Set in depression-era Franklin County in Virginia, Lawless tells the story of some good ol boys and their moonshine. Combined with a new bad ass deputy and a bunch of other “parties” the Bondurant brothers have their work cut out. This ain’t no Dukes of Hazzard though. Lawless is a gritty and violent look at a by-gone era and is based on a true story.
Make no bones about, this reviewer is no fan of Shia LeBeouf and while his performance here is solid enough at times, his constant clean shaven look amongst scruffy ‘shiners takes you out of this incredibly authentic movie every time he’s on screen. Especially in the beginning. While LeBeouf may be used to starring alongside eye candy and robots, he’s out of his depth here with Tom Hardy and Guy Pearce who are simply phenomenal. And while it will be a struggle for him to shake his transforming robot buddies, he just doesn’t look the part here, granted in the latter half he does and his performance becomes quite good in the closing stages.
In the same way Christoph Waltz made Hans Lander compulsive viewing, Guy Pearce does the same here with Charles Rakes. His performance is cold and chilling, and you’ll savour every second he’s on screen. Pearce is equalled only by Tom Hardy, who's gruff and large exterior is a phenomenal presence on screen. But its the intensity in Hardy that will blow you away. The Bondurant brothers were thought of as invincible and you’ll take the exact same when you see Hardy pull of the most intense performance of his career. A supporting cast including Gary Oldman and Mia Wasikowska all do stand up jobs here and while Oldman doesn’t break much of a sweat Wasikowska is a delight to watch.
The story is straight forward enough regarding the moonshine, but its the relationship between the brothers that brings the movie into its own. Especially when Jack (LeBeouf) moves up in the world in comparison to Forest (Hardy) who’s quite happy to horde his cash. It’s this struggle that is made entirely convincing by Hardy’s incredibly intensity.
There’s a solid pace throughout Lawless and with a 2 hour running time it needs it. On a rare occasion it slows down, albeit incredibly briefly and gets going again. Visually it’s stunning as you are transported back in time to an utterly convincing vista of sets and some stunning cinematography. And while it’s weak point is LeBeouf, there’s more than enough here to give a very solid night of entertainment. Hardy and Pearce are worth the price of admission alone. A definite watch.
