To me, this movie is perfection.

How sad is this?

Absolutely brilliant

The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one

Lawless is directed by John Hillcoat and written by Nick Cave. The two had previously collaborated on western masterpiece The Proposition, which is one of my all time favorite movies. So I was a bit disappointed with Lawless. as it was a deeply flawed movie. First lets start with what Lawless gets right. For one it looks great. The shop composition is fantastic. It also largely works as a period piece with realistic and accurate aesthetics all around ranging from the costumes to the environments. Its overall well directed and edited too. And last but not least it contains a stand out performance from character actor Guy Pearce who gives by far the most memorable performance in the film as the main bad guy.The biggest flaw however is the script. Which has many plot holes/contrivances and wooden, uninteresting characters. Not even great actors like Tom Hardy or Jessica Chastaine manage to shine with their roles. There simply is not enough to these characters to make you care.Also Shia Labeouf feels miscast to me. He does an alright job for the most part but he does not have the charisma or screen presence to be the lead of the film (especially not when he has to go toe to toe with actors like Guy Pearce, Tom Hardy, and Gary Oldman) he also doesn't know how to do a southern accent properly or consistently (to be fair Hardy also has trouble with this)There are individual great scenes in this film. But it does not add to being a solid film all around thanks to a incomplete feeling story with too many contrivances, and wooden one dimensional characters. Also why did this movie hire Gary Oldman (one of the finest actors of all time) for a role that amounted to nothing more than a cameo?!?!

Set during prohibition era in rural Virginia, 'Lawless' tells the true story of three brothers who come together to fight those who threaten their family moonshine business.The film has plenty of positive aspects. I'm no fan of Shia LaBeouf and I initially questioned his suitability for this role, but he delivers a stellar performance. As does the excellent Tom Hardy. The cinematography is equally impressive and contributes to an overall well made film.Having said that, 'Lawless' is nothing special and will probably soon be forgotten. It's too generic to stand out and for all the positive points, there's something significant missing. A decent if unspectacular portrayal of a true story.

Good, but not great, and more than a little disappointing. Had heaps of potential: the (true) story was incredibly interesting. However, that may be the problem - there is too much to cram into a 2-hour movie. A mini-series may the more ideal medium. Certain events get glossed over. Some development of some of the more interesting sub-plots is required. Plus, we are lead down a few blind-alleys, plot-wise. The pacing is uneven too - better direction and editing was required. This said, it is entertaining. The movie is suspenseful and exciting and has a degree of grittiness. With more time and a better director, it could have been a great crime-drama.Shia LaBeouf is miscast in the lead role - he just doesn't have the presence or maturity for the role. Still, he doesn't do too badly and manages to limit the damage. Remaining cast - Tom Hardy, Jason Clarke, Guy Pearce, Jessica Chastain, Mia Wasikowska - are excellent. Tom Hardy is the pick of the bunch, as Forrest Bondurant.Most underutilised member of the cast must go to Gary Oldman. His character was a very interesting one, and deserved his own movie, but Oldman, for all his genius as an actor, only gets 5 minutes of screen time.Good soundtrack, the standout track being a hillbilly version of The Velvet Underground's "White Light, White Heat".

A very good drama, shows you what happened in the country on the fringes of the mob controlled liquor distribution during prohibition. I tend to get very bored by dramas but this family's story was so interesting that it played out more as a crime/thriller than a pure drama.I've seen a number of films with Tom Hardy and he does shine in this, Shia is also great in this, he does not over-act to the extent that he has been doing in recent times and it's a much more controlled performance for him. The film is also based on an underlying theme of police corruption and a struggle between the 'good' and 'bad' members of law enforcement at the time.