SYNOPSIS: 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 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.

REVIEW: Take a good look Hollywood; this is how you produce a great action movie that offers real entertainment value that will stand the test of time. Combine a great storyline, add skilled actors, sprinkle with the right amount of violence and romance for added flavor, and voilà you have the makings of Oscar-worthiness. The Proposition Writer Nick Cave and Director John Hillcoat, are back at it again. This talented duo literally knocked this one out of the ballpark with an all-star lineup reminiscent of action flicks such as Gangs of New York and Brian De Palmer/Kevin Costner’s The Untouchables. This real-life storyline was virtually brought to life with the likes of Shia LaBeouf (Transformers), Tom Hardy (Inception) and Jason Clarke (Public Enemies). They are superb together as siblings, with support from veteran “bad guys,” such as Gary Oldman and Guy Pearce.

LaBeouf goes the distance, to play the role of weakling little brother whose destiny is to man up and protect the family’s reputation of being “immortals”. His character brings out the dynamics of his skill set and drives him in to some of his finest acting, to date. He is absolutely spot-on in this role. As well, Hardy utilizes his bulky and often clumsy demeanor in the most awkward ways to play Forrest Bondurant, an outwardly arrogant Hillbilly who lacks tolerance for big-city folks and corrupt lawmen. His display of brawn with equal panache adds to the undertow of this movie and makes for one of the most interesting characters. Furthermore, I really enjoyed how Guy Pearce brought the antagonist role to life with his psychopathic arrogance and hatred for Southerners. His character pretty much sported a slicked-back, middle-parted hair-do, and barely visible eyebrows that made him nearly unrecognizable onscreen and added to the callousness of his character. He portrays the epitome of Lawmen walking the fine line between being law enforcement and being a gangster. He is awesome in this role and is well supported by Oldman’s Tommy-gun slinging character in the mobster role of Floyd Banner.

Needless to say, I thoroughly enjoyed this movie and if it was possible, I would give it a whopping six stars, but unfortunately I only rate out of five, so five out of five is the best I can do at this moment. Nevertheless, I am delighted to recommend this movie as one of the best action movies of the fall and it should certainly not be missed. It is a must see!

Review By Movie-Man Stan 

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