Lawless (2012) [Blu-ray]
Crime | Drama

They were brothers who became outlaws, and outlaws who became heroes...The three Bondurant boys (Shia LaBeouf, Tom Hardy, Jason Clarke), along with their sultry new hire (Jessica Chastain), command the most lucrative bootlegging operation in Franklin County, Virginia. The locals consider them "indestructible." But the law - in the form of a corrupt special deputy (Guy Pearce) - wants a cut of their action, at any cost. When youngest brother Jack (LaBeouf) gets a taste of power with a deadly gangster (Gary Oldman), the whole business blows sky high. Based on the astonishing true story, the Bondurant brotherhood is the stuff of legend.

Storyline: The three Bondurant brothers run a bootlegging operation during the depression, up in the mountains of Franklin County, Virginia. Crooked Special Deputy Charles Rakes is after a share of the brothers' profits. Compounding their troubles, the local competition is elbowing in on their activities. Forrest's boisterous defiance and Cricket's knack for moonshine production help the brothers gain a local monopoly. When Forrest is wounded as tension with Rakes escalates, Jack, initially the timid one, must prove his worth against gangster Floyd Banner's mob, and we see him metamorphose into a cocky exhibitionist in his attempts to woo the off-limits preacher's daughter, Bertha.

Reviewer's Note: Reviewed by Martin Liebman, November 26, 2012 -- We can't never die.

Bootlegging's a wet business, and that's not just a reference to the liquor. For every pint of the stuff produced in Lawless, there's about a gallon of blood spilled. That's not a very good ratio, not a ringing endorsement of prohibition, and certainly not very good for business. Lawless tells the story of Virginia mountain moonshiners at the height of prohibition, sharing the bloody details of their relationships, their business dealings, and the violence that followed them with every jar produced and each liter sold. The movie angles to ascend above typical era drivel that's shaped more by an excesses of gunfire than well-defined characters. The movie largely succeeds. It plays with an evident sense of authenticity -- which includes an abundance of plot-driven violence offset by a slight bit of humor -- that allows viewers to saturate themselves not in the handmade liquor but within the boundaries of one of the most dangerous and fascinating eras of 20th century American history.

Franklin County, Virginia -- "the wettest county in the world" -- is known for its thriving moonshine business at the peak of prohibition. Picturesque mountain vistas at dusk are dotted by cooking fires all across the landscape, but one family, the Bondurant's, owns the Franklin County underground liquor business. Brothers Jack (Shia LaBeouf), Forrest (Tom Hardy), and Howard (Jason Clarke) run a legit bar by day but produce the county's best moonshine behind the scenes. They hire on a Chicago gal named Maggie (Jessica Chastain) to tend bar and lure in more customers. The brothers -- and the other moonshiners in Franklin -- are confronted by a gentleman named Rakes (Guy Pearce) who wants a cut of their moonshine profits. The other distillers succumb to his demands, but the Bondurant boys prove a bit more obstinate. As Jack forges a relationship with local preacher's daughter Bertha (Mia Wasikowska), violence between his family and Rakes' outfit intensifies, creating a downward spiral of hate and bloodshed that cannot end well for either side that both operate on the wrong side of the law.

Director John Hillcoat's (The Road) Lawless manages to blend together all of the necessary ingredients for a well-rounded and captivating period Drama/Action film. Into the still goes flavorful characters, robust violence, a dash of humor, and even a hint of spicy romance. While the result may not be 200 proof, the film hits hard, flows well, and goes down easy. Even as the film devolves into something of a "revenge" picture between two warring factions in its final act, Lawless tackles what could have been a rather lazy way out of the movie with an honesty and brutality that forgoes cinema convention and just plain shows the audience all of the violence, not overly stylizing it or playing it through slow motion movements or accompanied by an obnoxiously big score. The film remains grounded through its entirety, whether those epically violent moments or the humorous breaks in the drama and action. It's that balance of genuine authenticity that makes the movie tick; so often pictures of this sort seem content to recreate a period rather than inhabit a period. Lawless does the latter, and it does it through a convincing character roster and top-flight performances.

The people of Lawless fit into the story and ambiance with uncanny realism. From mountain moonshiners to city gangsters, the film finds itself populated by a plethora of healthy, believable characters who all play a part in not just shaping and telling the story, but solidifying its world. Of course, creating "authentic" characters is a matter of interpretation for a film of this era, but the important thing is that Lawless so effortlessly takes its audience into the Virginia moonshine business through its character roster of individuals who look and act the parts with as much accuracy as they can muster, from script to costume. The trio of Shia LaBeouf, Tom Hardy, and Jason Clarke settle into their parts quickly and believably; the sense of family, business, and toughness shines through from the outset, and the portrayals give an honest recreation of confident people involved in a dangerous business. The actors distinguish the characters through their own arcs as well, with LaBeouf's perhaps the most relatable as the plot unfolds and wraps him into darkness. Guy Pearce undergoes a striking physical transformation for the part of Bondurant family nemesis; it's quite effective and nearly enough alone in painting Rakes as a viciously creepy period villain, never mind his grasp of actions and mannerisms that separate him as a genuinely awful individual (but great movie character). The remainder of the cast is quite good, too, shaping Lawless into one of the year's must-see films with one of the finest ensembles of 2012.

Lawless seems to nail its period recreation, and not just through sets and costumes. The actors live the time and violence with striking precision. The story doesn't necessarily make for the end-all, be-all of Gangster/Prohibition period films, but it does everything very well and nothing poorly. The movie feels a hair overlong but at the same time it never drags too much. It effectively blends its drama with sometimes hideous violence and subtle humor, making for one of 2012's better and must-see films. Lawless' Blu-ray release features high quality video and audio. A nice little collection of extras is included. Recommended.

[CSW] -3.1- Lawless seems to nail its period recreation, and not just through sets and costumes. The actors live the time and violence with striking precision. The story doesn't necessarily make for the end-all, be-all of Gangster/Prohibition period films, but it does everything very well and nothing poorly. The movie feels a hair overlong but at the same time it never drags too much. Now let me add that although I found the period portrayal excellent I thought that the storyline was not as good a purely fictional storyline could have been. It still rates as a once-is-enough don't-miss movie.
[V4.5-A4.5] MPEG-4 AVC - No D-Box.

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