Lawless Review
3/4 Stars
A Grim and Gruesome "Western"
It's funny. I've stated I'm not a big fan of violence in movies. Yet there I was, watching people stab others with knives, slit throats, and merciless beatings plus tar and feathering. The violence however is needed to make its point. While the actual plot was little confusing at time, it had great and dedicated actors throughout. Here is a brief summary:
It's the early 1930s in Virginia. Cars are emerging, and things are changing. However corruption is always there. The film centers around three (actually real) brothers, Jack (Shia LeBeouf), Forrest (Tom Hardy), and Howard Bondurant (Jason Clarke) and also their friend Cricket (Dane DeHann). They are making their living making illegal moonshine. One day new Deputy Rakes (Guy Pearce) demands half of the brother's profit. Jack refuses so Rakes beats him up. Realizing this guy means business, the brothers will have to evade the law to end the corruption. Love interests Maggie (Jessica Chastain), and Bertha (Mia Wasikowska) add complications along their hard journey.
It's quite shocking to see how cruel people were to each other back then. It seemed that as long as you had the power and money, it didn't matter how many lives had to be lost to maintain it. Also, while more graphic violence than I prefer, Lawless benefits from its great cast and an interesting enough adventure.