Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Lawless

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Posted by Stu Jamieson (Member # 4626) on 10-13-2012, 04:45 AM:

The last two weeks has seen a one-two punch of respectable Aussie film makers releasing entries into the well-trodden American gangster genre: Andrew Dominik with Killing Them Softly and John Hillcoat with Lawless.

Hillcoat once again teams up with Nick Cave, transplanting the spirit of The Proposition to prohibition era Virginia, replete with it's ultra violence and washed-out outback hues. The film follows moonshine bootleggers, the Bondurant brothers (Shia LaBeouf, Tom Hardy and Jason Clarke), and an attempt from the big boys of Detroit, led by "Special Deputy" Charlie Rakes (Guy Pearce) to muscle in on their business. As is expected from Hillcoat/Cave, much blood is subsequently let.

While Lawless harbours a few leaps in narrative logic, the rivetting nature of the story and the quality of the performances therein make such flaws easy to overlook.

Guy Pearce is the standout performer here as the terrifying, eyebrowless villain with the sinister bowtie and a centre part like the grand canyon atop his scalp. He's not a man to be trifled with but Tom Hardy is up to the task with his usual unremarkable but stolid performance.

Kudos to Shia LaBeouf for finally getting back to a role with a bit of meat on it after all that Transformers nonsense, delivering what is probably his most interesting role to date. Gary Oldman is significantly under utilised but, as always, it's just great to see him in anything. Jessica Chastain and Mia Wasikowska provide able and brave support but ultimately this is a man's movie and there's little for them to do bar stand there and look pretty.

While Lawless[/] lacks the cultural poignance of Hillcoat's previous film, [i]The Proposition, it's still a ripping good yarn although not one for the weak of stomach.

8 out of 10