'Lawless' - Movie Review

Lawless

I have a new saying: If a director can make Shia Labeouf stomachable then you know the movie is going to be great. 

Lawless is not just another gangster movie set in prohibition America. For one it isn't set in Capone's Chicago or mobster infested New York City, instead it's set in rural Virginia. That alone should raise an eyebrow. Secondly it isn't just another shoot 'em up with tommy guns then spray a one liner at 'em for kicks and giggles.  

Lawless is instead about the Bondurant boys becoming the champions of the bootlegging trade and beating down the big boys who want to run things in VA. The head of the Bondurant clan is Forrest (Tom Hardy) who wants to keep control and do things his way... if Forrest had a theme song today then it'd be Sinatra's 'I Did It My Way'. Meanwhile his younger brother, aka 'the perennial underdog', Jack (Shia Lebeouf) wants to take the operation big time and replicate the ways of the city slickers. While this is all going down there are corrupt politicians (led by Charlie Rakes (Guy Pearce)) who are moving into VA and trying to straighten the bootleggers out. Of course this means violence ensues, and like any southern movie it's republican through and through... stick it to the big over reaching government like Jesse James did and do things your way.  It's a drawn out movie with twists, turns and enough violence to please Bret Easton Ellis. *Ellis wrote probably the most graphic novel I've ever read, American Psycho. 

The Bondurant boys - just by looking at them you can tell a lot about who they are and what each wants.

Alright, so I need to now confess that I'm biased when it comes to reviewing this because Nick Cave wrote the screenplay... and I'm a Nick Cave fanboy. He's a fantastic (albeit slightly weird) Aussie artist who has also written the screenplay for The Proposition  - which is what I'd call the Aussie version of Lawless. Both movies take violence to the next level, both play on national folklore, both are masculine movies which reflect the grittier side of life, and they both take you on a trip into a whole other reality. 

The acting is decent and exciting. A mate told me that she reckons Shia Lebeouf plays the same old role he always does... I think that's a bit harsh. Yes, he plays the underdog who has to convince everyone of his worth. Yes, he's still the slick rick who is obsessed with material gain. Yes, you still roll your eyes a bit and wish he'd grow up... BUT (and there needs to be a but) he also plays the role well and draws us in. By the end I also thought I saw him move like Forrest. I don't know if I was seeing things but it looked like he nailed the physical characteristics and traits. So let's hop off the Hate Shia Bandwagon - he was alright. 

I'm trying to find the words to describe Tom Hardy's performance... well how about this, he's British! I've never seen someone nail an accent and a look like that. *Hugh Lawrie is pretty good as Dr. House but I don't care much for House. Interesting to note that Hardy also played Bane in the recent Batman flick, and a mumbling, bumbling rock in Warrior, so at the start of Lawless I wondered if he just enjoys pissing people off with almost inaudible voices. The woman sitting in front of me almost killed me by asking, "What did he say?!" to the bloke next to her every minute or so.

Forrest, a wrecking machine.

Hardy was stellar - he's becoming a 'must see' for me. It wasn't just his voice either, I also loved his grunting and mumbling! Vocal ability aside though, I thought he really seized the moment. He was the most intriguing character and I was constantly waiting to see what he would do next. The 'Bondurant legend' played on Hardy's character too - and the way Cave planned the ending left a wide smirk on my face! Forrest's relationship with the gorgeous yet damaged Maggie Beauford (Jessica Chastain) symbolized the whole movie... it was drawn out and intense. Chastain nails this role and I reckon the female cast was terrific for a very blokey movie. You just kind of wait to see if Forrest and Maggie will shack up, just like you wait to see what will happen to the Bondurant boys. And it's that line from Maggie which I love, "You just gonna keep watching me?" 

Charlie Rakes, bow-tie and all!

Guy Pearce - haha. Love the one dimensional bad guy when it's done like this (it isn't poor writing or the lack of ability to develop a character, its done on purpose). He's extremely corrupt (not that the Bondurant boys ride the white horse!), he's extremely violent, he's extremely creepy, and he's extremely OCD. The best way to explain Pearce's character role is that he intensifies things. I also enjoyed Pearce's take on the Chicago accent, and yes hes another Brit! Mostly I love how he can't drop the "Nance" comment made about him, it's the perfect word to use for him though. 

The costumes, sets and setting (it was filmed in Georgia) impressed me.Then chuck in the country/blues/folk music and I was sold (I have to admit, I had been listening to the soundtrack prior to watching the movie). How about Gary Oldman's one memorable scene to set the tone at the start? What a ripper! He didn't play a huge role in the film but that scene of him using the tommy gun was perfect. It's those scenes of action (also see the pig scene at the very start) which make it for me. I remember in screenwriting class being lectured on the idea that if you can do something without using dialogue then you should go ahead and do it.

How's this for a look?

 You know the funny thing? The scene which made me squirm in my seat wasn't one of the gory murder scenes but the church scene. I wasn't completely sure if it was needed but it was visually captivating... and once again they did it with almost no dialogue. The church service was something else (I've never seen such a service) and it had me feeling Jack's discomfort... and how funny is it when Forrest returns the boot to Jack! Watch it, you'll see what I'm talking about. 

*SPOILER ALERT*

What's there to complain about? Some will hate that Forrest doesn't die in the shoot out. The ending isn't quite conventional and I'm not sure if the very last scene is needed... but its very Nick Cave. 

The only other critique I have is that the whole thing is very drawn out... you even question if some scenes are needed. 

Really though you just need to sit back and enjoy the ride. Try and not guess what's coming next and don't expect to comprehend every line... It's like Jesse James in that sense. I like that Hollywood has evolved to the point where accents and even foreign languages can be used freely.

My last note is that I kind of snigger at the fact that this True Grit meets Jesse James of the Depression is written by an Aussie (based on a book by one of the Bondaurant boys) and the majority of the cast is Aussie and British!

Charlie Rakes:You fucking hicks are a sideshow onto yourselves.
[laughter continues]
Charlie Rakes:Sheriff, do you have any idea what a Thompson submachine gun does to a mortal?

8/10.