NOTICE: Polish Release, cover may contain Polish text/markings. The disk DOES NOT have English audio and subtitles. Set in Depression-era Franklin County, Virginia, a trio of bootlegging brothers are threatened by a new special deputy and other autho…
There’s an awful lot to like about Lawless. In front of the camera, it boasts a far stronger than you might expect leading performance from Shia LaBeouf, for instance. Playing alongside him is the screen-dominating Tom Hardy, taking the role of his brother. They’re two of the three Bondurant brothers, living out in Virginia during the time of prohibition, and trying to keep a supply of alcohol running. This means there’s also room for Gary Oldman’s brief appearance as a mobster you wouldn’t want to mess with, and Guy Pearce’s scene-stealing federal agent.
It’s a bit of a muddled film at times in truth, but Lawless, at its best, is gripping entertainment. Stylishly put together by director John Hillcoat, whose earlier The Proposition is an excellent companion piece, Lawless also boasts excellent music from Nick Cave. Cave also penned the screenplay.
Interspersed with excellent acting, humour and sudden violence, Lawless is very much worth a watch. The disc’s package of extras doesn’t make as much of the source material as you’d hope, though. It’s a decent selection that you get, it’s just there’s room for a far more forensic look at the period, and the particular characters that inspired the film.
Still, it’s a strong movie, that overcomes a few problems to more than justify the investment in it. Recommended, and do check out The Proposition if you’ve not seen it, too. —Jon Foster