Lawless – review

Lawless, set in prohibition-era Virginia. Photograph: Richard Foreman Jr

The director/writer duo behind the critically-acclaimed Aussie-based Western, The Proposition, has combined again to stunning effect with the brutal and brooding Lawless.

Director John Hillcoat employs the varied skills of moody musician-cum-screenwriter Nick Cave for another stylish shoot-em-up and again calls upon the versatile acting talent of Guy Pearce. Pearce plays dandyish lawman Charlie Rakes, who is a sharply-dressed special agent from Chicago entrusted by the district attorney to clamp down on the bootlegging culture in Franklin County, West Virginia.

Set in prohibition-era America, as well as organised crime outfits running amok, there are numerous bootleggers operating in the hills of Franklin County, doing deals with local sheriffs to turn a blind eye to the movement of copious amounts of illicit moonshine.

Rakes is looking to shut the whole operation down and working with existing local lawman he makes clear from the outset that people are going to fall in line, whether they like it or not and if brute force must be used, then so be it.

Rakes may not have counted on the stubbornness and pride of one bootlegging group, the Bondurant brothers – local legends led by Forrest Bondurant (Tom Hardy), who is a mumbling but menacing character. When it comes to protecting himself and his turf, the man of few words is as deadly as they come, illustrated very early on when he clinically floors a knife-clutching opportunist with his fist – and trusty knuckleduster.

His compadre Howard (Jason Clarke) Bondurant is tough too, possessing a chilling glazed-eyed stare as he continually quaffs his whisky in a jar with abandon. Their legendary status relates to their apparent indestructibility: how they have defied the odds and death itself. Rakes scoffs at such small town talk.

Threats begin from both sides, but Rakes makes a big statement by giving the youngest Bondurant brother, Jack (Shia LaBeouf), a vicious beating when isolated. Repercussions are inevitable and as Forrest and Howard plot violent retaliation, Jack – knowing he is not physically tough as his brothers – tries to take a more cerebral approach, cooking up an ambitious expansion of the crew’s enterprises, instigating trade with a Chicago gangster named Floyd Banner (Gary Oldman).

Things soon escalate as a hugely volatile situation develops. The Bondurants will not back down and even though local lawmen start getting nervous, the irrepressible Rakes will stop at nothing to bring the brothers down. To say much more about the plot would be giving too much away, as the action that unravels is gripping, touching and devastating in equal measure and there are some truly jaw-dropping scenes – including one in particular involving Hardy that is perfectly offset by the spine-tingling notes of Emmylou Harris’ voice.

There is a subplot of burgeoning love, as women from different backgrounds – Maggie (Jessica Chastain) and Bertha (Mia Wasikowska) – become entangled in the Bondurants’ last stand against the law, with the outlaws seeming hopelessly outgunned.

Lawless is based on true story, taken from a book by Matthew Bondurant (grandson of Jack) called the Wettest County in the World, and whether or not the tale was embellished, it is one that has produced iconic performances on the big screen. Hardy and Pearce are the most memorable, but Shia LaBeouf is inspirational as a young boy becoming a man in the face of daunting circumstances.

The stylish direction and cinematography, amidst vibrant landscapes, is exceptional, as is the stellar cast and the evocative soundtrack, masterfully arranged by Cave and his collaborators, who include bluegrass legend Ralph Stanley. If there is a quibble to be had, then it would be about Gary Oldman’s limited screen time as the ruthless Banner, but then the film is not really about gangsters, it is instead a portrayal of pride and what a few men are willing to sacrifice to protect it. Lawless is an instant classic.

Lawless (18)
Directed by John Hillcoat
Starring: Shia LaBeouf, Tom Hardy, Jason Clarke, Guy Pearce, Gary Oldman, Jessica Chastain, Mia Wasikowska, Dane DeHaan.
Running time: 116 minutes

Lawless is showing at the Hackney Picturehouse until the end of September.