Lawless (2012)

Set in Depression-era Franklin County, Virginia, a bootlegging gang is threatened by a new deputy and other authorities who want a cut of their profits.

Director:

John Hillcoat

Writers:

Nick Cave (screenplay), Matt Bondurant (novel)

Stars:

Shia LaBeouf, Tom Hardy, Jason Clarke

1 win & 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Shia LaBeouf	...	Jack Bondurant
Tom Hardy	...	Forrest Bondurant
Jason Clarke	...	Howard Bondurant
Guy Pearce	...	Charlie Rakes
Jessica Chastain	...	Maggie Beauford
Mia Wasikowska	...	Bertha Minnix
Dane DeHaan	...	Cricket Pate
Chris McGarry	...	Danny
Tim Tolin	...	Mason Wardell
Gary Oldman	...	Floyd Banner
Lew Temple	...	Deputy Henry Abshire
Marcus Hester	...	Deputy Jeff Richards
Bill Camp	...	Sheriff Hodges
Alex Van	...	Tizwell Minnix
Noah Taylor	...	Gummy Walsh

Storyline

In 1931, in Franklyn County, Virginia, Forrest Bondurant is a legend as immortal after surviving the war. Together with his brothers Howard and the coward Jack, the Bondurant family has a distillery and bootlegging business. When the corrupt District Attorney Mason Wardell arrives in Franklyn with the unscrupulous Special Deputy Charles Rakes, the Bondurant family refuses to pay the required bribe to the authorities. Rakes pursuits the brothers and unsuccessfully tries to find their distillery. Meanwhile Forrest hires the waitress Maggie, a woman with a hidden past in Chicago, and they fall in love with each other. Jack courts the preacher's daughter Bertha Minnix and deals a great load of alcoholic liquor with the powerful gangster Floyd Banner. Jack shows off in Franklyn attracting the attention of Rakes that finds the location of their distillery. When he kills the crippled Cricket Pate, the locals join forces to face the corrupt authorities.

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Plot Keywords:

deputy | virginia | bootlegging | preacher | franklin county virginia | 

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Taglines:

When the law became corrupt, outlaws became heroes.

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Genres:

Crime | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong bloody violence, language and some sexuality/nudity

Details

Official Sites:

Official site Official site [Japan]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

29 August 2012 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Promised Land

Filming Locations:

USA

Box Office

Budget:

$26,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$10,001,566 (USA) (31 August 2012)

Gross:

$37,397,291 (USA) (21 November 2012)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Benaroya Pictures, FilmNation Entertainment, Annapurna Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

116 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital Datasat SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Tom Hardy's character was originally supposed to be slimmer but Hardy had to bulk up for the movie The Dark Knight Rises.

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Goofs

When Jack and Cricket are driving with the truck full of moonshine, the amount of crates in the back of the truck changes several times.

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Quotes

Forrest Bondurant: I'm a Bondurant. We don't lay down for nobody.

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Connections

Featured in The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Episode #20.193 (2012)

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Soundtracks

"Coo Coo Bird"
Written by Clarence "Tom" Ashley
Performed by Clarence "Tom" Ashley

User Reviews

"Lawless" is a film based on the true story of the Bondurant brothers whose moonshine business is threatened.

"Lawless" is a film based on the true story of the Bondurant brothers. The movie is set in Franklin county Virginia during the depression era. It follows the three Bondurant brothers whose moonshine or "bootlegging" business is threatened by some new members of authority who are trying to secure a cut of the brothers' profits . The film demonstrated a few flaws in its realistic portrayal of the depression era. There were a few scenes that didn't seem to mesh well with the time period, such as the paved roads for example. However the acting really helped to drive the time period home.

The three Bondurant brothers were portrayed by Tom Hardy, Jason Clarke and Shia LaBoeuf. Hardy played Forrest, he eldest of the brothers and the resident "badass" of the group. He nailed his character in my opinion. The accent he spoke in was perfect for the role and he genuinely seemed like someone you should fear. Jason Clarke played Howard, the middle Bondurant brother and the mildly crazy alcoholic. He also did an excellent job with his character. He always seemed to have his brothers' back, always willing to get his hands dirty and although he didn't display much emotion, you genuinely believed that he loved his brothers.

However, the Bodurant brother that stole the show in my opinion was Jack as portrayed by Shia LaBoeuf. Throughout the movie we watch LaBoeuf's character transform from a relatively shy young man into a power player in the business and a force to be reckoned with. His evolution as a character was thoroughly entertaining and truly riveting. I was pleased to see the relationships between his character and those of his fellow cast mates develop. Cricket Pâté, played by Dane DeHaan was essentially an honorary Bondurant brother. He was responsible for adjusting and perfecting their moonshine, going on ride alongside with Jack and then maintaining the "distillery". He did an excellent job portraying the sweet, simple boy.

The members of "the law" we're also perfectly cast. Guy Pearce portrayed his character Charlie Rakes to a tee. He was over the top and beyond creepy and really just the quintessential sleazy bad cop. Gary Oldman also did an excellent job with his character Floyd Banner. He was quite gritty and over the top.

Although there were several other characters that I found to be relatively useless in regards to the development of the story. For instance, Maggie Beauford and Bertha Minnix played by Jessica Chastain and Mia Wasikowska respectively were basically used solely as love interests to explain the "happy, they had a bunch of kids and lived happily ever after, ending". Well I guess they served their purpose on that aspect, but as for the development of the rest of the story line throughout the movie, there were really only used in filler scenes.

In conclusion, this movie was well done in regards to story, cinematography (save for a few small issues) and acting. In my opinion, you should definitely give it a go.