Noutions Good movie, but best of all time? Hardly . . .

Tedfoldol everything you have heard about this movie is true.

CrawlerChunky In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

Dana An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

NateWatchesCoolMovies John Hillcoat's Lawless is the very definition of badass. Bathed in blood and moonshine, gilded by Nick Cave's rustic, textured musical score and brought alive by vivid and varied performances from an eclectic, grizzled cast, it's one of the most enjoyable gangster pictures to come along in recent years. It follows the rough and tumble Bondurant brothers, fabled bootleggers who defy prohibition and run their product all over the aptly named 'wettest county in the world', until the greedy and very corrupt arm of the law snakes its way into the territory. The eldest and toughest is Forrest, a grumbly, shambling Tom Hardy who's something of a gentle giant, until the straight razor comes out and he's not. Jason Clarke is Howard the booze hound, who has sour mash coursing through his veins and a temper to prove it, and Shia Leboeuf, somewhat miscast, does his best as the youngest of the three. The three of them run an idyllic little manufacturing and distribution ring spiralling out of their county into the nearby area, until trouble comes looking for them, in the form of a monster played by Guy Pearce. Now when I say monster, I mean it.. when the villain in your film is scarier than Gary 'Scary' Oldman's roguish supporting work, you know you have one hell of an antagonist. Pearce, sporting a sour look and parted hair that Moses could lead his people through, is Charlie Rakes, some kind of government dispatched deputy whose sole purpose is to make out heroic trio's lives exceedingly difficult. Cheerfully sadistic and ruthlessly corrupt, Rakes is a bona fide moustache twirling psychopath and Pearce milks the role for all it's worth, as per usual in his case. Oldman does appear briefly but memorably as lively gangster Floyd Banner, a shark of a businessman with a fondness for tommy gun tantrums resulting in vehicular mayhem. The film walks a line between two distinct tones, which can be seen in the characteristics of the pair of older brothers: Hardy is laid back, laconic and ambles along at his own pace, which any film set in the south just has to have a bit of, whilst Clarke is volatile, fired up and hot blooded, also needed in crime fare. So you have a relaxed, violent, wistful piece with a mean streak that sneaks up on you more than a few times. Any Ozark tale wouldn't be complete without a romantic flair, as Hardy is swept off his feet by mysterious, plucky Jessica Chastain and Lebeouf has an eye for a beautiful Amish girl played by Mia Wasikowska. The film looks visually magnificent, shot in broad, sturdy rural strokes by Benoit Delhomme, and strict, impressive attention to detail is paid throughout. While maybe not as gritty or mythic as it wants to be, or at least as far as Hillcoat's previous work has been (The Proposition remains the stomach churning gold standard), it's a full blown, R rated crime picture, something more than welcome in an age when the genre has had its blood somewhat watered down. Highly recommended.

sumrlovn-56939 Tom Hardy has such an on screen presence. It's almost impossible for other characters to hold up. I absolutely LOVED this movie. The acting was amazing from all involved, yes evening including LePoof. Especially Tom Hardy. The plot, the acting, the actors, and the setting of the movie was SPOT ON. They channeled the Bondurant brothers to a T. I've loved every movie Tom Hardy plays in, and this one was by FAR his best. Better than Inception, better than Locke, and it's a tie for The Drop. Sad thing is, for some reason, The Oscars and Academy Awards just WONT recognize his amazing talent. Love you Tom Hardy and love this movie. Will be watching it and re-watching it over and over :)

