Plot: What’s it about?
2012’s Lawless assembles not only a large cast of well-known actors, but also, a very talented one. It’s set during the during the early 1930’s during the prohibition era. It focuses on three brothers and their efforts to make moonshine and sell it illegally. Tom Hardy (still bulked up from his role as Bane in “The Dark Knight Rises”) stars as Forrest Bondurant. Forrest is the oldest brother who also keeps everyone in line. He doesn’t speak much and when he does it’s often in mumbled words. Jason Clarke plays another brother (Howard). He is a bit more passive than the other two. Shia LaBeouf plays the youngest brother, Jack. Clearly, he isn’t as tough as Forrest and is a bit out of his league when dealing with some of the aspects of the business they’re running. The film is fact-based and offers an involving, gritty take on the moonshine business. Gary Oldman (in what is unfortunately a wasted role) shows up in a few scenes. He plays Floyd Banner, he murders a competitor in broad daylight and Jack witnesses the whole thing, they exchange looks as well. It’s obvious that Jack admires Floyd, he runs and brags about seeing this. He also collects the shells from his gun. Things become complicated when Charlie Rakes (Guy Pearce) shows up. Rakes plans on cutting into the business and splitting profit with the Bondurant brothers. Needless to say, the brothers don’t think very much of this idea and this sets the wheels in motion. It’s sad that Pearce didn’t even receive an Oscar nod for his performance here. He truly creates a remarkable villain here. He’s sharply dressed, threatening and hair slicked straight down the middle with the part clearly defined down the middle. Rakes is warned about the brothers and how Forrest is perceived as immortal. He shuts this notion down quickly by saying “you have any idea what a Thompson machine gun does to immortal?”. There are also a couple of female characters that deserve mention as well. Jessica Chastain shows up as Maggie, she is looking for a job and eventually gets one working at a bar owned by the brothers. Mia WasiKowska plays Bertha. She and Jack eventually begin a relationship.
Director John Hillcoat has not only assembled a fine cast, but successfully recreates this world flawlessly. The details are always clear throughout in the cinematography, clothing, the classic cars and the overall look of the film. It recreates the era appropriately. The film is also appropriately paced, building to a blood-soaked climax. It definitely earns its R rating. In fact, it might be too gritty for some, but I appreciated that it dived head first into this world, so to speak. Too often films will cop-out and feel watered down, but not here. There are also a number of gripping and tense moments throughout, including a shocking scene where we think a character has just been killed. This particular character seems to tempt fate on more than a few occasions. One interesting thing about the film is that the heroes and the villains aren’t always cut and dry. Clearly, the Bondurant brothers are the protagonists, but they aren’t exactly running an honorable business by bootlegging. I mentioned the Gary Oldman character and Oldman does great work as always, but he has what doesn’t amount to ten minutes of screen-time here. I just wish he was given more to do, but at least he does his best with the limited role. Guy Pearce is probably one of the more interesting characters in the movie. He plays the kind of villain that you love to hate. He hardly resembles the character he played in last summer’s “Iron Man 3”. I wish he brought the passion seen here to that role, it might’ve made for a much more successful character. The film was rather forgotten after its brief theatrical run, but is well worth your time. The cast is great, the action plentiful and direction sharp. I was involved throughout.
Video: How’s it look?
The transfer here is top notch. This is the kind of film that lends itself nicely to HD. The details in the clothing and various textures are enhanced greatly. There isn’t a trace of grain or debris to be found, the print is flawless and pristine. I counted a few stray heads on some of the actors stubble and hairs. Flesh tones were even and accurate and when the blood starts to pour, it is displayed with rich detail. Some of the actors have wrinkles and those are displayed with vast details too. Background detail is constantly clear, often showing imperfections perfectly, such as holes in doors or rust on a few items. I spotted a few dents in some of the classic cars too as well as dirt marks on the windshield among other things. The transfer is AVC encoded and comes in a 2.40:1 ratio. This will please fans.
Audio: How’s it sound?
The DTS HD track is also strong with clear vocals and a nice rumble throughout. The rear channels get enough usage and the music in some scenes is strong as well. The climax where the bullets fly left and right give plenty of range, making good use of background noise. There’s a scene when a car engine stalls in one scene, the roar of the engine comes out loud and clear. This track is not only a great companion to the film, but also to the strong video transfer as well. It is strong and balanced and does justice to the film.
Supplements: What are the extras?
Anchor Bay has done a great job with this disc. The extras are entertaining and informative. They provide a nice background on the story on which this film is based. It’s a 3-disc set with a DVD copy and Digital copy disc. The supplements are as follows.
- Commentary – Director John Hillcoat and Author Matt Bondurant provide a track to accompany the film.
- Deleted Scenes – Six scenes are included, most are extensions to existing scenes. They’re OK, but were wisely deleted.
- Lawless: The True Story of the Wettest County in the World – This program gives a nice, detailed overview of the story. We hear a lot of the true facts and how the prohibition era was the beginning of the end for the brothers.
- Franklin County, Virginia: Then and Now – This is a short (6 minute) piece that discusses Franklin county many decades ago and compares it to the modern age. History buffs should enjoy this as it provides some good notes.
- The Story of the Bondurant Family – Author Matt Bondurant provides background notes on the bondurant family. We see some old photos of the family as well as notes about his novel and the film.
- Music Video by Willie Nelson
- Trailers
- Digital Copy
