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Lawless
[Blu-ray]
Blu-ray A - America - Anchor Bay Entertainment Review written by and copyright: Anthony Arrigo (7th January 2013). |
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The Film
 The prohibition era of America may have dried up the land, but that period of temperance also produced myriad stories of the conflicts between rival bootleggers, crooked cops, not-crooked cops, and gangsters looking to score massive windfalls. The subject has been a hot property lately thanks to the success of HBO’s “Boardwalk Empire” (2010-present), so I was hoping that director John Hillcoat’s latest effort, “Lawless” (2012), would satisfy my curiosity as to what was happening elsewhere in the country while Atlantic City was awash in its own criminal enterprises. Adapting from author Matt Bondurant’s novel, “The Wettest County in the World” (which was also the original title of the film before being given its current generic moniker), Hillcoat has populated his film with a host of actors who fully embody their respective characters, leading to an almost universally praiseworthy cast… barring one very notable exception. The story of country bootlegging, and the legend of the Bondurant brothers, is a fascinating tale that aims high but ultimately falls short of its own lofty goals. The Bondurant brothers – Forrest (Tom Hardy), Howard (Jason Clarke), and Jack (Shia LeBeouf) – are a legendary family of bootleggers holed up deep in the countryside of Franklin County, VA. When a new special deputy named Charlie Rakes (Guy Pearce) rolls into town with demands that the boys cut him in on their business, he’s rebuffed and warned that pushing the issue further will result in bloodshed. Undeterred, Rakes wages a one-man war against the brothers, managing to severely wound Forrest in the process. Jack, and the family friend, Cricket (Dane DeHaan), try to keep the moonshine business afloat on their own but a renewed effort on Rakes’ part makes a bloody confrontation all but assured. There’s actually more going on within the story than that, but the meat & potatoes is what viewers will find interesting. Forrest has a love interest in new waitress Maggie (Jessica Chastain), but her character is underused and underdeveloped, resulting in her serving one useful purpose while otherwise just meandering about and looking concerned. Likewise, Jack also has a budding romance with the preacher’s daughter, Bertha (Mia Wasikowska), but the nascent love feels so simple and cliché that it spends more time detracting from the film’s story rather than adding to it. I’d wager a good 15 minutes could (and should) have been trimmed from the runtime to make this picture the lean machine it needs to be. As much as I enjoy spending time in the lush, forested hills of Franklin County, the film often grinds to a halt when romantic exposition is involved. This is especially apparent when juxtaposed with the extreme violence seen throughout. Both Tom Hardy and Shia LeBeouf add the most weight to the film with their respective performances. Hardy in particular instills much of the same reverence and fear that he did as Bane in “The Dark Knight Rises” (2012). Also, somewhat coincidentally, his southern drawl is occasionally so thick that he can be difficult to decipher, a problem I recall many having with Bane. If Forrest Bondurant didn’t seem like an intimidating man in the beginning – and he certainly does – you’ll be able to easily see why he might be later on after all of the battle damage he sustains and recovers from. It’s almost too much to believe, that someone could live after the wounds he suffered. But he does, and that’s a large part of why the Bondurant men had a reputation amongst the locals for being immortal men. LeBeouf is a fine actor when he’s got good material, and his portrayal as the young, eager brother to two hulking men is effective and poignant. Jack has none of the physical capabilities, nor the attitude, to stack up to his brothers, so instead he must rely on his wits and his wily ways. The boys’ other brother, Harold, felt severely underdeveloped. His role is basically regulated to drinking so much W.C. Fields would take note, then bulldozing any unfortunate bastard that happens to be in his way. He doesn’t speak a lot, and we don’t get any sense of who he is outside of pummeling outsiders and vigorously defending his turf. This was one of the issues I had with the film; that the characters don’t feel fully matured despite a generous running time that would have allowed such a thing. Outside of Forrest and Jack – who both could have been more roundly written – everyone else just sort of exists here. There’s a particularly annoying (glorified) cameo by Gary Oldman as Floyd Banner, a local gangster who Jack seems to lionize, that serves virtually no purpose. His character does play into the story, but in such a tangential way he could have been written out altogether and the story would have seen no effect save for a shorter running time. Someone tries to ruin this movie, and it’s the one person I thought would be saving it: Guy Pearce. I want to think that the Guy Pearce in this film is his doppelganger, one who is incapable of playing things straight. As Rakes, Pearce is a wild cannon with a short fuse and a haircut that’s so ridiculous it should have been left for a “Little Rascals” movie. Rakes isn’t above reproach as a special deputy of the law, and that seems to suit him just fine. He likes to do things like beating the pulp out of Jack just to send a message, or hiring numerous goons to kill Forrest, or tarring and feathering a man for bootlegging. Rakes is clearly a very unstable dude, and he goes off the rails frequently until the final shootout when he goes right off the tracks and into the stratosphere. I really don’t get it. Pearce is always such a solid presence in any film I’ve seen him in, but this was by far the worst he’s ever been. “Lawless” (I hate that title so much - way to wuss out, studio heads) is a film that’s very good, but it needed to be great. Frequent Hillcoat collaborator Nick Cave provides a script that has all the right essential elements, but it’s marred by needless subplots and a general sense of plodding too often. The project enjoyed some serious time in development hell, though, so I suppose we should be happy it was made at all. Although, when it first geared up for production the headlining trio was made up of Shia (as Jack, he was always the first choice and stuck with the film until it rolled), Ryan Gosling (as Forrest), and James Franco (as Howard). Personally, as much as I like Gosling and Franco I don’t think either would have been as suited for the film as the leads we got. There’s a lot of good action and fascinating cultural history on display here; I just wish the final film had been as good as it aspired to be.
