LAWLESS (15)
D: John Hillcoat
The Weinstein Company/Film Nation/Red
Wagon/Annapurna/Revolt (Lucy Fisher, Douglas Wick, Megan Ellison & Michael Benaroya)
US 2012
115 mins
Crime
W: Nick Cave [based on the book "The Wettest County In The
World" by Matt Bondurant]
DP: Benoit Delhomme
Ed: Dylan Tichenor
Mus: Nick Cave & Warren Ellis
Tom Hardy (Forrest Bondurant), Shia LaBeouf (Jack
Bondurant), Jessica Chastain (Maggie Beauford) Guy Pearce (Deputy Charley Rakes), Gary Oldman (Floyd Banner), Mia Wasikowska (Bertha Minnix), Jason Clarke (Howard Bondurant)
I was quite disappointed with this. Supposedly based on a
true story of a family of bootleggers in a small Hicksville community, but it's clearly legend. The outlaws are heroes, the cops are the bad guys and it's unclear who exactly we're supposed
to root for.
Tom Hardy does little except grunt, mumble and smoke
cigars before delivering one poignant, insightful line of dialogue before he goes back to grunting & mumbling (he seems to quit smoking in the second half of the movie). Shia
LaBeouf is not quite annoying as usual, but I still don't like him and I have no idea how the hell Mia Wasikowska managed to get so much work. She can't even drink from a bottle
convincingly.
Of the good points; the Nick Cave penned songs are good,
the movie caught the period right (though it's a shame about all the Coca-Cola product placement) and Gary Oldman & Guy Pearce both deliver superb portrayals of lazily-written
characters.
I wanted to like this more, but an above average movie at
best, its only purpose is glorifying gangster culture during the great depression.
5/10