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Shia LaBeouf, Tom Hardy, Jason Clarke, Guy Pearce, Jessica Chastain ... see more see more... , Mia Wasikowska , Dane DeHaan , Chris McGarry , Tim Tolin , Gary Oldman , Lew Temple , Marcus Hester , Bill Camp , Alex Van , Noah Taylor , Mark Ashworth , Tom Proctor , Bruce McKinnon , Erin Mendenhall , Toni Lynn Byrd , Robert T. Smith , Jake Nash , William Harrison , Joyce Baxter , Jeff Braun , Malinda Baker , Tom Turbiville , Chad Randall , Terry Keasler , Duncan Nicholson , Ron Clinton Smith , Anna House , Ricky Muse , Peter Krulewitch

Lawless is the true story of the infamous Bondurant Brothers: bootlegging siblings who made a run for the American Dream in Prohibition-era Virginia. In this epic gangster tale, inspired by true-life ... read more read more...tales of author Matt Bondurant's family in his novel "The Wettest County in the World", the loyalty of three brothers is put to the test against the backdrop of the nation's most notorious crime wave. -- (C) Weinstein

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76% liked it

98,969 ratings

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67% liked it

196 critics

R, 1 hr. 55 min.

Directed by: John Hillcoat

Release Date: August 29, 2012

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DVD Release Date: November 27, 2012

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Flixster Reviews (4,446)

  • bbcfloridabound
    February 12, 2013
    bbcfloridabound
    We are in prohibition time, in the countryside in Virginia. The men are tough and they enforce their own law protecting their moonshine businesses. However they aren't the cringing redneck cliché of many other films; this isn't Deliverance. This is a dark movie where it seems tho... read morese outwith of the religious community live and survive by force. In comes law enforcers from outside led by a sadistic sergeant, and we have an explosive mix.
    Again, don't get the wrong impression. This film isn't about gung-ho good v evil. This is a lot more. Based on a true story (albeit likely taking big liberties with the truth), this is about the relationship of three brothers: two are ruthless whilst the third (Le Beouf) is weak. They look out for each other and that's the real nub.
    Action comes generally in short sharp moments, but thankfully doesn't detract from the rest of the movie. Surprisingly some great acting and great camera work.
    Personally, I enjoyed this very much. Ending was the only bit I was disappointed with but rest was very good. Give it a try, you may be surprised with what you find. 5 Stars 2-9-12
  • cosmo313
    January 31, 2013
    cosmo313
    Based on a book inspired by true events (though how much of this is actually true is debatable), this is the story of Jack Bondurant and his brothers Howard and Forrest who ran a profitable business as bootleggers with their homemade moonshine throughout Prohibition in Franklin C... read moreounty, Virginia.

    The film follows them as they struggle to keep their business alive in the wake of the wrath of a corrupt and brutal special deputy named Charley Rakes, who will stop at nothing to get a cut of the locals's profits.

    Shia LaBeouf is good as Jack, the youngest, whose grandson wrote the book that musician Nick Cave adapted this screenplay from. Yeah, the same Nick Cave from the group The Bad Seeds. He's not just a musician, having authored a couple of novels, and one other screenplay besides this. He also provides the score, along with his bandmate Warren Ellis and a few friends of theirs, including legendary bluegrass icon Ralph Stanley.

    LaBeouf shakes off the grime from the Transformers films, and is quite convincing as the runt of the family trying to prove his worth. As Howard, Jason Clarke is fine, but rather underwhelming. The real scene stealer of the Bondurant clan is Forrest, played strongly by Tom Hardy, who is easily becoming a guy worth watching, as he's destined to become a legend. Gary Old,an is solid, if sadly underutilized as a gangster for whom Jack develops some hero worship, especially when he comes to his aid. When Hardy isn't the scene stealer, Guy Pearce is. As Rakes, he is profoundly intense, creepy, and makes for one memorable villain. Of course we have some love interests played by the ubiquitous Jessica Chastain and Mia Wasikowska, and, while the could have been given better material (and more to work with in general), they make the best out of what they're given.

