Lawless (2012) – ★★★(1/2)

“I’m a Bondurant. We don’t lay down for nobody.”

DIRECTOR: John HILLCOAT
STARRING: Shia LABEOUF, Tom HARDY, Gary OLDMAN, Jessica CHASTAIN, Guy PEARCE

It’s been a while since I watched a western film though I have never had the pleasure of seeing one which involves gangsters too. After making the underrated apocalyptic drama The Road (2009) via its acclaimed novel, director John Hillcoat’s next film is from a similar outset as he chooses to focus on Matthew Bondurant’s novel The Wettest County in the World which was later renamed as Lawless for the big screen. While The Road featured a couple of big names, Hillcoat has managed to bring in a bigger and more talented cast for this film which includes Shia LaBeouf, Tom ‘Bane’ Hardy, Gary Oldman and the best actress to come out of Hollywood in a long time, Jessica Chastain. Just as anticipating about this film is that it’s based on a true story which has been a favourite theme of mine in terms of narrative. An 18 rating also suggests that the Ole’ West is about to get dirty and gritty….

Set in prohibition era Virginia, the Bondurant brothers Jack (LaBeouf), Forrest (Hardy) and Howard (Jason Clark) are well-known in their county for their legendary reputations as bootleggers. But when Special Agent Charlie Rakes (Guy Pearce) arrives from Chicago to put a halt to their operations, the brothers look to try and come up with alternative tactics. While Forrest chooses to keep low by running his bar with the help of feisty barmaid Maggie (Chastain), Jack decides to pursue in the illegal transportation of alcohol to gangster Floyd Banner (Oldman). However Rakes refuses to go away as he seeks to stop the brothers by any means especially through his violent methods. Upon having their operation sabotaged and losing someone close to them, the boys look to gain revenge in a thunderous showdown.

Adapted from the novel of Matthew Bondurant (grandson of Jack), the film promotes itself as a western/gangster film yet is more of a coming of age story as the Jack character fights for respect from his brothers while having to learn the fine lines between good and evil. Whilst all three brothers are anti-heroes, we still root for them nonetheless. In relation to the film’s look, Hillcoat succeeds in bringing out Bondurant’s vision of the 1920s/30s era to the big screen with authentic effect. As he did with previous films The Proposition and The Road, Hillcoat is able to reveal the inner beauty of his films with Lawless standing out most as his cinematographer Benoît Delhomme captures the style of the Old West and the depression era with immaculate detail. Everything else about the film’s production design is crisply laid out particularly the use of old cars, locations and costumes which mostly lacks colour (apart from Maggie’s clothes which represent her vibrant personality). But probably the stand-out visuality of the film is the use of gruesome violence which is revolting at times (especially if you don’t like seeing throats being slit) but it looks so realistic that you can’t help but marvel at the work put into it. The casting itself works with Hillcoat being able to put together his fascinating actors and allow them to merge themselves within the characters who aren’t one-dimensional by any means. Shia LaBeouf manages to show maturity in his role as Jack whose weak but determined motive allows us to root for him despite the actor’s real life troubles and proves that he isn’t just a blockbuster actors. Just as good, if not better is Tom Hardy as his older brother Forrest who earns the credible notice for his physically-intimidating role. Though he grunts a lot, it never stops him from showing his brutish side especially during confrontational moments. We also can’t help but admire the character for his honest and at times touching side especially when sharing scenes with the Maggie character. It is these scenes which allow his extremely talented co-star Jessica Chastain to shine. Whilst the Maggie character seems like a typical love interest, we get a sense of vulnerability from her through Chastain’s facial expressions whenever she and Hardy are on-screen together which leaves some audiences (including myself) wanting more. However as much as I laud Hardy and Chastain, the stand-out performance goes to Guy Pearce as the disturbing Chicago deputy. Given his reputation as a chameleon actor, the Aussie actor is able to dive into the role of a law-man who craves brutality whilst wearing perfume and steals every scene he’s in.

Admittingly though, the problem I had with the film was its slow-burning story which was a bit too unoriginal considering the fantastic character performances though we should really blame that on the book. Though the plot is intriguing, it ends up unfolding predictably especially in the film’s final act when justice is finally laid out in the thrilling shoot-out. Perhaps one of the reasons for my disappointment of the story was the lack of Gary Oldman who makes a storming impact in his first scene yet only appears in a further two scenes and then disappears for the rest of the film. He and Mia Wasikowska as Jack’s rebellious love interest are both advertised as having key involvements in the film yet are severely wasted in their roles. The film’s slow pace may bore a few impatient audiences who are expecting an adrenaline-filled thriller and of course the violence can be stomach-churning to those who are very sensitive to blood and gore.

VERDICT: Despite familiar themes in its story, Lawless succeeds as a character-driven film with sublime performances from the likes of Hardy, Chastain and Pearce whilst having enough cringe-inducing violence to make Expendables 2 look like Small Soldiers.

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