My anticipation for Lawless has skyrocketed over the last few weeks. I spent a good chunk of my recent vacation reading Matt Bondurant's excellent novel, The Wettest County in the World, from which the film is based, and I can't imagine a better director to lead it than John Hillcoat(The Proposition). Set during the Prohibition era, the story follows the three Bondurant brothers, Jack(Shia Labeouf), Forrest(Tom Hardy), and older brother Howard(Jason Clarke) as they try to avoid the corrupt law enforcement officials and keep their illegal moonshine business afloat in Franklin County, VA.
We've seen some photos from the film before, but never one featuring all three men together, and now that I've read the book something doesn't seem quite right. But first, here's the official synopsis that has been released...
Gangster meets Western in LAWLESS, the true story of the freewheelin’ Bondurant brothers, bootlegging siblings taking the law into their own hands. This is the story of the rural hard-men that created the big city gangsters. Brazen and fearless, these young rebel brothers helped build the American Dream in this exuberant tale of what was to become crime’s first major gold rush. The youngest brother, JACK (Shia LaBeouf), fancies himself the next Al Capone; he dreams of sharp suits, guns, girls and fast cars, no matter the cost. Ambitious and impulsive, he takes the family’s small-scale moonshining operation to the big leagues, to impress the gorgeous but off-limits Amish girl, BERTHA (Mia Wasikowska). The middle brother, HOWARD (Jason Clarke), is the brawling muscle – loyal but reckless – never one to turn down a taste of white lightning. And eldest brother, FORREST (Tom Hardy), reluctantly accepts the changing times with grace and grit, leading the family with strength of character and silent determination against the beginnings of corporate greed. An enigmatic and stunning MAGGIE (Jessica Chastain) comes to town with a hidden past, igniting his passion and almost saving him in the process. As the Bondurants’ legend grows, so too does the danger, and it’s not long before the brothers must face the consequences of their transgressions, or rewrite the myth and the law themselves.
Ok, there must have been a screw up somewhere in the marketing department, because Howard is not the middle Bondurant brother. Forrest is. The descriptions are dead on, however, although I wouldn't call Jack someone who will do anything necessary "no matter the cost". He's the weakest of the brothers by far, the one with all the big dreams of a brighter future, and not at all as violent as Forrest and Howard.
Another thing that bugs me, and this isn't the fault of The Weinstein Company or Hillcoat, is Tom Hardy as Forrest. When he was cast in the film, he was noticeably slimmer, and would have fit the role perfectly. But thanks to being cast in both Warrior and The Dark Knight Rises, Hardy bulked up and now would be a better fit for the Howard role. Howard is the quiet brother, an ex-military man and very similar in personality to the character Hardy portrayed in Warrior. One thing I certainly can't complain about is Jessica Chastain as the mysterious Maggie, who is something like a small town Marilyn Monroe with the way she captures men's hearts but stays mostly at a distance from all except Forrest. I can't wait to see the trailer, which hopefully will be coming our way shortly.
Lawless will hit theaters on August 31st.[EW]
