other characters. Tom Hardy is always at his best, and Dane DeHaan really showed that he will become a big star someday with his small but convincing performance. There were a couple scenes where I became shocked a few times with what happened with the characters were put through.

The action in this movie was really well done. There were some very tense scenes that really got me into the movie. The last scene of this movie is one of the most tense scenes and one of the best shootouts I have seen in a really long time.

There were two love stories in this, one that I did not care for. Shia LaBeouf and Mia Wasikowska just wasn't a good loves story. It was the same stuff we have seen before in other movies. Really could have been thrown out and could have focused more of who Gary Oldman's character was.

But all in all, Lawless was what I wanted. A very good historic gangster film, that had characters I cared about and liked a lot. The action kept me tense and the last scene like I said was awesome. I would love to buy this movie and watch it again. 8/10

Another Prohibition era tale based on a true story, this one having being written up by the great grandson of one of the brothers in the story.
Its about the Bondurant Brothers, bootlegging siblings who made a run for the American Dream in Prohibition-era Virginia. It makes a great gangster tale that has immediately become one of my favourites.

Just when my faith in Shia LaBeouf had been destroyed (after watching Transformers 3) he bounces back with an amazing performance as the youngest Bondurant brother. That includes both his narration and performance on screen. He plays the typical younger brother role, constantly trying to impress the older two, I found myself really wanted him and his best friend 'Cricket' to catch a break.

Tom Hardy, as always, gives an amazing and really convincing performance, he has easily become one of my favourite actors lately. Every single movie I've seen with him in, his has been the standout character. In this film he plays the older and most respected of the brothers, and has become some what of a legend in both his brothers eyes, and the communitys. During the story he meets the beautiful Maggie Beauford, played by Jessica Chastain, who is wanting a quiet life away from Chicago. The two eventually they get together and a pretty awkward start.

The short time Gary Oldman is on screen he's great as well, obviously. The scene when he takes out a car with his tommygun is pretty epic.

Guy Pearce plays a villain you can really hate too, a really greasy turd of a corrupt law enforcer, found myself really wanting someone to completely obliterate him with a full tommygun clip! [spiler]Sadly this doesn't happen but he does meet a sticky end after being shot and stabbed by Jack and Howard Bondurant.

"I'm the one who's going to make your life real difficult if you don't tow the line, country boy."

Screenwriter Nick Cave and director John Hillcoat collaborated for the exceptional Aussie western The Proposition back in 2005, and Lawless reunites these two boundlessly talented professionals for another historical drama drenched in violence. Similar to The Proposition in terms of tone and brutality, Lawless is an adaptation of Matt Bondurant's historical novel about the illegal bootlegging activities carried out by Bondurant's grandfather and granduncles in Franklin County during the Great Depression. Bondurant's novel was entitled The Wettest County in the World, referring to Franklin County's Prohibition-era nickname which was given due to the substantial amount of illegal alcohol production that occurred despite the Volstead Act.

With Prohibition and the Depression in full swing, residents of Franklin County, Virginia turn to bootlegging to make a living. The Bondurant brothers - Forrest (Tom Hardy), Howard (Jason Clarke) and Jack (Shia LeBeouf) - maintain their own bootlegging business, using their clandestine backyard distilleries to pump out moonshine for the thirsty locals. The boys have no problem with law enforcement, as they provide samples of their product to the police to persuade them to look the other way. But the law begins to close in on the Bondurant brothers following the arrival of Special Agent Charlie Rakes (Guy Pearce), who demands a cut of the profits. The siblings of course refuse, and thus begins an all-out war, with brutal acts of violence being carried out on both sides.

Lawless is a slow-burning tale of intrigue which takes its time developing its characters and story, demonstrating more concern with dramatic growth than mindless action. But, as with The Proposition and The Road, Hillcoat does not baulk from showing violence - Lawless contains shootouts, a number of brutal beatings and even a throat slitting, all of which were executed with impressive skill and command. However, Hillcoat skilfully prevents the picture from falling into exploitation territory, as the violence is used to allow viewers to comprehend the gravity of various situations and the ferocity of the period. Not to mention, the unsettling action beats are shown to have dire consequences; the resulting injuries are ugly, and even the victors find themselves unfulfilled by the violence. What's also interesting about Lawless is that you find yourself rooting for the Bondurant brothers despite their criminal status, but only because Rakes and his posse are so repulsive. The film doesn't glamorise the Bondurants and you never find yourself wanting to be in their position, but they are an endearing trio of antiheroes.

Period films oftentimes feel like stagey re-enactments on obvious sets, but Hillcoat's recreation of this era feels real. Although Hillcoat did not have a substantial budget at his disposal, Lawless is a visually dazzling motion picture bursting with authenticity. Hillcoat's approach lacks the gloss and showiness associated with Hollywood, and this is to the flick's benefit. Lawless conjures up a tremendous sense of legitimacy that's commendably unobtrusive, and the sets and locations at no point seem manufactured - it looks like Hillcoat took a bunch of cameras back in time to the 1920s to make the film. Shooting on location in Georgia, Hillcoat and director of photography Benoît Delhomme went for a warm, naturalistic colour palette, conveying this little-known tale through breathtaking widescreen images. Added to this, screenwriter Nick Cave provided the score, and his music is every bit as brilliant as his writing; adding atmosphere and identity to this beautifully-executed film. Lawless is admittedly slow-moving, however. It's never exactly boring, but it does feel long in the tooth and at times narratively unfocused - it's in the region between The Proposition's enthralling brilliance and The Road's utter tediousness.

