My anticipation for Lawless has hit a fever pitch, and I'm not ashamed to say I'm far more excited for it than The Dark Knight Rises or The Amazing Spider-Man. Once titled The Wettest County in the World before being shortened to simply The Wettest County(where it should've stayed), the film is based on Matt Bondurant's muscular, epic novel set in Franklin County, VA, where the illegal liquor business boomed even while Prohibition reigned.
Directed by John Hillcoat and starring Shia Labeouf, Tom Hardy, and Jason Clarke as the vaunted Bondurant Brothers, the story follows their attempts to simply eke out a living as moonshiners while the corrupt police force begins to invade their territory looking for their cut. My biggest concern, which I've stated here before, is that they would jettison so much of what made the book great in favor of a rocky mountain Al Capone-type flick, and based on our first look at the trailer that's exactly what has happened. Bondurant's novel, which is based on the true story, is a poetic, uniquely American story about making your own way in this country and doing whatever it takes to protect it. While there was certainly a gangster element to it, that's not what the bulk of the story was about, instead focusing on the hard scrabble lives of those living in such a downtrodden corner of America. So I'm a little disappointed by what I'm seeing here, especially that they appear to have completely jettisoned the half of the story chronicled by author Sherwood Anderson.
That said, Tom Hardy looks to be as powerful and enigmatic as ever as Forrest Bondurant, although he really should've been cast as the quietly menacing Howard. Shia Labeouf surprisingly makes for a better fit than expected as the youngest, wide-eyed brother, Jack. Gary Oldman, who plays the made up character of Floyd Banner appears to be in top heelish form, the same with Guy Pearce as Charley Rakes, the most corrupt cop of them all who has a special beef with the Bondurants. Throw in Jessica Chastain and Mia Wasikowska in two smaller roles that look greatly expanded for the film, and you've got what looks to be a winning recipe.
Looks great, but the changes are going to take some getting used to. Lawless will play at Cannes next month before opening on August 31st. Check out the trailer below...
