Lawless Movie Review
Pretty damned good.
I consider it a waste of potential when a movie with a title so easy to twist into funny jokes like “pointless” or “scriptless” makes the cardinal sin of being fairly decent. It’s like having the most fertile soil on the planet but all you have to plant are lima beans.
Ironically, one of the few black holes I am about to award to this movie has to do with the title of the film. There is an ugly trend going on these days in movie titles where the title has little to nothing to do with the actual content of the film. Usually it falls into the “one word” title of the film. Brave wasn’t really about bravery or being brave, Abduction had nothing to do with abduction (or movie making apparently), and Drive actually had little to do with driving. Not to say the movies didn’t feature bravery or driving (there was no actual abducting in Abduction. It still grinds my gears) but in no way was the title describing a critical plot point.
So it is with Lawless. Technically the main characters are lawbreakers, but they seem to do so with the active consent of the local law enforcement. They are not rampaging hooligans with complete disregard for society and order, which is what the title had me thinking the movie was going to be. In their own way they were decent humans with a respect for their community who happened to think prohibition was a dumb law. I think this is another example of movie making by committee. No one could think of a good title for this project and Lawless was at the top of a list of 25 suggestions from the assorted producers and crew.
Not to say this movie sucked. Like the vast majority of movies it had its flaws, but the story was solid and most of the acting at least respectible. Even Shia LaBeouf (Transformers) managed to not annoy me and seemed appropriate for his role, but since his role was that of a wimpy loser with delusions of grandeur and a less generous review might describe him with exactly those words in all his roles that might just be a case of really good (or really lucky) casting. Tom Hardy (Warrior, Layer Cake, Batman Rises, Inception) was really amazing and has cemented himself into the pole position of actors I will always try to see regardless of the movie genre. Everyone else delivered a very respectable job, especially Guy Pearce (Hurt Locker, LA Confidential, Memento) as the fastidious villain.
The only real story issue comes from the denouement. The first 85 minutes come across as an awesome Godfather/There Will Be Blood crime syndicate long story, which seemed appropriate for the level of quality acting and direction. Then it kind of falls apart in the last 30 minutes and reforms itself into Red Dawn/Commando. Again, not in a bad way. It just shifted gears headed into Act III and left me with a completely different taste as I looked for my car.
The movie is set in the 30’s and details the adventures of the infamous Bondurant boys, real life bootleggers in Franklin County Virginia. The leader is Forest (Tom Hardy), who manages to communicate more meaning and emotion in a grunt and three words of hillbilly accent than most actors can with an extended soliloquy. The middle brother is Howard (Jason Clarke-Public Enemies, Death Race, Rabbit-Proof Fence), a psychotic hot head who acts at the gangs enforcer. The youngest brother is Jack (Shia LeBeouf), who is the wimpy sidekick who dreams of being bigger and is also the narrator and technically the protagonist. The three brothers believe they are indestructible and more or less prove it throughout the movie. They are doing fine as moonshiners until a new lawman (Guy Pearce) appears and is trying to gouge them for more money. (Drink image courtesy of the Funny T-Shirt category)
That’s almost the entirety of the story. If you have seen There Will Be Blood you can pretty much figure out what is going on. Jack is in love with a preachers’ daughter (Mia Wasikowska-Alice in Wonderland, Jayne Eyre, the Kids are All Right) and has a nice sub plot that manages to enhance the main story without hijacking it. A city girl from Chicago (Jessica Chastain-Tree of Life, the Help, Take Shelter) shows up and gets a job at the Bondurant gas station and has a romance with Forest. The story progresses in a series of developmental vignettes until the ending, when it all comes crashing together. Guys get shot, throats cut, and otherwise killed. After a great movie I found the ending to be more than a little flaccid.
The stars. Great, interesting story. Two stars. Excellent acting all around, with special props to Tom Hardy. Two stars. Based on real life American characters. One star. Some entirely gratuitous, unnecessary, and highly appreciated nudity including Jessica Chastain (after Tree of Life I figure she owes me something). Finally a director who gets that if you are going to eat an R rating anyway you might as well go to the hilt. One star. The atmosphere had a very strong 30’s feel to it, and the camera work and direction spot on. One star. Overall a very entertaining movie. Two stars. Total: nine stars.
The black holes. The whole title thing I started off this blog bitching about. One black hole. The shifting of story tone towards the end. One black hole. Pacing seemed a little erratic. Fast-slow-fast-slow. One black hole. I found the ending to be weak. One black hole. Total: four black holes.
A grand total of five stars and my recommendation that you go see this film. If you like crime and/or Americana this will really work for you. There is nothing in the camera work that demands a large screen, but if you like to see good movies do well support it by going to a theater. You won’t miss much doing it at home however. Date movie? I’m going to say sure, but not a first or second date. The violence is not so horrible that it will turn her off, and she might really appreciate the acting. However, it won’t ecourage her to like you more. I see this as a great compromise movie. It has elements both of you should like. That being said try to see it after you have actually formed some kind of attachment to her. Bathroom break? Nothing really stands out, to be honest. If I had to pick a scene you could live without I would say when Jack and Cricket take off in the truck by themselves to deliver moonshine. The driving scene has a little bit of interesting stuff but nothing that you will need to appreciate the film.
Thanks for reading. I’ll try to see Possession tonight and review it tomorrow. Looks like a creepy one. Follow me on Twitter @Nerdkungfu. If you have comments or thoughts on this review or movie feel free to post them here. If you have off topic questions or suggestions feel free to email me at [email protected]. Talk to you soon.
Dave