    I do like Cave as a writer, and while his score here is fine, I prefer the works that put him on the map. I'm not opposed to his non-musical exploits however, as I found one of his novels to be, if nothing else, an interesting and curious read. His script here is okay, but very underwritten. It really doesn't offer much depth beyond the bare basics of the outlaw story formula, but it could have been worse. Obviously it could have been better, given the source material and subject matter, and, had it been beefier, it probably would have.

    I'll let it slide though, despite the fact that the film drags on about half of the time. I'm being lenient because I dig the subject matter, loved the cinematography, and thought John Hillcoat provided some decent direction. The period details and locations are nice too. The film is also smart about not pulling punches with the story, and indeed there are some grisly moments here. It's just a shame that most of the big stuff was saved for the end, with only a few moments of rough stuff here and there leading up to it.

    All in all, this is a flawed film. I should be a lot harder on it, but, while I recognize the problems, I can't deny that it was entertaining, and had some good acting. Give it a watch.
  • MrMarakai
    January 31, 2013
    MrMarakai
    The last film that director John Hillcoat and screenwriter/musician Nick Cave collaborated on was the 2005 neo-western "The Proposition". Four years later, Hillcoat went on to make his adaptation of Cormac McCarthy's "The Road" (on which Cave supplied the music) but now they are ... read moretogether again with Cave back on screenwriting duties. If you're familiar with the aforementioned films then you'll also be familiar with the sark sense of realism that they bring. This is no different and just as good as anything they've produced so far.
    In Franklin County, Virginia, in 1931, the Bondurant brothers: Forrest (Tom Hardy), Howard (Jason Clarke) and Jack (Shia LaBeouf) run a distillery and bootlegging business in Moonshine. However, the District Attorney decides to clamp down on the bootleggers as Prohibition is introduced. To enforce the law, crooked and unscrupulous, Special Deputy Charlie Rakes (Guy Pearce) is brought in to bring the brothers down but the Bondurant's refuse to yield.
    When the reviews of this film started flooding in, the opinions were less than favourable, leading me to lower my expectations. In many ways, I'm glad this happened as I found plenty to enjoy here and feel that the film may be a little harshly criticised. For a start - as mentioned earlier - Hillcoat has completely captured the gritty realism required. His feel for the time and place and eye for detail is highly impressive and it's accompanied by an excellently evocative score by Cave and Warren Ellis. From the offset, it establishes it's methodical and deliberate pace. It builds slowly but assuredly and spends quite a bit of time on character development; LaBeouf impresses with his, runt of the litter, leading role but the standout's among the cast are a brooding Hardy and an extremely corrupt and unsavoury Pearce. However, this particular path that it treads so well, is also the films undoing. Too much time is spent on some characters and not enough on others; Chastain has little to do but still manages to do well, with what she's got. The third member of the Bondurant brothers (Jason Clarke) is underwritten but again squeezes enough from the material he's given and still manages to make an impact amongst a high calibre cast. The most criminally underused is Gary Oldman, though. It builds his character up and then doesn't let him loose. Oldman is an actor that excels in these type of roles, yet it would seem that most of his scenes were left on the cutting room floor. Regardless of their screen time, everyone manages to pitch in here, though, and if this wasn't a talented collection of performers, then some would have faded into the background. The fault with this has to lie in the hands of Nick Cave and his patchy, underwritten script. The conclusion is rushed and unsatisfactory and despite promising an enticing confrontation between it's central characters, it fails to deliver. Maybe this would have led it down the formulaic path but I still would rather have that, than the ending we are provided. That being said, I still found this to be an engrossing, atmospheric and vivid depiction of depression-era times. It definitely does have it's flaws and if you scratch the surface you'll find a generic crime film but it's so richly textured that it's flaws are, mostly, forgivable.
    Much like the old Jalopy's that they drive, this doesn't quite have the mileage to see it comfortably to it's destination but it still a thoroughly involving, if occasionally bumpy, ride.
  • emilkakko
    January 26, 2013
    emilkakko
    John Hillcoat is definetly an interesting director. While his 80's film, The Ghosts... of the Civil Dead, did not make that big impression on me, it was his The Proposition at 2005 that truly blew my mind. That muscular and gritty western ballad is still his most accomplished wor... read morek as an director and possibly the best western ever made.
