3 Thoughts on Lawless

1. My interest - I expected to wait to watch Lawless until the DVD release.  I had very little interest in it.  From the trailer it looked like another mediocre gangster story during prohibition; not exactly new territory.  My intention was to see The Bourne Legacy, but the lovely NJ traffic dictated otherwise.  I've been told by several people that Legacy is quite disappointing, so I guess some things happen for a reason.  I doubt Lawless will make it on my "Best of the Year" list, but I'm pretty satisfied with the it.  The "based on a true story" tale of the Bondurant boys was a little more personal than other films like it, there were some nice bloody "shoot 'em up" scenes, some nail-biting suspense and, best of all, a fantastic ensemble of actors. 

2. The cast - Let's start with Tom Hardy.  In the past 3 films that I have seen him in (Warrior, The Dark Knight Rises and this film - I'll ignore This Means War, for now) he has successfully conveyed heartbreaking emotion through his eyes and body language instead of relying on dialogue.  This amazes me.  He literally just grunted his way through the film and it was utterly brilliant to watch.  Shia LaBeouf is a little less subtle, but I've always stood by him as far as his acting is concerned.  Yes, in real life he's quite a douche, but on the big screen he has a charm to him that is hard to ignore.  He uses this charm well in this film, especially when courting Mia Wasikowska's character.   Guy Pearce is perfectly evil as a corrupt Government Agent, although the character is a bit overkill and probably the weakest link in the film. I would have preferred less of Guy Pearce and more of Gary Oldman (barely in the film at all). Dane DeHaan still reminds me of a young Leo DiCaprio, as he did in Chronicle (that's a good thing).  And Jessica Chastain.....Oh.....Jessica Chastain.  Simply stunning.  As an actress and, let's be honest, as a female specimen, she is just absolute perfection.  I'm not complaining that she spent a good portion of the film in very little clothing, but it was a little confusing when Tom Hardy was dressed in 3 layers of grandpa cardigans.  Is it cold? Hot?  Who knows! 

3. The running joke - *slight spoilers*  The film is based around the running joke that the Bondurant brothers were invincible.  A legend that started when they were kids, but became strong after certain events in the film.  I think this legend is what keeps the film interesting up until the very end; especially the end.  That last little scene with Forrest (Hardy) was a nice touch.  I think I will remember it for years to come.