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Wednesday, September 5, 2012

Sheep Movie Review: Lawless

Lawless, directed by John Hillcoat and starring Tom Hardy, Jason Clarke, Shia LaBeouf, Guy Pearce, and Jessica Chastain is a gritty film that left me emotionally wrecked by the credits. However, I don't think the film could have ended any other way and is worth the emotional turmoil.

Plot:
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.

It's a part of the past that many Americans, especially of the younger generations, are quick to forget. Prohibition left many folks scrambling to take matters into their own hands and start making their own bootleg moonshine and bathtub gin. Add the fantastic sums of money to be made from bootlegging, and you end up with citizens and cops alike all taking part in the buying and selling of this illegal but tasty drink. This movie is extremely stylish and visually breathtaking to watch, it leaves you truly feeling like you're right in the thick of Virginia partying at the local square in town. I'll bring the banjo! Combined with a musical score that's on point and you've got yourself the makings of something really special.

Give me characters I can stand behind and root for! Lawless has its moments of really shaking the audience down with the emotional stick when it comes to its characters. I wanted to jump in and help kick some butt, and then laugh with the boys afterwards. The actors all did an outstanding job of knowing the characters and delivering them in a very authentic and rich way. Shia has a tendency of grating on my nerves, but I found him both refreshing and spot on throughout this film. Hardy brings the heat and passion like no other, he's gruff and probably smokin' a tad too much of the wacky tabacy but it all works out in the most delicious of ways.

The only downsides I found were the lack of clear pronunciation at times and the mumbling of lines was annoying. This was recently a problem in the Batman movies, like The Dark Knight Rises and it really takes away from the movie. I want to be able to hear what the heck the characters were saying! I can dig the accents but it's so frustrating when you have to turn to the person next to you (Shout out to my girl Ceci!) and ask "what'd they say?". And even worse when they don't know either. Some choppy editing from scene to scene left me a tad confused as we transitioned along the storyline. You add that the movie's core lacked a serious something and I have to give this movie a lower rating than I'd like.

Dirty cops that you'll love to hate and bloody realistic fights will leave you rooting for these backwoods brothers, this drama is one to see.

Getting 4 'girl what you doing in my bed' Sheep
KD

4 comments:

  1. Sounds like one even my hubby might like.

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    1. Oh yes, this is a male movie for sure. They eye candy for the ladies but a hard hitting drama men can get into for sure. I hope you both get a date night! Want to hear what you think after. :)

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  2. Tom Hardy is the man in this flick but the one who really runs away with it all is Guy Pearce who has never ever been as vicious as he is here. Everybody else here is great too, but he’s the one who steals the show, in my opinion. Nice review Katie.

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  3. This movie sounds great. I haven't read or watched many things on Prohibition. And I've never heard of the Bondurant Brothers. Great review, Katie!

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