    After The Proposition Hillcoat went and made ambitious adaptation from Cormac MacCarthy's The Road. That film was grim but surprisingly tender take on a bond between father and his son. It was heavy on atmosphere and the acting was top notch but when it came to screenplay it was not that succesfull. Lawless suffers from the same kind of problems which The Road did. On the surface it looks great and the acting is once again right there, but it is the screenplay, written by Nick Cave, that does not stay together.
    Sadly, when the the film reaches it's final third and the tension should be gaining more, the whole film comes to an rushed ending which feels more like an anticlimax than appropriate solution to this bootlegger crime-opera. There are times when Nick Cave's screenplay overplays it's cards with characters that feel lifted from comic books with their overblown dialogue and typical gangster cliches. On the plus side there is the wonderful cinematography Benoit Delhomme with it's autumnal colours and the soundtrack is very appropriate.
    When it comes to acting i must say that for the first time Shia LeBeouf's perfromance was not that bad at all, while he still cannot bring any charisma in here neither. Tom Hardy is sadly a bit too much in the background as an character but actors like Jessica Chastain, Mia Wasikowska and promising youg Dane DeHaan, more than makes up for that misstep. Chastain is particulary strong as a resourceful Maggie.
    Lawless does have its flaws but it is also entertaining and solid filmmaking coming from one of the most interesting voices mainstream cinema right now.
  • itsjustme2004
    January 12, 2013
    itsjustme2004
    Ok...3 3/4's here. I am a Tom Hardy fan, but I can't say that I was comfortable with him in this role. As a matter of fact, I had to put subtitles on just to understand what the heck he was saying. All in all, though, the acting was top notch from the main actors to supporting ca... read morest. Guy Pearce is virtually unrecognizable as the 'baddie' in this film - and does an excellent job. THAT ALONE is worth a watch, because he runs away with this film, in my opinion....
  • YLOWBSTARDreturns
    January 4, 2013
    YLOWBSTARDreturns
    Not without a few hiccups along the way, "Lawless" is a great prohibition-era drama with top-level acting, direction and photography. One of the standout crime films of 2012.
  • fb100002384654145
    December 24, 2012
    fb100002384654145
    Based on a true story of the infamous Bondurant Brothers; this Depression-era crime drama has a lot going for it but slightly misses the mark on being the gangster epic that it strives for. The film greatly benefits from a wonderful cast consisting of Shia LaBeouf, Tom Hardy, Jas... read moreon Clarke, and Jessica Chastain. Gary Oldman gives a brief but still good turn as the ruthless gangster Floyd Banner while Guy Pearce gives a great scene-stealing performance as the disturbing federal agent Charley Rakes. Pearce manages to make the character fun but also so despicable that you still root for his defeat. Director John Hillcoat succeeds in conveying a gritty and convincing atmosphere of 1930's Virginia, with plenty of creative sequences to go around. It's a bit of the shame that the narrative does not quite work as whole though, as it's bogged down by an unnecessary romance subplot, lack of character arcs, and a too-good-to-be-true happy ending that robs the film of being thought-provoking in a meaningful way. Still recommended viewing though.
  • fb100000145236770
    December 22, 2012
    fb100000145236770
    Based on the true story of the Bondurant Brothers, bootleggers in Prohibition-era Virginia. This is a violent gangster story about family, chasing the dream, and remaining loyal to those you love. It's also about how indestructible Tom Hardy is. Great cast with Jessica Chastai... read moren, Guy Pearce, Gary Oldman, Jason Clarke, Tom Hardy, and Shia LaBeouf. This is probably the best performance I've seen to date by Shia LaBeouf. Tom Hardy does awesome as well, except his character tends to mumble a lot and can be hard to understand at times. The movie drags a bit towards the middle, but once it picks back up, it picks up greatly. When I first saw previews for this I didn't think it looked that good, but I had a couple friend recommend it, and they were right. If you enjoy gangster movies, then this will be right up your alley.
  • edfilmreviews
    December 14, 2012
    edfilmreviews
    "Lawless" is a mediocre film that just misses the mark to be something exceptional. With such a talented cast and decent director, I expected this film to be much better. But in the end it's forgettable due to the many flaws in story/character development.

    So let's discuss the... read more story. It's thin, boring, and doesn't really go anywhere. We are introduced to a conflict that seems like it will be engaging but unfortunately it isn't. This is because of the two pointless love stories that take away from the narrative. There's also a side plot involving Gary Oldman that could have been interesting had it been utilized better.

