The biggest question marks for me when it comes to John Hillcoat's Lawless have had to do mostly with just how faithful the film would be to Matt Bondurant's powerful novel, The Wettest County in the World. If you haven't read it, it's a fast read and well worth the time. Whether it sticks to the source or not is still sorta up for grabs, but I also had some problems with casting Tom Hardy in the role of middle brother, Forrest Bondurant. Hardy's mass and physicality seemed to peg him more for the part of Howard, the older and far more aggressive brother. Well, those worries can be wiped away now, because based on these two clips, Hillcoat cast the film exactly right.
Featuring an incredible cast including Shia Labeouf, Hardy, Jason Clarke, Guy Pearce, Gary Oldman, Dane DeHaan, Mia Wasikowska, and Jessica Chastain, Bondurant's story follows some of his ancestors as they battle to hold on to their bootlegging business in the mountainous Franklin County, A. It proves to be harder than one would think, as the local enforcement sees it as an opportunity to impose their will and get paid at the same time. The first clip is one of the most important in the novel and really sums up the Bondurant boys to a tee. It shows youngest brother, Jack(Labeouf), after he's just taken an ass whuppin' from some overzealous cops. He gets a stern talking to by Forrest, who puts it in no uncertain terms that this can never happen again, but not simply out of concern for Jack's well-being.
The other introduces us to Charley Rakes(Pearce), the Chicago special agent brought in to help reign the Bondurant boys in, and of course it's a task that isn't going to go smoothly. We still don't have a firm national release date yet, but considering the generally positive response out of Cannes, expect that to change soon....
