Lawless - DVD Review

Lawless - 13th January 2013

http://themovieblog.com/2012/red-band-trailer-for-lawless-shows-the-grit-and-the-boobs/

Gangster meets western in Lawless; based on a true story, the film follows the lives of the three 'Bondurant' brothers, as they take the law into their own hands.

Synopsis

The story begins with the younger brother Jack (Shia LaBeouf), fancies himself to become the next thing to Al-Capone. He sees himself as the next big gangster, though in reality he's just a worker making the towns illegal beer supply. Next up is the middle brother, Howard (Jason Clarke), the muscles of the three and finally, the eldest and wisest of the brothers, Forrest (Tom Hardy). As their legend within the town grows, so does trouble with the new law enforcements. Will they rewrite the myth and law, widely spread through the town themselves?

Review

Lawless has everything; a Western theme, guns and bad guys. What more could a person want?

At the start of the movie, I felt a sense of strength and masculinity towards Forrest, particularly as he is the eldest and is trying to protect his brothers. As the story unfolds, the roles alter and the narrative mainly focuses on Jack, which allowed me personally to form a bond with his character. Throughout the film, we see Jack maturing as he attempts to care for his brothers, this is particularly shown when he takes control of the fight and stands up to the gang. However, this also emphasises that though Jack's experiences have made him brave, he is  still young and makes stupid decisions.

If you think Lawless is some kind of 'rom-com', then think again. The less significant, romance scenes are outweighed by violence and content which is bloody and horrific at times. But what do you expect for an 18 rated film?

Tom Hardy and Shia LaBeouf give strong performances and impressive portrayal of characters throughout the film. Though as much as I enjoyed Tom Hardy's performance, I couldn't help but think that he could have spoken a bit more clear, as he had a tendency to grunt, even before his run in with the gang. 

ASHLEY'S OPINION: Lawless is most definitely 'flaw-less'; with an outstanding array of actors and actresses, this star studded crime film is a must watch! The film is awesome and I really recommend watching it. You will not be disappointed.