Lawless
In 1931, the Bondurant brothers of Franklin County, Va., run a multipurpose backwoods establishment that hides their true business, bootlegging. Middle brother Forrest (Tom Hardy) is the brain of the operation; older Howard (Jason Clarke) is the brawn, and younger Jack (Shia LaBeouf), the lookout. Though the local police have taken bribes and left the brothers alone, a violent war erupts when a sadistic lawman (Guy Pearce) from Chicago arrives and tries to shut down the Bondurants operation.
Release Date: August 29, 2012
Runtime: 1 hr 55 min
Genre: Drama
Director: John Hillcoat
Producer: Cassian Elwes, Valerie Chow, Dany Wolf, Douglas Wick, Lucy Fisher, Jason Blum, Randy Manis, Ted Schipper, Scott Hanson, Michael Benaroya, Megan Ellison, Robert Barnum, Laura Rister, Ben Sachs
Cast: Gary Oldman, Noah Taylor, Guy Pearce, Shia LaBeouf, Alex Van, Lew Temple, Jason Clarke, Tom Hardy, Bill Camp, Jessica Chastain, Chris McGarry, Mia Wasikowska, Dane DeHaan, Tim Tolin, Marcus Hester
(less)Mature for ages 17+ . What would you rate it?
Rated R Some Sexuality/Nudity|Language|Strong Bloody Violence
- Sex & Nudity
- Violence & Gore
- Profanity
Content details via Kids-In-Mind
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Reviews
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Lawless is really a Western... the film comes fully alive only when it turns bloody. At those moments, though, it has the kick of a mule... Read full review here
December 12th, 2012 Details -
Review this movie!
August 1st, 2012 Details -
This standard tale of well-meaning country folks forced into illegal business by the Depression relies on a simple formula: Backwoods folks equal good and city slickers are bad. Nuance and moral complexity are glaringly absent. And the various Southern accents get switched on and off distractingly. The unflinching slicing and dicing is viscerally brutal, but without sufficient character development Lawless simply feels lifeless... Read full review here
December 12th, 2012 Details -
At its core, this is a film about men doing violence to men. And they do plenty of it... "Lawless" is one of those movies that feels like it's trying to say something more important than it really is. It could have been better, but with Hardy and Pearce on board, it's plenty good enough... Read full review here
December 12th, 2012 Details -
Lawless is a tense, engaging piece that finds time for moments of levity, darker comedy, and romance.... This is a well-made movie that deserves a higher profile than it is being accorded... Read full review here
December 12th, 2012 Details -
...Lawless remains more artifact than breathing work of art, let alone an adventure of throat-slitting impact. The punishing moments of violence will keep you alert, and perhaps cringing, but until that climactic shootout, much of the picture has a fossilized feeling... Read full review here
December 12th, 2012 Details -
There are too many action-movie clichés without enough dramatic purpose, and interesting themes and anecdotes are scattered around without being fully explored. This is weak and cloudy moonshine: it doesn’t burn or intoxicate... Read full review here
December 12th, 2012 Details -
...a morally tangled drama pervaded by a misguided sense of nostalgia... unsuitable for all but the most mature and discerning viewers... moviegoers will still need prudence to guide them through the ethical thickets. They'll also need sufficient fortitude to resist giving way to the visceral reaction the proceedings seem calculated to elicit... Read full review here
December 12th, 2012 Details