Lawless

Tom Hardy is one busy bee lately... Oh, don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining.

Lawless follows the lives of three brothers during the prohibition, bootlegging moonshine in Franklin County, Virginia.  Things get a little more complicated when a new deputy from Chicago comes into the picture with a ruthless and unforgiving demeanor.  Charlie Rakes is on a mission to shut their operation down quickly and without remorse.  This film stars the "less is more" Tom Hardy, the "got something to prove" Shia LaBeouf, the wise and excellent Gary Oldman, the magnificently devilish Guy Pearce, the subtle but strong Jessica Chastain, and finally, the meek and beautiful Mia Wasikowska.  Each actor individually brought their A game, and for that they get a little more attention from me than usual.

Let me start by saying that Guy Pearce was phenomenal.  I can say with complete honesty that he played one of the most disturbing villains I have ever encountered in a film.  He is so amazing at taking a character and creating something with that character that no one else could even come close to.  I know it sounds like I'm gushing... but I can't help it!

Okay, okay, I'll move on.  Apart from the incredible actors in this film, which I can't emphasize enough, the plot is pretty incredible to consider.  It's based on real life events and real life brothers.  Through all of the near death experiences, you can't help but be a little floored that real men survived all of it and they lived quite a long time after these events were over and done with.  I don't want to give away the violence that occurs (and it's not for the faint of heart), but it's not something most people can live through.

So, if you're are going into this movie looking for purpose, or even a sense of plot direction, you'll probably be disappointed.  Since it is based on real life experiences and lives, the plot is not an expected plot, and things seem like they run on unnecessarily for a little bit.  But like I said, that's real life for ya.  As for the romantic elements, girls, they aren't going to jump off the screen for you.  They are simple and in some cases even childish.  Really, the film didn't even need these elements at all, but I assume it was to bring in more of a female audience and to be true to the story.

All this film wants to do is tell a remarkable story about cheating death, not once, but several times, even when all the odds are stacked up against them.  This is also a film that gives the opportunity, with a variety of unique characters, for actors to really work out their acting chops and try new things that perhaps they have never really tried before.

Alright... I guess it's time to conclude.  I give this film 8.3/10, because yes, even though the acting was great, I have to consider all of the aspects, and the fact of the matter is, the plot thins out from midway till the end.  There is really no character development - maybe only in Shia LaBeouf's character - and there isn't proper cause and effect, especially when most of the characters never die, and they probably should have.   So... I concede.