Director: John Hillcoat
Year: 2012
Country: U.S
Language: English
"Brazen and fearless, these young rebel brothers helped build the American Dream." I watched Lawless a week ago, though I was hesitant, a few friends recommended that it was a decent film. I'm no stranger to the Western genre, my favourite being 1969's Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. I also loved the Cohen Brother's ambitious remake of True Grit. I'm not opposed to violent films, nor films that shed light on the protagonist either. However, Lawless is one of the worst films I've seen from 2012. Like Ted, it has reminded me why I should avoid mainstream Hollywood films and stick with the indies and non-American films, because there are a lot of great one s out this year.
The film is about three Bondurant brothers who run a bootlegging operation during the depression, up in the Franklin County mountains of Virginia. The vile Special Debuty Charles Rakes (Guy Pearce) is after some of the brother's profits and local competition makes their troubles even worse.Forrest Bondurant's (Tom Hardy) need for defiance gets him seriously wounded. The often underestimated brother Jack (Shia LeBeouf) must hold his own against Floyd Banner's mob.
First I must note that the acting in this film is pretty bad. Shia LeBeouf is as stale in this film as he is in everything he has been in. He seems more of a fit in the comedic genre, yet somehow thinks he can make it as a "serious" actor. I don't expect any Oscars, or legit awards, ever for in man's future.The dialouge is un-interesting and sometimes cheesy. The villain, Special Debuty Charles Rakes (Guy Pearce) is too over the top with his acting. He would serve better as a cartoon character than in a film that attempts to call itself "realistic". Speaking of realism, when Forrest Boundrant's throat is slit open he merely holds the edges of his wound and walks to the hospital. Huh? That should've been cut from the film because it's ridiculously stupid.
I have seen very violent films and I don't judge a film based on violence alone, I loved Schindler's List and Battle of Algiers. However, the violence in this film completely distracts from the story. It's pointless and gratuitious, any sympathy or enjoyment from these characters are taken away by the countless murders that occur at their hands. It makes the publicity line "Brazen and fearless, these young rebel brothers helped build the American Dream" incredibly disturbing. Though I guess the history of America has been paved by the blood of many.
In conclusion, don't see Lawless. It has nothing intelligent to say and is full of mindless violence. The acting is sub-par and if you have any interest in the characters it will be lost by the ends of the film. I'm glad that I had the insight to download this as I would never give a penny to the people who made this film. If you are interested in a modern Western, see True Grit. I'm surprised that this movie has made any money, then again, there are a lot of mindless filmgoers nowadays. Piss on it! 0.5/5
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