I was intrigued by Lawless from the first time I saw the trailer. I wondered what it was about this film that made Shia LaBeouf make it his next film following 2011's Transformers: Dark Of The Moon. It might only have been a year but it had seemed quite a hiatus for an actor who had been releasing an average of two to three films a year since 2005.
I was also intrigued because of the calibre of the other actors involved. The cast list reads like a who's who of 'ones to watch' mixed with seasoned actors at the top of their game. But the film seemed to be an odd choice for me. I have discussed this at length with several of my friends and we think it seems this way because we in the UK have no affinity with the story of the Bondurant boys. Until Lawless was released I doubt many people over here had heard of them. Now I have seen the film it does make more sense that these actors wanted to be a part of this project.
I figured I'd see the film immediately (as a fan of Mr LaBeouf) but it took me longer than I thought to get around to it. By which point most of my friends had already seen it and raved about it. My hopes for the film were set high and while it didn't disappoint, I didn't love it either.
I felt that all the performances were exemplary. Especially LaBeouf who it seemed had something to prove by making this movie, and Tom Hardy who has the more difficult job of making the almost mute Forrest Bondurant likable. Guy Pearce is definitely the one with the showy role here and truly makes you detest his character with a fiery passion. If you're a fan of Guy Pearce be prepared to hate him like never before. All those in supporting roles, from the always likable Jessica Chastain to the usually annoying Mia Wasikowska, do a decent job without overshadowing the leads. Even Gary Oldman puts in a rather understated supporting performance here.
I think the thing that lets Lawless down is the violence. It just didn't feel justified or needed. The things which were important for character development could have been hinted at or shown in different ways. I didn't feel that the film needed to be uber violent or bloody as it was. And I know of at least one person who didn't see the film because of that very reason. It could have easily been a 15 certificate without those scenes or with re-cut scenes and would have appealed to a wider audience as such.
Other than that I can't really put my finger on why I didn't love it. It's a good little story with characters you can get behind and a great group of actors at it's core. Maybe I'll feel differently by the time it comes out on DVD as maybe it's just a case of over-hype, but I definitely think that people should see Lawless and make up their own minds. 8 out of 10.
Viewing Date - 25th September 2012
UK Release Date - 7th September 2012
Cast Overview:
Shia LaBeouf ~ Jack Bondurant
Tom Hardy ~ Forrest Bondurant
Jason Clarke ~ Howard Bondurant
Guy Pearce ~ Charlie Rakes
Jessica Chastain ~ Maggie Beauford
Mia Wasikowska ~ Bertha Minnix
Gary Oldman ~ Floyd Banner
Noah Taylor ~ Gummy Walsh
Director ~ John Hillcoat
Writer(s) ~ Nick Cave (Screenplay) and Matt Bondurant (Novel)
Tom Hardy is the man in this flick but the one who really runs away with it all is Guy Pearce who has never ever been as vicious as he is here. Everybody else here is great too, but he’s the one who steals the show, in my opinion. Nice review.
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