Lawless
is an adaptation of The Wettest Country in the World (2008), written by Matt Bondurant based on the bootlegging activities of
his grandfather Jack and grand uncles Forrest and Howard. Directed by John
Hillcoat, his first film since The Road in
2009, this violent exercise boasts an
unbelievable ensemble of actors and tells the tale of the three brothers – played
respectively by Shia LaBeouf, Tom Hardy and Jason Clarke - who utilize their
bar for illegal activities including moonshine manufacture and distribution in
prohibition-era Franklin County, Virginia.
When Special Deputy Charley Rakes (Guy
Pearce) arrives in town he pays the brothers a visit, informing Forrest, who
heads the operations, that he intends to shut down all of the county’s
bootleggers. When Forrest refuses, Rakes starts a violent shakedown, and when
things get personal, a war commences.
Lawless is plagued by dull narration, which is smugly nostalgic and glorifying, clunky pacing, a pair of pointless (not to mention preposterously unbelievable) romantic subplots and a lack of tension in what should be its draw card - it’s gun-toting. But the biggest flaws of all are in the irately unlikable and thinly drawn characters and the underwhelming cast. While there are glimpses of the talented filmmaker who helmed the fantastic adaptation of Cormac McCarthy’s The Road and the award-winning The Proposition (also penned by screenwriter Nick Cave) this all feels too familiar and Hillcoat makes some baffling decisions.
Lawless is plagued by dull narration, which is smugly nostalgic and glorifying, clunky pacing, a pair of pointless (not to mention preposterously unbelievable) romantic subplots and a lack of tension in what should be its draw card - it’s gun-toting. But the biggest flaws of all are in the irately unlikable and thinly drawn characters and the underwhelming cast. While there are glimpses of the talented filmmaker who helmed the fantastic adaptation of Cormac McCarthy’s The Road and the award-winning The Proposition (also penned by screenwriter Nick Cave) this all feels too familiar and Hillcoat makes some baffling decisions.
Most of the cast is wasted. It’s as
simple as that. Gary Oldman appears for five minutes at most and Jessica
Chastain is written a character who is given nothing to do (or say).
For two charismatic performers there was next-to-no chemistry between Chastain
and Hardy, and their romance emerges out of nowhere. Mia Wasikowska, who plays
Jack’s romantic interest, is so overtly Christian and pure (and forcibly
unobtainable) that Hillcoat makes the head-scratching decision of introducing
her petting a baby deer in one scene. She serves little purpose to the story
other than exist as a late plot device.
Lets be honest, Hardy’s performance was
ridiculous. While I admired that his cardigan-clad tough guy (there are rumours around the county that he is immortal) was a man of few
words and liked to let his actions speak in their place, his grunting responses
seemed to be a misguided source of humour. It is probably the weakest
performance from a man who has not yet put a foot wrong. Just when I
thought there was going to be a ballsy turn in the middle that might have
rekindled my investment, the turn of events resulted in the film losing me
further.
Pearce, in a performance so forced and
over-the-top it is hard to take seriously, portrays a man I am surprised is not
more maligned. As an effeminate, fragranced, sharply tailored, but motiveless
law enforcer he, for me, was nothing more than a poorly conceived caricature. I
might be alone here but the best in show was the promising Dane DeHaan (Chronicle), as Cricket Pate, their
moonshine manufacturer. DeHaan effectively gave his character – a pawn for
manipulation - surprising depth.
Lawless
has impressive costume and period set design and
is well shot by Benoit Delhomme (The
Proposition) and some of the soundtrack, courtesy of Cave and Warren Ellis,
is excellent. If it wasn’t clear in The
Proposition, Hillcoat knows how to capture violence and here there are
several scenes where the blood runs thick that prompt you to prepare for the
worst. LaBeouf tries hard all the way, but when we are asked to be emotionally
involved with a character so unlikeable (the completely unjustified sense of
swagger and self-importance that he carries with him for the second half), it
is hard to invest.
With
Hillcoat at the helm Lawless aims high (Cannes premiere and all) and with a
stellar pedigree and a gritty, dusty, violent, prohibition-era setting the
potential for this family-fueled revenge tragedy was limitless.
Disappointingly, it is astoundingly average and falls as flat as the hair on
the head of Pearce’s ridiculous villain.
My Rating: ★★ (C-)
Wow, I never expected you to hate it so much. I understand where you're coming from, but I quite liked it and I do think Hardy did a good job, so did Pearce. I agree that Hillcoat definitely knows how to capture violence, some scenes were gruesome! Too bad you didn't seem to enjoy it at all!
ReplyDeleteI fell asleep twice ... during the trailer.
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