Lawless:A Guest Breview

Cinema Brew has a treat for all of you. Today we have a guest reviewer in the form of Jon Nelson of Hooded Figure Productions and the web series Film Breach, has stopped in to give us a breview of the new movie Lawless.

Set in Franklin County, Virginia this Depression-era film is about three brothers who have formed a bootlegging business running moonshine throughout the county, but are threatened by a new deputy in town with the sole responsibility of putting bootleggers out of business.

The opening credits reveal a long list of talented actors consisting of Tom Hardy, Guy Pearce, Gary Oldman and Shia Labeouf. This cast might seem too good to be true, but they all perform top notch and there is also a surprising performance from newcomer Jessica Chastain, who you might remember from The Help. Guy Pierce’s performance as the film’s villain, Charlie Rakes, steals the show though. His overly proper portrayal of the deputy leaves you in wonder and fear from every scene he is in.
The film, although slow at times, has enough story and action spread throughout to keep the audience entertained. The action scenes seemed a little too brutal and graphic, but mixed with some of the slower scenes the emotional roller coaster that is Lawless has very high peaks and low dives. The family dynamic between Hardy and Labeouf is what drives the film. Hardy plays the protective older brother who is believed to be invincible, while Labeouf plays “the runt of the litter” and struggles with this hierarchy.
Altogether, I would recommend Lawless for any film buff, but it is not a family movie by any means. The graphic violence and nudity should keep the children and first daters away, but for true fans of film and Tom Hardy lovers this is a must see.
Being that this is a guest review for Cinema Brew I should probably recommend a brew to go along with this film, but being that this film is about bootleggers and their moonshine the recommendation seems rather obvious. The Original Moonshine Clear Corn Whiskey distilled in Culpeper, Virginia, only 100 miles east of where our film takes place. After the lengthy process to secure a license, Chuck Miller became the first official legal craft distiller in the United Sates in 1987. The taste is smooth, mellow and elegant. A mild warm sweetness of unrefined raw sugar, retaining the richness from freshly picked corn. 

Jon Nelson is a writer/director over at Hooded Figure Productions, a local up and coming film company as well as the creator of Film Breach. Film Breach is a weekly series that shows new filmmakers the tricks of the trade, understanding equipment and the jargon, and some fun effects. So head on over and check them out.