Though violence is a prevalent theme in John Hillcoat’s Lawless, the audience’s connection to and
compassion for the characters seems to be the most talked about aspect of the
film from viewers who have just seen it. The film tells the story of the
Bondurant brothers who have gone down in history as some of the most successful
and memorable moonshiners in the United States. The story begins a ways into
the Bondurant’s success and continues through their rivalries and struggles as
they try to maintain and grow their small moonshine empire.
It’s clear from the
beginning that the Bondurants have done and will do anything to keep their
reputation in their business and have had succeeded in the past in making a
name for themselves in producing quality moonshine. The title “Lawless” truly
applies to Franklin County, Virginia, where the Bondurant brothers live and
work. Everyone in the town is involved in the business of moonshine, whether as
buyers, sellers, or producers. This includes the police, who are supposed to
enforce the laws of Prohibition, but have just as heavy a hand in helping the
business grow and thrive as anyone else.
The lead character in the story is Jack Bondurant, played by Shia LaBeouf, and
he narrates much of the story as well. Jack is the youngest of three brothers and
a sort of apprentice in the family business. His older brothers are Forrest
(Tom Hardy) and Howard (Jason Clarke) and they’ve apparently been in charge for
a while. The three brothers are very close and self reliant; their parents
aren’t around and seem to have been out of the picture for some time. They
stick close together and have each other’s backs and, though they often are
hard on one another and sometimes violent, do not tolerate anyone else hurting
any Bondurant.
The theme of brotherhood and unity is a strong one in the film, especially
after Special Agent Charlie Rakes (Guy Pearce) comes to Franklin Country to try
to get his foot in the moonshine industry. Rakes is a dirty cop and doesn’t
accept the Bondurant’s refusal to give him a cut of their profits. Much of the
movie is about this rivalry and the growing hatred and competition between
Rakes and the Bondurants. In Franklin Country, the saying “An eye for an eye, a
tooth for a tooth” is all too clear. Each act of violence is met with an even
worse and more harmful response, building up until the film’s dramatic climax
on the bridge.
The violence in Lawless isn’t cheesy or weak, and it isn’t overly done or gratuitous either.
Violence is just a part of the lifestyle and code of the Bondurants and becomes
the tool used to maintain control in the dirty business of bootlegging
moonshine in Franklin County. The Bondurants are living legends in their
community and are able to bounce back and retaliate after facing almost certain
death.
Forrest’s drive to live and ability to survive becomes almost humorous –
nothing can kill this guy, not even someone slicing his throat open. Tom Hardy
plays Forrest with a quiet intensity and almost irrational calmness and,
despite the horrific violence he inflicts on others in revenge, the audience
grows to love and root for his character. Forrest is the leader of the
Bondurants and their business; he doesn’t just have the ability to survive, his
brothers NEED for him to survive. His steady leadership and refusal to give in
to Rakes’s proposal sets an example that his brothers try to emulate. In
following Forrest’s stance, the Bondurants are able to maintain their
independent and enigmatic bootlegger lifestyle.
Contrasted with the brothers’ use and knack for violence is their naivety
and uncertainty when it comes to women. Jessica Chastain plays Maggie, who is
strong and self-reliant and the only thing that softens Forrest’s tough
exterior. While remaining stoic and almost expressionless, Tom Hardy subtly
shows Forrest’s adoration and protectiveness as he falls for Maggie, at first
from afar, but then in a real relationship after Maggie makes the first move.
The Bondurant brothers are deviants, no doubt, but they are not entirely cruel
and unloving. They are fiercely defensive of one another and show their love in
unusual ways, such as killing the men that try to kill one of the brothers. If
it weren’t for this aspect of the Bondurant brothers, they would become
forgettable in their similarity to every other villain in gangster movies.
Their love, commitment, and protection of one another and of those they love is
coupled with the violence they depend on to keep their name and their dignity
in the deceitful and corrupt business of making and bootlegging moonshine.
Directed by John Hillcoat
Written by Nick Cave (screenplay) and Matt Bondurant (novel)
Produced by Annapurna Pictures, Red Wagon Productions, The
Weinstein Company
Running time – 1hr and 55 mins
WITH Shia LaBeouf, Tom Hardy, Jessica Chastain, Guy Pearce,
Gary Oldman, Mia Wasikowska
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