Director: John Hillcoat
Cast: Tom Hardy, Guy Pearce, Gary Oldman, Shia LaBeouf, Jessica Chastain, Jason Clarke, Mia Wasikowska
Synopsis: A trio of bootlegging brothers in Depression-era Virginia come to blows with the vicious arm of the law…
Screened in competition for the Palme d’Or at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, LAWLESS is Australian director John Hillcoat’s third major feature, and his second Western (after 2005’s THE PROPOSITION). LAWLESS is a genre film made by a director who clearly bears a deep, ever-present love for the genre, and – helped along by a script penned by PROPOSITION writer and all-round Renaissance man Nick Cave – it’s extremely easy to get swept up in the big dreams and vistas of Hillcoat’s vision.
LAWLESS is also a film that basically sells itself; a star-studded cast, a ferocious batch of trailers, and a familiar cops-and-bandits tale set in the ubiquitous backdrop of Prohibition. Far from telling a tale unique in its idiosyncrasy and nuance, LAWLESS is remarkably by-the-numbers, especially for a big budget Western at a time when playing around with the genre is all the rage. One can be forgiven for excusing the story itself as predictable, or even cliché – indeed, by the end of the film, it’s greatest surprises stem from just how many of the proverbial boxes it manages to tick.
The film’s various characters also fall prey to this sense that it has all been done before. From LaBeouf’s plucky and resourceful underdog to Hardy’s stoic and silent old guard; from Chastain’s sultry but broken city girl to Wasikowska’s chaste but curious church-girl – every character wears every trait they have on their sleeves. There isn’t so much character development as there are simply events that happen to each of them which we then watch them deal with; even LaBeouf’s character, the main point-of-view for the film, only truly develops in fits and starts, and usually simply as a response to violence.
However, despite all the above, it is important to note that LAWLESS is also a film that really doesn’t benefit all that greatly from a dissection of its narrative depth or its nuanced treatment of history. This film is straight up entertainment, replete with action sequences dripping with full, rippling violence, and a relentless sense of momentum. Nothing ever stands still, there is no time to reflect, and considering the lack of hidden depths to reflect on, this is perfect. There is still a lot to be said for a film playing straight into audience expectations, just so long as it does it well. LAWLESS does it well. It’s an almost cartoony thrill, watching and hoping that the Bondurant brothers don’t get caught by the mean sheriff – you’d be forgiven for letting off a “yee-haw!” in the cinema.
The cast are wonderful throughout. Shia LaBeouf, an actor who has indeed suffered inordinate levels of criticism in the past, is completely convincing as young Jack Bondurant, adding a much needed dose of groundedness to his oftentimes stratospheric bravado. Hardy and Clarke are fantastic as the cool and collected Forrest Bondurant, and the often impulsive and always drunk Howard Bondurant, respectively. It’s always a pleasure to see veteran Gary Oldman in fully unleashed badass mode; and both Chastain and Wasikowska add a rather sparse but still excellent female presence – although with bootlegging Westerns, female characters are virtually always few and far between. But it’s Guy Pearce who ultimately steals the show, going completely off the rails in a ceaselessly enjoyable fashion as Special Agent Rakes, brought in from Chicago to deal with the Bondurant brothers’ operation. Pearce is an absolute snake, playing the most entertainingly over-the-top Western character since Daniel Plainview.
And ultimately it is this kind of approach that puts LAWLESS in its most accurate frame of reference. This is the most full-on fun you could have with a Western; an all-star cast doing what they do best, equipped with a fast-moving script from Nick Cave, all balanced by sure-handed direction and a heady dose of violence. Don’t see it for the deep meanings and subtext, for there are none, but watching Guy Pearce and Gary Oldman have the most fun they’ve had with a film role for a long while is worth admission alone. This is not a deep film, but it sure as hell is a fun one.
LAWLESS is released in UK cinemas Friday 7th September
