John Hillcoat revels in survivors and their stories. From the bandits in The Proposition to the wasteland scavengers of The Road, his characters inhabit dog-eat-dog worlds governed by unspoken social codes. Law means little, honour everything. And dread lingers in the air, inspired by the fear of not knowing how far your enemies are willing to go to get what they want.
Lawless is no different. Set in Prohibition-era Virginia, this is a bloody, beautifully shot valentine to murder, moonshine and machismo. Adapted from Matt Bondurant’s semi-biographical novel The Wettest County In The World, the story revolves around the three bootlegging Bondurant brothers. They are: fearless and reticent Forrest (Tom Hardy), explosive Howard (Jason Clarke) and runt of the litter Jack (Shia LaBeouf.) When sociopathic Chicago lawman Charlie Rakes (Guy Pearce) takes over the town, they must fight to protect both their livelihood and lives.
Via the short-hand of throat-slittings and vicious beatings, Hillcoat conveys the unrelenting violence of a land at war with itself. Racial segregation and class divison are rampant (dandy Rakes sneers at the Bondurant’s “animalistic, hillbilly” behaviour and their rumoured “Injun’ blood.”).
But the film doesn’t make good on its early promise. A big mistake is letting LaBeouf’s insecure Jack take centre stage. Meanwhile the endless fights begin to feel pointless, as does an unnecessary subplot involving mobster Gary Oldman. In true Hillcoat style, the underwritten female love interests (Jessica Chastain and Mia Wasikowska, both impressive) serve only as catalysts for disaster.
However, the actors do their best to rise above Nick Cave’s middling screenplay. Communicating solely through monosyllables and grunts, Hardy brings a real depth to Forrest. And from Charlie Rakes’ bleached eyebrows and oiled hair to his eerily high-pitched giggle, Pearce is undeniably sinister. The problem is that his macabre creation is so stylised he comes off like a Batman villain in a Lenny Abrahamson film.
Ultimately, Lawless is much like the Bondurant’s moonshine – powerful but crude.