Directed by:
John HillcoatScreenplay:
Nick CaveCinematography:
Benoît DelhommeCast:
Tom Hardy, Shia LaBeouf, Jason Clarke, Guy Pearce, Jessica Chastain, Mia Wasikowska, Dane DeHaan, Chris McGarry, Tim Tolin, Gary Oldman, Lew Temple (more)VOD (3)
Plots(1)
Set in 1920s prohibition era America, Lawless is the true story of the Bondurant brothers. Brazen and fearless, these young rural bootleggers became legendary criminals. The youngest brother, Jack (Shia LaBeouf), is ambitious and impulsive, the middle brother, Howard, is loyal but reckless and eldest brother, Forrest (Tom Hardy), leads the family with a silent determination. As the Bondurants' illicit business and legend grows, so too looms the danger of bigger fish, and it's not long before the brothers must face the consequences. (Momentum Pictures)
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Reviews (16)
Considering how precisely this movie was made, I missed something that would suck me into the story so that it could blow my mind with each new scene. The actors were great, the shots were amazing, the atmosphere of the first half of the 20th century was awesome, but the entire movie falls on small details. For example, I thought that the ending was a farce. And the entire shoot-out was like children meeting in the sandpit and sling-shooting pebbles at each other. Nobody knows who hit whom, some people are lying on the ground, some aren’t and some people are faking being hit. Really strange. Considering that this movie is so incredibly realistic, I’m lacking some sort of an eye for scenes that should have been key scenes and they were a flop instead. A shame.
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At last, today marks the end of the ridiculous prohibition in this country. And so in my opinion there’s no better movie than this to close this glorious chapter in our history. The moonshine in the Bodurant brothers’ jelly jars were capable of turning you blind even back then. Hardy is again almost legendarily awesome ("Hmm..."), Shia is continuing in his career as far as possible from beg robots and I dare say this is the best possible direction, Guy Pearce is a disgustingly slippery swine, Oldman devilishly stylish and Jessica Chastain. Hillcoat superbly layers up the story and period atmosphere, adding just the right amount of rawness. Brass knuckles are now officially the weapon of the year. Cave delivered a superb screenplay and excellent music... simply a movie to warm the heart.
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This is what I was expecting from Michael Mann’s Public Enemies and I was disappointed. John Hillcoat and Nick Cave and a bunch of littleknown actors created a gangster film from the era of prohibition, where the goal is to portray the characters and their stories, rather than visual epicness (on the contrary, the visuals are rather dull and faded, for some incomprehensible reasons). A super bad villain, blood and brutality, friendship, brotherhood, black humor, feminine beauty and tenderness, and a final massacre. All of this blended together to create 100%-pure genre entertainment of a distinctive character. I vacillated between four and five stars, finally settling on five thanks to the festival atmosphere. [KVIFF]
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Brainless, plotless, gutless. A flat gangster film for beginners, which is the same as counterfeit whiskey, has all the necessary ingredients, but its taste lacks any of the sophistication of the original. If some people are satisfied with Hardy with a single grimace, Pearce acting on the verge of tolerability and LaBeouf the same as always, then by all means. I expect more from a prohibition gangster film than the familiar sentimental macho poses...
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Three and a half stars. If the script had cared as much about the third (and equally interesting) brother as it did about Jack and Forrest, if Gary Oldman had been given more space, and if the incredibly slimy Guy Pearce hadn't been a simple comic-book caricature but rather a believable villain, it would have been even better. But the atmosphere is very pleasant and, thanks to the music, I am rounding up.
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