Movie Review: Lawless

Director: John Hillcoat

Starring: Shia Labeouf, Tom Hardy, and Jessica Chastain

Plot: During Prohibition, The Bondurant Boys, a group of moonshining brothers, face off against a Chicago lawman.

Review:

America has a love affair with outlaws. We are a country where shows like The Shield, The Sopranos, and Breaking Bad can reach critical acclaim. We are a nation who can look back on our history and see Jesse James as a hero. We take pleasure in a healthy dislike and distrust of authority and the government. We are a nation started by outlaws standing up to a tyrannical force after all. And as such, Hollywood has always fallen into line.

This particular crime yarn takes place in Franklin County, Virginia on the cusp of the Depression. It revolves around the bootlegging exploits of 3 brothers. Shia Labeouf takes center stage as Jack, the so called runt of the litter. He is a little squeamish and has a real problem with the aggressive nature of their business even though he is very interest in the business side of their business. His brothers don’t really take him seriously and finds himself pairing up with his crippled pal, Cricket, who also happens to be a tech prodigy given the period. His brother, Howard, is like a Sasquatch. He is big, hairy, and dirty capable of taking on anyone in a fight. Jason Clarke plays him with primal ferocity without making him seem dumb. He is still seems at the very least clever. Forrest, the middle child, is the brains of the operation. Hardy plays him with a quiet demeanor. He seems a little awkward in social situations, but his dumb –foundedness is not meant to be underestimated. He is a force to be reckoned with. Together, they run a bar/gas station they use as a front for their backwoods firewater while the rest of the country says no to alcohol.

When it comes to Prohibition, a 1920 law that made the production, sale, and transportation of alcohol illegal for 13 years, I have to side with the outlaws. As a lover of not just the taste but the craft of great beer, the idea that the government would even think about taking that away from me based on some ill-advised morality angers me. Although, taking sides in this fight is lose-lose considering some of the bootleggers end up becoming some of the most violent and infamous criminal enterprises America has ever seen. These tyrannical forces are always trying to dictate what is right and wrong based on what is right for them, so the tyrannical forces always have to reveal themselves as greater evils. That is where Guy Pearce comes in. He plays Special Agent Charlie Rakes from Chicago. He is down in Virginia representing a District Attorney. They aren’t really looking to shut down the boys but rather get their piece of the pie. He also fits the weaselly mob minion than a respected law man. He is incredibly finicky and borderline obsessive-compulsive.

What follows is a battle of wits and bullets as the two factions go to war Hatfield-and-McCoy style. Sometimes that means quiet and in the shadows torturing each other and sending special gifts, and sometimes that means performing raids and shootouts on the town lines. Gluing all these atrocities together is a story of family and romance. The romance is sort of magnetic. These people just find each other gravitating towards each other. The closer they get, the easier it is for these parties to see beyond the filth. Because of that, the chemistry seems a bit off or maybe just weird. It is kind of like the chemistry in Drive between the two socially inept people. Unfortunately, I think it bogged down the pacing a little bit as the brotherly bond was a lot better. Or I suppose more interesting would be the better word. Howard and Forrest have this neutered relationship like they are old cop partners who are sick of each other but still need to work together. Jack is the odd man out. He just can’t do the right thing in his brother’s eyes no matter how many accomplishments he can get on his resume. Their idea of family bonding is sitting within vicinity of each other not talking. Regardless, their love and loyalty to each other is always apparent. It is true subtlety that a lot of these are depicted to us.

Truly the star of Lawless is John Hillcoat’s direction. He has this steady hand. He captures true humanity in the worst possible situations. He plays in the quiet moments, he lingers on great human emotion, and this adds up to a cinematic marvel.

Rating: 9/10