Lawless
Directed by John Hillcoat
Starring Tom Hardy, Shia LeBeouf, Guy Pearce, Gary Oldman, and the lovely Jessica Chastain
 |
| I have to get this poster!! |
"Boardwalk Empire" for Hillbillies -- that is not the movie's tagline, but it could well have been used the pitch meeting for this gritty, violent, but beautifully-shot movie. Set in the hills of Franklin County, Virginia during the Depression (but filmed in Georgia), the film is loaded with moonshiners, evil lawmen, even more evil Chicago gangsters, and, of course two love interests for the two main characters (LaBeouf and Hardy): one a pure and innocent preacher's daughter (Mia Wasikawska, who makes the most of this under-written role) and the other a former stripper from Chicago named Maggie (played sympathetically by Ms. Chastain). How she ended up in this backwater is a bit improbable, but I for one am glad she did.
At the time, Franklin County was called "The Wettest County in the World" for all the illegal stills in operation. And the three Bondurant brothers (real characters) were notorious for flouting the corrupt authorities who tried to control their operations. I'm not sure what official role Guy Pearce's slick, big-city (Chicago again) "Special Deputy" played in all this, but he is the main villain on the law's side, and he (and his hair) make a compelling presence. Kudos to the hairstylist for giving all the male actors striking and severe haircuts.
Tom Hardy dominates the movie as the leader of the family, and he gives a daring, barely audible performance (he conveys a lot by a look and a well-placed grunt). Poor Maggie has to enter his bedroom stark naked to get a reaction out of him (and I for one am glad she did). Hardy pulled off an even bigger acting challenge as the villain Bane in "The Dark Knight Rises" (acting with that contraption over his mouth), making a name for himself with these unconventional performances -- let's hope he doesn't descend into caricature like Nicolas Cage did!
The soundtrack and musical selections (by Nick Cave, who also wrote the screenplay!) mesh with the time-period, reminiscent of the great work done by T. Bone Burnett for "Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?" I admire (but do not love) Boardwalk Empire for its attention to details like this, so I enjoyed this equally blood-splattered tale of America in the Twenties.
