Big Screen Blurb: Lawless

Three things became glaringly obvious to me as I watched Lawless. One, I could never have lived in the 20's. Second, there has never been a movie title more accurately describe or detail a flick than Lawless. Finally, and this is probably the most glaring: See this movie, based on a true story!

It's the 1920's. The Bondurant brothers live in Virginia and live somewhat outside of the law. They are moonshine runners in the era of prohibition. I say 'somewhat' outside of the law because the local law enforcers don't really do much to enforce said law. At least not as long as they are given a case or two of the good stuff. So, Forrest (Tom Hardy) along with his younger brother, Howard (Jason Clarke) and their baby brother, Jack (Shia Labeouf), run their local tavern and even more moonshine. It's a rough world, but all is well. That's when trouble shows up in the form of the Feds. Charlie Rakes (Guy Pearce) is in charge of the effort. He and his boss are willing to play ball with the Bondurant's for a cut. When the brothers are unwilling to cut the big boys in on the deal, all hell...quite literally...breaks loose. It's a long series of punch-counter-punch as the feds put the heat on the Bondurant's in an effort to shut them down. Yadayadayada...The law is anything but legal, while the brothers operate with equal reckless abandon.

It's good...very good actually. I'll go with 4.0 Stars here. This is a violent movie, which comes as no surprise, but it is not a gore-fest from the Tarantino-esque ranks. This story is about its characters. It's about their relationships; their pain, progress and grit. Lawless is a period piece that captures a time brilliantly within the confines of an interesting tale. There are two polarized views of life here: the pure and the purely violent. Whether it is the gangster, Floyd Banner (Gary Oldman), who I would have liked to have seen more of, or Jack's crush on a girl who is a good barn-raising away from being Amish, there are distinct boundaries between the bloodshedders and the innocent. That paints an interesting landscape.

The beauty of Lawless, however, is found in its characters. They truly make this movie fascinating. You're talking about Jack, the runt of a rough litter, who truly grows over the course of these 115 minutes. Shia captured something special here in this character, but if you want a special performance, check out Tom Hardy's portrayal of Forest. This guy got some good recognition for Bronson; however, his Bane in The Dark Knight Rises really didn't get its due respect. Most likely, this was because of the thick accent and the mask. There's no mask here--just a tough guy, who is bright enough to be dangerous and demanding enough to be successful. Jason Clarke was solid, as well, with his Howard Bondurant. Of course, Gary Oldman was is typical great self and Guy Pearce really makes you loathe his character, which was, of course, the goal since we're supposed to be rooting for some guys who are just as lawless as he is.

This is definitely one to see and see BIG. That is, unless you can't take any violence than a skip is in order. If, however, you can skillfully time several 'close-your-eyes' moments, you'll find a gem.

True...OUT!