Lawless

I remember seeing the preview for "Lawless" while preparing to watch another movie. I instantly wanted to see it. Yet, the opportunity passed, and I wasn't ready to buy the DVD until I was certain I would like the movie. Although I was born in the late 1960s, my father was born in 1920. He often said he bootlegged himself to help the family survive as his father was a poor farm laborer. There were three brothers in the movie and my father had two brothers. Forrest Bondurant reminds me so much of my father in his latter years, it's not funny. Enough of that. On to the movie. Nick Cave nailed the spirit of the book and the music of the time. It was as if we were watching the real events unfold in person instead of on a cable network. I inherited my love of good stories and movies from my father. There was an even distribution of action throughout, and the scene where Forrest's throat is cut was violent, bloody, and frighteningly realistic. How Forrest Bondurant survived that, I will never know. I loved the unfolding romances between Forrest and Maggie. Their scenes were brilliant. Tom Hardy brought the character to life in a way no other actor could have imagined. His Virginian accent was flawless. He was a scene stealer. It was as if he was born to portray Forrest. I was less interested in the romance of Jack and Bertha. Perhaps it was due to the fact that Tom Hardy and Jessica Chastain overshadowed Shia LaBeouf and Mia Wasikowska. The chemistry between Mr. Hardy and Ms. Chastain was unbelievable. Although it was Jack's story, more or less, one cannot deny that Forrest and Howard were larger than life, as were the actors who portrayed them. I found myself cheering for the moonshiners, the supposed 'bad' guys and jeering the law, the supposed 'good' guys. Nick Cave, who also scored the music for "West Of Memphis," did so with "Lawless" as well. He captured the soul of music in those days, and the soundtrack is amazing. If anyone can make it through listening to Ralph Stanley without tearing up during Cricket Pate's funeral, has little heart. At the end, Mr. Stanley sang another bittersweet song that reminded me so much of my father, I cried the first time I heard it. See, in the movie, the brothers fight, but have each others' backs. That makes me think of my father and his two brothers. They fought like wild cats, but when one was threatened, they would all throw in the fight. In all, it was superb and I would give my recommendations. If nothing else, Tom Hardy's performance alone is enough to have this movie in one's collection.

Great movie, shows reality of the times.

This film has been out for a couple of years, but by reading this review I hope readers who missed it will check it out, because "Lawless" is a movie on par with "Wiseguys", "Shutter Island" or "Road To Perdition" as one of the best historically based movies of all time. That is no exaggeration. "Lawless" is the true tale of a family of brothers, the Bondurants, who, during Prohibition in the early 1920's, ran a very lucrative moonshine operation out of a remote Virginia county. That is, until a very corrupt and evil lawman played by the great Guy Pearce shows up and decides to take a cut of the pie. Unfortunately the Bondurants aren't the sharing type and are not easily bullied. The story is gripping, violent and even painful at times, especially in the tit-for-tat brutality that takes place between Pearce and the brothers. Shia Labeuf plays youngest brother Jack, but in this movie is not very believable, at least in my view. I don't care for him or his antics off screen. However, the movie is also starring the great Tom Hardy, the British actor who is taking America by storm, with an amazing depth, ability to change accents from his native British to hillbilly and in "The Drop", to Brooklyn-ese effortlessly. As Forrest Bondurant, the leader of the brothers, he is spellbinding - soft spoken but, when the need arises, a vicious monster that idiots who cross him soon find out. Gary Oldham plays a bit part, and that's too bad because he's great in the few scenes he's in. Hardy could and should have received an Oscar for his part, and one hopes he will get it after his outstanding performance in "The Drop". "Lawless" will be a classic tale of corruption and family loyalty. Don't miss out.

Im not into these types of movies, but my mom and dad made me watch it and its GOOD! I seriously thought I was going to be so disappointed, but I actually loved it!

Based on a true story. Life and bootlegging during Prohibition...tough guys, tough girls and tough times ..highly entertaining!

nice

Enjoyable movie,good quality.If you enjoy films about bootlegging, I would recommend.

It was a real action-packed movie a good watch

Very good, I especially liked the ending!!

The person I got this for said it was really good.

Well done movie, worth the watch. A must see.

Der Australier John Hilcoat drehte zuerst einige Musikvideos u.a. mit Siouxie and the Banshees, Placebo, Depeche Mode, Nick Cave, Manic Street Preachers, Muse oder INXS. 2005 hatte er einen guten Achtungserfolg mit dem australischen Western "The Proposition", es folgte die Endzeit-Odyssee "The Road" und sein neuester Film "Lawless" konkurrierte in Cannes um die goldene Palme. In Folge drei starke Filme, sein neuester ist vielleicht sogar der bislang Beste. Wie "Gangster Squad" handelt es sich bei "Lawless" um einen nostalgischen Gangsterfilm. Hilcoat legt aber die Prioritäten ganz anders. Hier herrscht nicht die Gewalt in der Großstadt, sondern im Prohibition Jahr 1931 erzählt er die Geschichte der drei ungleichen Gangsterbrüder Bondurant, die eine Schwarzbrennerrei in Franklyn County, Virginia betreiben. Der gehbehinderte Cricket Pate (Dane DeHaan) hilft dabei. Getarnt ist das Ganze als Tankstelle und wird von den älteren Bondurants Forrest (Tom Hardy) und Howad (Jason Clarke) geführt. Der jüngste Bondurant Jack (Shia LaBeouf) muss erst noch zum erwachsenen Mann reifen, wie die Brüder meinen. Inzwischen macht er Bertha Minnix (Mia Wasikowska) schöne Augen, doch die hat unter der Strenge ihres Vaters zu leiden, der noch dazu Prediger der örtlichen Mennoniten ist. Sein Idol ist der berüchtigte Gangsterboss Floyd Banner (Gary Oldman), der auf offener Straße einen Geschäftskonkurrenten erschießt. Jack wird Augenzeuge des Verbrechens. Eines Tages taucht ein parfümierter Special Deputy (Guy Pearce) auf, dieser gewisse Charley Rakes ist im Auftrag der Virginia Commonwealth Attorney unterwegs, die alle Schwarzbrenner in der Gegend zwingt einen beträchtlichen Anteil abzudrücken. Rakes Methoden die Menschen einzuschüchtern sind seiner sadistischen Art geschuldet, er zieht sehr schnell den Haß der Brüder zu. Ein unerbittlicher Kampf beginnt... und mit ihm 115 spannende Minuten, die "Lawless" zu einem meiner Filmfavs des Jahres werden lassen. Hier wurde großen Wert auf die differenzierten Charaktere gelegt, vor allem Shia LaBeouf überrascht in einer ungewöhnlichen Rolle, die er großartig gestaltet. Auch Guy Pearce als Bösewicht gelingt es trotz überzeichneter Figur eine hohe Glaubwürdigkeit für diesen miesen Charakter zu vermitteln. Ein wahrlich gut gestalteter Filmschurke, der bis zuletzt auf Augenhöhe mit den kampflustigen Brüdern bleibt. Im Grunde ein klasse Ensemblefilm, alle Darsteller - Jessica Castain, Mia Wasikowska, Tom Hardy, Dane DeHaan - alle sind perfekt besetzt. "Lawless" ist auch eine Hommage an die alten Gangsterfilme und darüberhinaus bietet er ein authentisches Bild der 30er Jahre mit Wirtschaftskrise, Prohibition und dem Scheitern des amerikanischen Traums. Die Grundtendenz des Films bleibt durchweg pessimistisch geprägt. der Kameramann Benoit Delhomme mit Oscarverdächtiger Leistung lässt eine brutale Epoche auferstehen.

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