Martin Bradley John Hillcoat may not be the most prolific of directors, (just 6 feature films in 30 years), but with a John Hillcoat film you know precisely what you are going to get; gritty, extremely violent, male-orientated entertainments that, more likely or not, will be visually stunning and probably with a screenplay by Nick Cave. "Lawless" is archetypal Hillcoat. Apparently based on a true story it's set in Depression-era Virginia and is about a trio of bootlegger brothers , (Tom Hardy, Shia LeBeouf and Jason Clarke), who are targeted by a corrupt Deputy Sheriff, (Guy Pearce), and again Nick Cave wrote the screenplay and again it is almost sickeningly violent which means it's not going to appeal to everyone.Despite the talent involved, (and that includes cinematographer Benoit Delhomme and composers Cave and Warren Ellis), this is one of Hillcoat's lesser films. There are too many characters and too many star names, (Gary Oldman, Jessica Chastain and Mia Waiskowska are also involved), and too meandering a plot but even lesser Hillcoat is a cut above most of what passes for multiplex entertainment these days. Surprisingly, Hillcoat has remained more of a cult director than someone commanding the mainstream and maybe that's for the best. He may not be the most prolific of directors and his films may not bag loads of money but at least he has kept his cinematic dignity.

thisanant WHY WAS I ATTRACTED TO THIS MOVIE? 1.tom hardy is one of my favorite stars(best performance in THE DARK KNIGHT RISES). 2.I like movies depicting old timely American villages.I LIKED IT BECAUSE 1.a feel good movie, almost happy ending. 2.super performances by each and every member of the cast. 3.good story, nothing extraordinary but decent. 4.music is soothing. 5.larger than life character of tom hardy. YOU MAY LIKE IT IF YOU LIKE 1.tom hardy. 2.old American countryside depicting movies. 3.a feel good drama. YOU MAY HATE IT IF YOU HATE 1.larger than life characters.

Paul Magne Haakonsen Given the rating this movie had received, I was somewhat looking forward to seeing it. Although I wasn't all too thrilled about the cast.Story-wise then "Lawless" was adequate entertainment. It wasn't particularly outstanding, nor overly memorable. And I don't think that it is a movie that I will ever sit down to watch a second time.The story is about the Bondurant brothers who run a very lucrative moonshine business. Determined to cut Down the illegal industry, Chicago policeman Charlie Rakes will go to extreme lengths to be successful.While the movie does have some fairly big names on the cast list, it wasn't the lead actors who were the most memorable in the movie, nor were they the ones who actually carried the movie. In my opinion it was Gary Oldman and Guy Pearce who were outshining everyone else in the movie.If you enjoy gangster and mobster movies, then there are far better choices than this one, because it is about moonshiners and not really about gangsters.Enjoyable enough for what it was and for a single viewing. "Lawless" isn't all what it is hyped up to be.

grantss Good, but not great, and more than a little disappointing. Had heaps of potential: the (true) story was incredibly interesting. However, that may be the problem - there is too much to cram into a 2-hour movie. A mini-series may the more ideal medium. Certain events get glossed over. Some development of some of the more interesting sub-plots is required. Plus, we are lead down a few blind-alleys, plot-wise. The pacing is uneven too - better direction and editing was required. This said, it is entertaining. The movie is suspenseful and exciting and has a degree of grittiness. With more time and a better director, it could have been a great crime-drama.Shia LaBeouf is miscast in the lead role - he just doesn't have the presence or maturity for the role. Still, he doesn't do too badly and manages to limit the damage. Remaining cast - Tom Hardy, Jason Clarke, Guy Pearce, Jessica Chastain, Mia Wasikowska - are excellent. Tom Hardy is the pick of the bunch, as Forrest Bondurant.Most underutilised member of the cast must go to Gary Oldman. His character was a very interesting one, and deserved his own movie, but Oldman, for all his genius as an actor, only gets 5 minutes of screen time.Good soundtrack, the standout track being a hillbilly version of The Velvet Underground's "White Light, White Heat".