¨It is not the violence that sets men apart,
alright, it is the distance that he is prepared to go.¨
Lawless is a terrific action drama set in the
depression era in a small Virginia town. The cinematography in this film is
beautiful; I just love movies set in this period when they have a good story
like this one. Lawless is based on the novel written by Matt Bondurant, ¨The
Wettest County in the World,¨ the grandson of one of the characters in this
film, and it claims to be based on a true story. The screenplay was adapted by
Nick Cave, and the film directed by John Hillcoat (The Road). I was instantly
won over by Lawless as soon as I saw the talented cast that was involved. Shia
LaBeouf may have the lead role, but he is outshined by Tom Hardy who is the
heart and soul of this movie. The rest of the cast was also excellent with
Jessica Chastain, Mia Wasikowska, Dane DeHaan (the young Leonardo Di Caprio
look alike from Chronicle), Gary Oldman, and Guy Pearce who plays the villain
to perfection here. Gary Oldman is always great, but my only complaint here is
that he gets as much screen time in the movie as he does in the trailer. He
could´ve been used much more here, although I understand that there were a lot
of different things going on. There was one terrific and brutal scene thirty
minutes into the movie that really caught my attention and picked up the story
from that point forward. It was the turning point for me. Hardy was the rock of
this film and he absolutely nailed his role convincing the audience of the
legends surrounding his character. I had some trouble with his grumpy voice at
times understanding what he was saying, but his performance was spectacular
nonetheless. In a way he reminded me of Ryan Gosling in Drive.
The story takes place during the prohibition
era in Franklin County, Virginia where the three Bondurant brothers, Forrest
(Tom Hardy), Howard (Jason Clarke), and Jack (Shia LaBeouf) run a bootlegging
business with the compliance of the local authorities. Jack´s close friend,
Cricket (Dane DeHaan), a young teenager who couldn’t hurt a fly is responsible
for the moonshine production for which he`s very talented. At the same time,
city girl Maggie (Jessica Chastain) shows up in the small town looking for a
job at the local bar that Forrest runs. Trouble arises when a new Special
Deputy arrives in town from Chicago. His name is Charlie Rakes (Guy Pearce),
and he wants a bigger share in the Bondurant´s profits. Rakes is eccentric and crooked,
but he isn’t intimidated by these brothers. The rest of the town believes in
the legend that Forrest is immortal after having survived several life
threatening experiences (even Forrest himself believes this). Forrest is
perhaps the only one in the town that stands up against Rakes and defies him.
The younger brother, Jack, initially is the most timid one, but after falling
for the local preacher´s daughter, Bertha (Mia Wasikowska) and scoring an
important business deal with a famous mobster named Floyd Banner (Gary Oldman)
he begins to transform himself into quite a respectable lad. The problem is
that Rakes is keeping a close watch on their business and waiting for the
perfect opportunity to intervene.
Shia LaBeouf and Tom Hardy`s characters are probably
the best developed in the story. Shia goes through the greatest transformation,
while Hardy remains the same always projecting this in control and cool
persona. He truly believes he`s immortal like the rest of the town. Jason
Clarke is probably the least developed character along with Gary Oldman who
really has very little screen time (a real shame). Guy Pearce is very cynical
and twisted minded. He made for a perfect villain. Jessica Chastain and Mia
Wasikowska both projected beauty and innocence in their roles. The cast was
really great in this. I also loved the music and score that accompanied the
film. The drama and action played out really well with a couple of violent and
bloody scenes. There were several sub plots going on as well with the love
interest between Jack and Bertha, and Forrest and Maggie. The legend behind
these three men is probably what makes the film stand out story wise and puts
Forrest on top of my favorite characters list for 2012. Lawless is a film you
won´t want to miss.
Nice review. This is the second best movie I've seen so far in 2012, after Safety Not Guaranteed.
ResponderEliminarShane
movieworship.blogspot.com
Thanks! Loved Safety Not Guaranteed as well. A real surprise for me!
ResponderEliminar