Lawless Movie Review. The “look” of this film is excellent.

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Lawless

Director: John Hillcoat
Writers: Nick Cave, Matt Bondurant (novel)
Stars: Tom Hardy, Shia LaBeouf, Guy Pearce, Jason Clarke, Jessica Chastain, Mia Wasikowska, Guy Oldman, Dane DeHaan

Movie Review

Lawless is the story of Jack Bondurant (Shia LaBeouf), the youngest of the three Bondurant brothers, a coming-of-age tale set during Prohibition. Jack and his brothers are bootleggers, making and selling Moonshine, taking advantage of the illegality of alcohol to make their livelihood.

Enter Charlie Rakes (Guy Pearce), a special deputy bound and determined to make life difficult for the Bondurant brothers. Other complications include Floyd Banner (Gary Oldman), a big-time gangster operating in a neighboring county with his own agenda, Maggie (Jessica Chastain), a gorgeous woman from Chicago who turns up looking for a job, and Bertha (Mia Wasikowska), a local preacher’s daughter who catches Jake’s eye.

The “look” of this film is excellent–it begins with in 1919 with the start of Prohibition and continues through the Great Depression, the repeal of Prohibition, and ends up in the 1940s. The sets (indoor and outdoor) convey both the era and the setting of backwoods Virginia believably, and the costume and makeup design are outstanding. At appropriate times, the characters looked dirty. Even the soundtrack (primarily bluegrass) helped set the mood.

The long time span covered by the movie allows the viewer to build a relationship with the characters on the screen, and come to care what happens to them. Despite the fact that the Bondurants are outlaws, and Rakes is on the side of the law, who is right and who is wrong is not an easy black and white issue. These are complex, multi-layered characters with a lot going on. The tension of the movie builds and ebbs, each wave coming to a climactic head in some violent confrontation or another.

There is an absolutely wonderful scene (it’s very short) with an amazing juxtaposition between Rakes and Jack Bondurant as they each stare, motionless, into a mirror, contemplating the immediately future. Then they independently erupt into action.

Tom Hardy (seen earlier this summer as Bane in The Dark Knight Rises) is absolutely unforgettable as the oldest Bondurant brother, Forrest. He is electrifying whenever he is onscreen, giving a nuanced, powerful performance. Shia LaBeouf has a hell of an opportunity here, and he takes hold of it and does not disappoint. He shows far more range than was evident from seeing him in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull or the Transformers movies. Jason Clarke as middle brother Howard Bondurant is given the least to work with, but what could have been a one-dimensional character is so much more under his execution. Guy Pearce drips pure evil–you absolutely loathe him. Jessica Chastain takes what could be a mundane role and gives Maggie depth without turning her into a cliché. Dane DeHaan as Jack’s best friend and co-conspirator Cricket brings to life a nerdy genius, in a movie set well before being a nerd was cool. Mia Wasikowska and Gary Oldman don’t get much screen time, but they are rock solid as well.

The way this film comes together, and the overall quality of the performances, points to an outstanding job in the director’s chair. John Hillcoat pulls together all the elements to make a surprisingly rich and complicated tale of white lightning in the mountains of Virginia.

This is a dark, violent, grim tale that doesn’t pull any punches. It’s an incredibly detailed portrayal, full of riveting performances. And it’s based on a true story. Recommended, but not for the faint of heart.

Reviewed by Elektra Hammond

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Elektra Hammond

Buzzy Mag Editor & Reviewer

Elektra Hammond emulates her multi-sided idol Buckaroo Banzai by going in several directions at once.

Elektra lives in Delaware with her husband, Mike, and the cat herd of BlueBlaze/Benegesserit catteries. When not freelancing or appearing at science fiction conventions she travels world-wide judging cat shows.