Lawless Review

• 8th Sep 2012

With a formidable cast, Lawless (literally) punches far above the normal prohibition fare to tell a story so inconceivably vicious, it could only be true.

Tom Hardy plays the scene-stealing Forrest, one of three Bondurant brothers. According to local legend, they are invincible and certainly live their lives under the presumption that they are immortal. Running liquor across the isolated hills of Franklin County, they come across a formidable new opponent in the form of Guy Pearce.  He plays Special Agent Charlie Rakes, whose determination to brutally destroy the Bondurants knows no moral boundaries.

Tom Hardy is absolutely spot on to play Forrest a man whose reputation for indestructibility is known through Virginia. Hardy is utterly at home in the role of the beef-necked hillbilly with a physical heft that makes his actions totally believable. The violence he metes out is ferocious, and the film is littered with squelching punches and the cracking of bones. It’s not for the squeamish and the unrelenting amount of violence means you can never really sit back and relax.

Shia LeBeouf does his best and adds some light-hearted comic relief, but is never really plausible as a moonshiner hell-bent on vengeance. It’s a shame because I’ve been a fan of his since his Evens Steven days (yes, I said that out loud), but he’s just out-classed by some heavy-weight players. His name above any of theirs is just ridiculous. Mia Wasikowska plays her minor role to perfection and does Jessica Chastain, but this is a film all about the boys. Gary Oldman makes a brief, but bloody appearance and it would’ve been great to see more of him.

Guy Pearce plays Special Agent with relish, you can see him really savouring playing the most terrifying of baddies. Despite his lawman credentials, there is no doubt that he is pure evil of the most merciless kind. Based on a true story, and written by a descendant of the Bondurants, I’d expect nothing less than a wholehearted attack on law enforcement at the time. If it really is an accurate portrayal of events at the time, I can only be grateful that it’s not the 1920’s and I don’t live in Franklin.

Maliha Basak