A casual observation of cinema history might suggest that if there are two genres that have been done to death, it’s the Western and the gangster piece. Indeed, these two genres have been responsible for producing some of the finest movies of all time; The Godfather, The Good, The Bad & the Ugly, Goodfellas, Unforgiven. The list goes on and on to the point where, unless you have something really special up your sleeve (like True Grit, for example), it’s probably an area best left alone.
With that in mind, one must at least admire the chutzpah of director John Hillcoat as he tackles Lawless, a story of Moonshine running gangsters in the 1920s, but which, through its setting in Franklin, West Virginia, bares several of the traits more commonly found in a western.
The story is that of the Bondurants, a trio of real-life brothers who ran a huge moonshining operation throughout West Virginia during prohibition. The brothers are old, wise and mumbling Forrest (Tom Hardy), slightly simple middle-child Howard (Jason Clarke) and ambitious, confident but naive youngest brother Jack (Shia LaBeouf). As the family business becomes more renowned, the brothers find themselves under the attack of corrupt local officials looking to take their slice of the profits.
The most important thing to get right in a genre mix like this is the tone. Too slick and we lose the essence of the Bondurant’s rough-around-the-edges approach, too earthy and the appearance of the more stereotypical type of prohibition-era gangster would be jarring. Fortunately, Lawless gets its tone just about dead-on, the Bondurant boys and their territory appearing as a pleasing contrast to their slick opposition.
The cast is an impressive ensemble, with Hardy in particular excelling. Forrest is a man of few words, but immense presence, his ability to silence and unite a room with two-sentences is a world away from the slick fast talk so commonly associated with criminals of the day. He stands nicely in contrast with LeBeouf’s cock-sure smooth talker. LeBeouf has come in for some stick over the past few years, but this is a prime example of how, if you surround him with the right people, he becomes immensely watchable. In a testosterone heavy movie, Jessica Chastain is worthy of a mention, being far more than “just the girl” in this tale.
This film however, belongs to one man and one man only; Guy Pearce. As Deputy Charlie Rakes, he plays the perfect antagonist, a man the audience will never tire of hating. It is said that a great villain should not only believe whole heatedly in what he is doing, but revel in the honour of being able to do it, and oh my does Pearce revel. Rakes is terrifying not just because he is willing to do whatever it takes to achieve his ends but because he wants it to come to that. Pearce pulls of this near-sociopathic behaviour with style and panache, a more intimidating villain you’ll not see all year.
Aside from losing a little rhythm towards the end of Act 1 and a none-to-convincing side love story between LeBeouf and Mia Wasikowska’s wholesome pastor’s daughter, there’s very little to fault here. The narrative is strong, the setting and tone arresting and the performances all to an exceptionally high standard. Lawless delivers a highly satisfying slice of gangsta/cowboy action with an equal dose of those genres’ respective style and grit.
Overall Verdict: An excellent marriage of two classic genres. Lawless is smart enough and raw enough to keep fans accord the board engrossed.
Reviewer: Alex Hall