Screen_Blitz This Prohibition-set drama does not quite the reach the heights of the classic entries of the mobster genre, but it certainly offers a compelling, if somewhat flawed rendition of crime story set during the roaring twenties. The masterhand behind this violent tale is director John Hillcoat ('The Road'), who takes the pages of Matt Bondurant's novel 'The Wettest County in The World' and constructs a violent, but polished look into the sobering world of law vs. men where the law officials and the law breakers swap sides on the moral compass. Set in 1931 Virginia, this film stars Shia Labeouf as Jack Bondurant, a timid young man who runs an illegal bootlegging operation with his brothers Forrest (played by Tom Hardy) and Howard (played by Jason Clarke). When their unlawful business captures the eyes of a corrupt law official Charley Rakes (played by Guy Pierce), he and his henchmen including the sadistic Floyd Banner (played by Gary Oldman) make it their mission to shut their brothers' business down. When the brothers rebel against the vicious lawmen, Rakes wages war against the brothers that puts their waitress Maggie Beauford (played by Jessica Chastain) and their mentally impaired friend Cricket (played by Dane DeHaan) in grave danger. As a historical outlaw vs. law enforcement crime-drama, this one is neither derivative nor out of the ordinary. But it offers a riveting rendition of a trio of outlaws caught in the crossfires of corrupt lawmen who threaten to tear them down. From the cogent storytelling, to the sharp commentary of corruption in the law enforcement, to the sleek visual imagery of 1930s Virginia, John Hillcoat leaves solid proves that he knows the Prohibition genre quite well. The story journeys through a blood-soaked conflict between the three main character and the antagonist that though offers some visceral thrills, suffers from an inconsistent pacing during the first half and is a little uneven at various points with numerous subplots thrown crowding around. One of the subplots such as the romance between Shia Labeouf and Mia Wasikowska is somewhat charming and peppers a small dose of levity in the dark atmosphere, but perhaps doesn't quite sizzle. However, Hillcoat delivers just enough tension between the protagonists and the sadistic antagonists to keep the story in momentum. When our characters engage in violent episodes of western-style shootouts that end in bloodshed, that is when the tension reaches its peak. While these sequences show a rather harsh edge, they serve as the main source for propelling the plot.Shia LaBeouf gives an astonishingly sincere performance in his role that defies expectations from he brought to his loathed role in the 'Transformers' franchise. Tom Hardy is very compelling as the quiet, but stern brain of the bootlegging operation as is Jason Clarke as the more brooding brother of the trio. These three prove to be very believable as the main trio, and the camaraderie they establish throughout the picture is surprisingly quite subtle. The real force to be reckoned with though, comes from Guy Pearce with his powerful performance as the ruthless antagonist. Gary Oldman who is no stranger for stepping in villainous roles, is exactly many would expect him to be: a sadistic villain with blood for vengeance. Whether this performance falls in the category of Oscar caliber is debatable. Dane DeHaan delivers a nice impression of his role as the mentally impaired buddy of Shia Labeouf, a performance that pays fair nostalgia to Leonardo Dicaprio's role in 'What's Eating Gilbert Grape'. Jessica Chastain who plays their waitress is effectively charming as is Mia Wasikowska as the rebellious daughter of a church minister and later becomes the lover of Shia LaBeouf's character; nothing in the performance department to disappoint.Lawless may not be as powerful and enthralling as the critically crime-dramas of today, but is very engaging and entertaining experience with decent performances, a visceral outlaw story, and the fine script that works just fine. It is violent and startlingly brutal at various times, but paints an authentic picture on the crime life during the Prohibition era.

ryanbates-39030 I was very satisfied with this movie. I find anything with individual prohibition stories and tales fascinating. I knew a little about the Bondurant brothers and was interested to see how this movie would depict them.This movie is a good watch with a great cast. I think Tom Hardy plays Forrest really well, Shia LeBouf is actually likable as Jack and Jason Clarke does a brilliant job in the role of Howard. When I first seen the casting I was sceptical but after watching the movie I was really impressed. The reason why I didn't rate this movie any higher than I did although I really enjoyed it is because we as viewers did not see much immediate aftermath after Rakes was killed. I would of liked to see how the towns people/locals and law enforcement reacted instead of cutting to all the brothers happily married. I guess I am asking for too much as the movie is already almost 2 hours long.Regardless of my only negative the movie is drama and action packed with good casting and acting and is definitely a one to watch.