Bootlegging brothers, brawls, and blood. The movie Lawless tells the true story of the Bondurant brothers and the blood-feud that resulted from their moonshining business in the 1930’s.
The movie caught my attention from the start because of the realistic action and emotional storyline. It takes a lot for a movie to be able to combine both of those elements. Lawless did it in a flawless way.
Jack and Forrest Bondurant are the main characters of the film.
Exceptional violence and brutality added to the movie’s rugged theme, while the story of the three brothers created an unforgettable sense of family.
Forrest Bondurant (Tom Hardy) was the ringleader of the brothers. Hardy did a brilliant job portraying the resilient Forrest, who would not “lay down for nobody” when his business and family were being threatened by corrupt officials. Hardy’s character hardly said any words throughout the whole movie, but he used that to mold the character and make him memorable.
The youngest brother Jack Bondurant (Shia Labeouf) struggled throughout the movie to prove his worthiness to his older brothers. Labeouf was able to capture the emotion of his troubled character in its most raw and pure form.
The character of Maggie (Jessica Chastain) was just as tough as the boys. Chastain did an excellent job portraying Maggie as a city-girl with an edge. However the character of Bertha, Mia Wasikowska, served a different purpose in the film. Jack’s wooing of Bertha, the preacher’s daughter, added some sweet romance into the otherwise gritty film.
Guy Pierce played the cringe-worthy villain of the movie. His character Deputy Charlie Rakes was the epitome of evil and unlike some modern action movies, Rakes was actually a convincing antagonist.
Lawless took place in Franklin County, Virginia, a beautiful setting that did not give way to the violence that ensued within its borders.
The blood-feud began when Rakes came into Franklin. He was from Chicago and wanted a share of the profit that the Bondurant brothers were making from their illegal moonshining business. When Forrest refused to give in, a war was waged between the brothers, Rake and his men.
The violence was shocking, but in a necessary way. It shed light on how cruel people can become as a result of greed and hate. It was also refreshing to see how realistic it all was, because it made the movie interesting instead of cheesy. The action was just as engaging as the thickening storyline.
I enjoyed the character development of the youngest brother Jack. At first he was the weakling of the trio, but soon gained stamina and found his way. He was unique because even as he hardened on the outside, he still retained his morals and never sunk down to the level of his older brothers who were bloodthirsty and ruthless.
Some might say that parts of the movie moved a little slow, but it was necessary to tell the story of the brothers. It also added a great amount of tension before the epic climax.