    The three brothers are so one-dimensional it's not even funny. We never really get to know them, and while the acting is great, the depth is lacking. Howard Bondurant, played by Jason Clarke, is so underdeveloped he didn't even need to be in the film.

    So "Lawless" has a weak story and weak characters. It's entertaining to some extent but could have been more so if it had better pacing. Getting rid of the countless side stories that have no significance seems like a good start.
  • jlewis07
    December 7, 2012
    jlewis07
    Lawless is a fantastically acted and mounted gangster film with plenty of pulpy violence and tension that only lets up during the final minutes. The only flaw I can see is that some of the subplots get shortchanged and not fleshed out enough (especially an excellent one with the ... read morealways underrated Gary Oldman). Lawless has an oustanding portrayal of prohibition era America and all of the acting is great. Guy Pearce is especially good as the vile deputy who just oozes menace from the get go. He is the kind of character you immediately hate. Shia LeBeouf plays the main character who narrates the story and he reminds me of the talented young kid I remember and not the actor who was wasted in blockbuster drivel. Tom Hardy & Jason Clarke have smaller roles than those two, but are nonetheless effective in playing the elder brothers who are very deadly. Jessica Chastain and Mia Wasikowska round out the superb cast. This is my favorite of Hillcoat's movies so far (although it seems I'm in the minority on that) and he continues to be a director to watch.

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Critic Reviews

Anthony Lane
September 3, 2012
Anthony Lane, New Yorker

The center of narrative gravity is hard to locate; for whom are we rooting, and does anything really ripple outward from this nasty local fight? Full Review

J. R. Jones
August 31, 2012
J. R. Jones, Chicago Reader

Fans of The Proposition will have to settle for sublimely evil performances by Gary Oldman (as a murderous rival) and Guy Pearce (as a government agent) and a large quotient of gut-wrenching violence. Full Review

Peter Travers
August 30, 2012
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone

With a dynamite cast, an iconic screenwriter in rocker Nick Cave and an Aussie director in John Hillcoat, you assume a new classic. What you get is an ambitious try. Full Review

John Anderson
August 30, 2012
John Anderson, Wall Street Journal

You can sense the filth, and smell the rust, and feel the ingrained poverty that might well convince a family of survivors (of World War I and the Spanish flu) to make their fortune selling moonshine ... Full Review

Dana Stevens
August 30, 2012
Dana Stevens, Slate

There's something at the movie's heart that remains flimsy and inauthentic, a kid in his older brother's ill-fitting shoes. Full Review

Mark Feeney
August 30, 2012
Mark Feeney, Boston Globe

Much of the action may be nearly as grim as in director John Hillcoat's previous feature, "The Road" - "Lawless" is very bloody - but the scenery and production design are a whole lot nicer. Full Review

Glenn Kenny
August 30, 2012
Glenn Kenny, MSN Movies

This isn't to say that there's not enough here, but just don't look for it all to add up. Full Review

Roger Ebert
August 29, 2012
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

I can only admire this film's craftsmanship and acting, and regret its failure to rise above them. Full Review

Andrew O'Hehir
August 29, 2012
Andrew O'Hehir, Salon.com

"Lawless" offers a compelling, gruesome and instructive time-travel exercise. Full Review

Bill Goodykoontz
August 29, 2012
Bill Goodykoontz, Arizona Republic

At its core, this is a film about men doing violence to men. And they do plenty of it. Full Review

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    • Forrest Bondurant: Jack, look at me. We're survivors. We control the fear. And without the fear, we are all as good as dead. Do you understand? Do you?
    • Forrest Bondurant: Have you met Howard?
    • Charley Rakes: Why do your friends call me a nance?
    • Cricket Pane: I 'dunno, I guess it's cause you smell kindy funny.
    • Forrest Bondurant: Jack, look at me. We're survivors. We control the fear. And without the fear, we are all as good as dead. Do you understand? Do you?
    • Maggie Beauford: You just gonna watch me forever?
    • Forrest Bondurant: Um. Uh, wait, what you doin'?
    • Maggie Beauford: [to Forrest Bondurant] Isn't that just like you to believe your own damn legend?
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