Some films are made as homage to the director’s love of cinema, such as Martin Scorsese’s Hugo. Other films are made to make us laugh, like Joel and Ethan Coen’s The Big Lebowski, and there are those select few that are made to make us cringe, squirm, feel our heart rise into our throats and keep asking for more.
Lawless is a film that falls into this category. The movie is a brilliant, but flawed study of violent men and how many moral lines those men are willing to cross. As such, an expectation of extreme violence should be kept in mind before viewing this film.
The movie is narrated by Jack Bondurant, played by Shia LaBeouf. Jack is the youngest brother of the moonshiners, and our only connection to the world of violence the audience is so unfamiliar with. However, the true stars of the film are the supporting actors: Tom Hardy, Guy Pearce and Gary Oldman. Together they form an ensemble on par with The Dark Knight Trilogy’s superb supporting cast.
Tom Hardy, best known for his performance as Bane in this summer’s The Dark Knight Rises, presents another Oscar worthy performance as the intimidating but lovable Forrest Bondurant. Hardy’s new character is the most violent in the entire film, reminding you of his iconic performance as Bane, but his portrayal of Forrest is an entirely new and a vastly different performance because he is, ironically, the most endearing character in the entire film, and certainly the one the audience cares most about. You want to give this big sweater-wearing moonshiner a hug from beginning to end as Hardy reminds the audience why he is a major contender for Oscar gold.
The film’s characters are only surpassed by its brutality. Men are tortured, killed and viciously beaten in almost every other scene. This violence may seem excessive, but the only true fault that it presents is that it is rewarded. These quintessentially cruel men are the only characters who are not forced to face their many demons. This is the film’s first shortcoming. Despite being based on a true story, the film plays out in such a way that violent men who cross the moral lines that we “normal” people are afraid to cross are the founding fathers of all that we cherish about our nation today. This is disrespectful to the people who actually formed our nation.
This flaw is merely a branch from the poor storytelling of the directorial staff. Many scenes are noteworthy and many images are memorable, but a handful are not. They failed to tell this true story about true characters with thorough veracity. All the characters, excluding Forrest, and especially Jack, should feel some level of guilt. Even after a climactic and life-altering moment in Jack’s life, the moment is quickly glazed over and treated with the same violence that men should disgust. Guiltless men are intriguing characters, but they are rare and should not be used carelessly.
Despite this, however, Lawless is an excellent and truly enjoyable film, with lovable characters and gruesome action. At the end of the film, you want so badly to look over these small shortcomings, see the film again and give Tom Hardy a big bear hug.
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