Video
“Lawless” hits Blu-ray with a 2.35:1 1080p 24/fps AVC MPEG-4 encoded image that is just as splendid as you were expecting to hear. Hillcoat has always had an eye for visual flair, and this film is no exception thanks to the lush, foliage-rich hillsides of Georgia, which is standing in for Virginia. Shot digitally using the Arri Alexa camera system, Hillcoat and cinematographer Benoît Delhomme (who he previously worked with on 2005’s “The Proposition”) have produced an image of remarkable clarity, free of any defects, and extremely pleasing to the eye. The color scheme is dominated by green & brown, the two most prominent colors found amongst their forest-y dwellings. Bright colors appear to have been muted or avoided in shots altogether, as they rarely make a noticeable appearance. Detail is razor sharp (slight pun intended) with close-ups revealing details that could otherwise go overlooked. Night time shots hold up very well, with strong shadow delineation and inky, pure blacks that never wane. There really isn’t a whole lot I can knock this transfer for. It could have a little more depth to the image, and a few shots here and there appear a little soft, but those are minor complaints. This is a beautiful picture.
Audio
The English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround sound track mixed at 48kHz/24-bit underwhelmed me. For one thing, even though it can be chalked up to their dialect, some of our characters can be downright difficult to understand at times. Not often enough that it’s a big issue, but some of Forrest’s lines in particular are lost in the mix because he tends to talk like he’s got a mouth full of marbles. And he isn’t a fan of raising his voice. Also, the gunfire is weak. Very weak. I expected some marginal impact from the numerous gunshots fired throughout the film, but they never find any footing in the mix. It sounded like someone shooting a gun on CSI or something; no impact whatsoever. On a more positive note, the bluegrass inspired soundtrack as performed by Nick Cave and Warren Ellis is a total joy. It sounds raw, unpolished, and straight out of the same cornfield the score from “Deliverance” (1973) would have wandered out of. The southern twang tunes feels perfectly suited to this time period, and Cave has gone on record to say that he and Ellis just kind of winged it since neither is well versed in bluegrass music. Considering that fact, I’d say job well done. Rear activity is minimal, but enough ambient cues are added in that the track has a subtly immersive quality. For the film, this track works very well; I only wish the weaponry had been given a sonic upgrade to really intensify those moments. Subtitles are included for English for the hearing impaired and Spanish.
Extras
There are plenty of supplements here to guzzle down, including an audio commentary, deleted scenes, featurettes on the real life Bondurant family, a historical tour, and more. I’m always particularly interested in features when the film is based on actual events, that way I can see how things stack up comparatively. DISC ONE: BLU-RAY An audio commentary with director John Hillcoat and author Matt Bondurant gets things going. I find tracks such as this are often very rewarding if you’re into technical details and minutia, because – as is the case here – when you get a director and an author of the source material together they’re able to dissect and discuss virtually every aspect of the production. Here, the duo covers everything from casting, locations, real-life counterparts, family history, behind-the-scenes anecdotes, and then some. A number of deleted scenes (1080p) are available to watch individually or in succession via the “play all” function: - “6 Legged Cow” runs for 1 minute and 52 seconds, Howard reacts to Jack’s beaten face. - “Forrest & Tizwell” runs for 1 minute and 13 seconds, the preacher has a message for Jack. - “Campfire (Alternate)” runs for 1 minute and 14 seconds, this is just some different dialogue from the final version. - “Howard Tells Forrest that Jack Stole the Moonshine” runs for 57 seconds. - “Rakes & Feather” runs for 56 seconds, a reminder on his shoulder of punishment meted out. - “Jr. with Brass Knuckles” runs for 1 minute and 57 seconds, Forrest lets his young son play with his ever-present equalizer. “Lawless: The Story of the Wettest County in the World” (1080p) featurette runs for 21 minutes and 32 seconds. This is a bit behind-the-scenes, a bit historical record discussing the true story of Franklin County. The length allows for a good overview of the events that transpired in real life, and how they’ve been translated to the big screen. “Franklin County, Virginia: Then and Now” (1080p) featurette runs for 6 minutes and 10 seconds. Almost playing like a promotional tour video, this offers up some historical facts on the area while contrasting how it was then with how things have evolved in the present day. “The Story of the Bondurant Family” (1080p) featurette runs for 12 minutes and 44 seconds. Author Matt Bondurant provides narration set to classic photographs featuring his famous family. It’s a nice lesson in how some of the members operated, and we learn more about the family legends. “Willie Nelson: Midnight Run” (1080p) is a music video that runs for 1 minute and 39 seconds. It’s made up entirely of clips from the film, with a couple of obvious stock footage shots of Willie thrown in for good measure. Bonus trailers (1080p) round out the disc: - “Django Unchained” runs for 2 minutes and 36 seconds. - “The Master” runs for 1 minute and 14 seconds. - “Taken 2” runs for 1 minute and 59 seconds. DISC TWO: DVD This is a DVD copy of the feature film. DISC THREE: DVD This is a digital copy of the feature film, for use with iTunes-supported devices.
Packaging
The 3-disc set comes housed in a standard keep case, with a swinging hub holding two of the discs while the third is housed where discs normally go. An insert contains the instructions and download code for the digital copy, making you wonder why they bothered including a disc for it at all.
Overall
“Lawless” is by no means a bad film; in fact, it’s very good at times. But it’s one of those films you want to be great, something that really sticks out amongst the sea of gangster films released each year. It rises above sporadically, just not enough to hit the high marks it needed to. Still, solid performances can do a lot for a picture, and thankfully at least two of our leads carry things well enough.
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