Lawless

Lawless - Dir. John Hillcoat (2012)

One of my most anticipated films of 2012 was Lawless, based solely on the strength of director John Hillcoat's last two pictures, The Proposition and The Road. Closest in spirit to the former, Lawless is a Prohibition-era Western adapted from The Wettest County in the World by Matt Bondurant, a descendent of the protagonists. The script was adapted by rock star and screenwriter Nick Cave.

The story is set in Franklin County, Virginia, where the hills are alive with the sound of moonshine stills. Bootleg liquor has become a lucrative business, especially for the Bondurant Brothers, who run booze out of their diner/gas station. Forrest (Tom Hardy) is nominally the leader, feared and respected for his legendary toughness. Howard (Jason Clarke) is a volatile war veteran. Then, there's the runt of the litter, Jack (Shia LaBeouf). The youngest of the Bondurant clan, Jack wants to become a bigger part of the operation, but is relegated to being a glorified delivery boy. He impresses his brothers when he lands a deal with feared Chicago gangster Floyd Banner (Gary Oldman). The Bondurants are flush with cash. Jack finds himself in fancy new duds, fast cars, and romancing the town preacher's chaste daughter Bertha (Mia Wasikowska).

The good times come to an end with the arrival of a big city prosecutor, who is more interested in getting a cut of the profits than throwing criminals in jail. Anyone who doesn't fall in line answers to his enforcer, a brutal special deputy named Charlie Rakes (Guy Pearce).

The story of Lawless unfolds through wildly divergent tones, which may be disconcerting to some, but plays into the dichotomy of the characters. Despite a frightening capacity for brutality, it is an absolute last resort for Forrest, who believes the bonds of family are most important. His credo, "It’s not the violence that sets a man apart, it's the distance he's prepared to go." There are scenes of extreme violence, such as a character getting his throat slit and a castration. In between there are tender moments in Jack's sweet courting of Bertha and surprisingly funny scenes. At one point, Jack and his sidekick, Cricket (Dane DeHaan) refuel their rundown truck with a jar of moonshine.

Forrest Bondurant isn't too dissimilar from Bane as both see Tom Hardy cut an imposing figure with a barely discernible voice. He speaks with a deep mumble and commands attention in each of his scenes. Shia LaBeouf stars in his usual plucky underdog role while Jason Clarke's Howard is hardly given any screen time to develop. The same goes for Mia Wasikowska and Jessica Chastain as a former big city girl with an eye for Forrest. Both are great actresses and the make the most out of roles that are sadly underwritten.  Meanwhile, Gary Oldman's part amounts to a cameo though he's excellent for the little time he's around. The spotlight of Lawless belongs to Guy Pearce in an eccentric and chilling turn as a dastardly dandy, bordering on Dick Tracy villain. Clad in a dandy suit with slicked hair parted in the middle and dress gloves, Rakes stands as a stark contrast to the earthy country folk. And, for some reason, he has no eyebrows.

Adding to the atmosphere is an O Brother, Where Art Thou-esque soundtrack of bluegrass tunes put together by Cave and composer Warren Ellis with vocals by Ralph Stanley and Emmylou Harris. Rather than choosing 1930's standards, they go anachronistic with an original tune, "Midnight Run," by Willie Nelson and a montage set to a cover of Velvet Underground's "White Light/White Heat."

Lawless might not match up to The Proposition, but it is a solid period piece with delicious mix of action and drama.

Rating; *** (*****)

The Road

The Road - Dir. John Hillcoat (2009)


”She was gone and the coldness of it was her final gift.”

Will the world end with a bang or a whimper? According to Roland Emmerich, the world will end with a shit-ton of bangs. In the shadow of Emmerich’s bloated and idiotic 2012 comes The Road, a haunting experience and a post-apocalyptic film like no other. The Road isn’t an action spectacle like Mad Max nor is it the misstep that was I Am Legend, which completely missed the point of Richard Matheson’s original story. Based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Cormac McCarthy, The Road features the same desperate isolation that marked the Coen Brothers’ adaptation of No Country For Old Men times a hundred.

Viggo Mortensen and Kodi Smit-McPhee star as an unnamed father and son who are simply dubbed Man and Boy in the credits. The pair tries to survive in a desolate wasteland where the skies have turned to ash and the landscape is littered with dead trees and abandoned roads. The Boy has been born into this nightmarish world and knows nothing of life before. The Man tells stories to his son about heroes and bravery. He insists they are the “good guys” and that they “carry the fire” inside. As they attempt to make their way to the coast, the Man must protect the boys from the horrors he sees including roving bands of bandits who’ve turned to cannibalism to survive. In one of the film’s most harrowing moments, father and son come across a house where human beings are kept locked in a basement, filthy and emaciated, so their jailers can feed on them, piece by piece. Just as these people have gone to horrible lengths simply to survive, the Man becomes as equally desperate to keep his son alive. The Boy still manages to cling to his innocence, believing that there is still inherent good in others.

No explanation is ever given for the end of the world and none is necessary. There are a series of flashbacks showing the Man and his wife (Charlize Theron) briefly before the devastation and later scenes showing them dealing with the aftermath and her pregnancy. An almost unrecognizable Robert Duvall makes a quick and unforgettable appearance as an old, blind man they meet on their journey.

I haven’t read the original novel by McCarthy, so I can’t compare the two. Director John Hillcoat (who helmed the equally somber and desolate Western The Proposition) fashions a deals with the heights that man can reach and the depths in which he will sink. The Road is all about human emotion and not special effects or camera mugging performances. Mortensen and Smit-McPhee are fantastic and utterly believable in their roles. We become as frightened as they are and feel that same tiny moment of joy when the two find a lone can of Coca-Cola.

The way the film unfolds will leave many divided. Some have criticized it saying The Road hops from scene to scene without much flow or driving force. Yes, the script by playwright Joe Penhall does meander. But, it meanders just as the characters that inhabit the world, making it a natural fit. The Road isn't the classic that many were hoping for, but it's a damn good movie.

Rating: ***