Shia LaBeouf, it seems, is finally growing up. The young star is grating in the Transformers series and clearly has an enormous ego, yet Lawless presented Shia with the opportunity to show signs of maturity, and he ran with it. His performance here is understated but focused, portraying the naïve Jack Bondurant with impeccable conviction. Likewise, Tom Hardy is outstanding as the stoic Forrest Bondurant, espousing a believable period voice to match his spot-on appearance. Hardy's work is riveting; far superior to his performance in Christopher Nolan's studiously mediocre The Dark Knight Rises. Meanwhile, Guy Pearce is a genuine scene-stealer as Special Agent Rakes, cutting loose in this over-the-top performance that's strikingly committed. Pearce is in the upper echelon of cinematic antagonists here - he's so excellent that you may need to literally restrain yourself lest you try to jump through the screen to kill Rakes yourself. In a smaller but equally important role is Jason Clarke as Howard Bondurant. Though Clarke is not in the spotlight as much as his co-stars, he makes a huge impression. Another big-name actor here is Gary Oldman, who relishes every frame of his limited screen-time as irascible gangster Floyd Banner. Chronicle's Dane DeHaan also has a role here as Cricket, and he's fantastic; believably bringing this innocent and naïve character to life. Rounding out the key players is bright Australian actress Mia Wasikowska, who brings a sweet, delicate touch to the role of Bertha.

Lawless is a tough sell for the average movie-goer. It's a great movie, yet it's not life-changing or moving enough for Oscar consideration, nor is it action-packed or entertaining enough to vie for summer box office dollars. Let's just be thankful that, at the end of a summer beset with loud blockbusters, we got this well-made period movie which treats its audience with respect. Even in spite of the hit-and-miss The Road, it's clear that John Hillcoat is a talent with a huge career ahead of him.

8.2/10

Jack, Forrest and Howard Bondurant lived in a small town in Franklin County, Virginia, during a time when liquor was illegal but everyone just had to have it. The Bondurant brothers had the means to provide people with the finest moonshine around, but when Special Deputy Charlie Rakes wants a piece of their profit, the Bondurant brothers must be more discreet about their operations.

Lawless is set during one of the most interesting eras to portray in media, we have seen a recent increase in the amount of films set during the prohibition area. Most of them are excuses to show gangster violence and have intense shoot-ups and police chases. What seemed different about Lawless right from the start was that it seemed to want the audience to indentify with one of the three brothers, rather than focus primarily on the gruesome violence.

Now as it progresses, Lawless does take on a merciless approach to violence, having no discretion when it came to the action scenes. Very few films push the realistic violence factor, but Lawless decided to stray away from the overtly stylish killing, and just went straight for the brutal, shorter killing scenes.

Right from the start, I felt connected to the character of Jack, who was the quiet, shy one looking primarily to impress his brothers. As the film takes off, he tries desperately to win the approval of people around him that he begins to put himself and everyone else in jeopardy. Shia Labeouf’s vocal coaching certainly paid off, his drawl playing very nicely as he narrates the film and gives the audience thoughtful insights as to who these three brothers are. How his character Jack was feeling was always apparent, whether he talking to his brothers, his best friend cricket, or his love interest, Labeouf kept using the accent to accentuate his characters personality traits and his ability to grow as a character. Tom Hardy was a man of few words, and at times it seemed even fewer expressions. That’s not to say that role was without a major impact, because Forrest was always the root of the group, the brother that held everything together. At times for Hardy, it would have been good to use more expression if the choice was to use fewer words. Very much like Labeouf did, Hardy when speaking had an accent that was a spot on impression of the era. Guy Pearce on the other hand who was man given very elegant dialogue, failed to use his accent, and in doing so failed to have his character make any sort of impact towards re-creating the prohibition era. Jessica Chastain and Mia Wasikowska did well in their respective female roles, helping shower a softer to side to Forrest and Jack Bondurant, giving us all the more reason to like the characters.

Lawless does a good job of using most of the actors very well, but loses itself in the way of pacing. Some scenes seem to be jumbled and out of place, even completely un-necessary. Floyd Banner (played incredibly by Gary Oldman) was essentially a non-entity as far as the overall plot goes. He did play an important part in the development of Jack’s character, but the first scene in which he appears completely takes away from the slower, more focused action movie Lawless was trying to be.

As mentioned earlier the narration by Shia Labeouf as Jack Bondurant was the most incredible parts of the movie, allowing for a more intimate look into what made these characters tick. The movie itself was written by Nick Cave, who read and spoke exclusively with Matt Bondurant, Jack’s soon about a novel he wrote, chronicling the lives of his father and his two uncles. Matt spent time speaking to family members, family friends and town folk in order to tell the story of his family. Cave was able to take those words, and translate them beautifully for the screen. Labeouf was able to breathe life into them, and help make the Bondurant story come alive through the medium of film.

A well-acted, well written period piece, Lawless is one of the best complete film packages of 2012. Check it out.