Lawless

[lftwng4]

Screenplay and music by Nick Cave, so the wife drug me to it.  Based on a true story.  Directed by some guy who has worked with Nick Cave before on some movies.

3 brothers that are bootleggers, and possibly indestructible. 

I didn't know any of the cast, apparently there are several well known actors, and I suppose they did a good job.  Not knowing who anyone is kinda works in my favor, as I don't have any pre-conceived notions about who they are or what role they should play.

Decent enough story I guess, kinda short on action, and on anything really.  Women are kinda bland looking.  A couple of humorous moments though.
I should insert some snarky comment here about how the movie is similar to Nick Cave's recent musical career, in that it's not bad, kinda formulaic, no real surprises, but kinda boring.  Probably worth seeing once, but no interest in seeing it again.

I'd give it a B-

[boltthrow]

I'd give it a C.

Nice cinematography, nice performance by Tom Hardy.  

Shai Lebouf was fine.  

Mia and Jessica were okay just kind of washed out.  

Guy Pierce was okay but doing the standard fey bad guy routine (he's prissy!  he talks in a weird voice! he fucks black hookers who sob quietly! he's no real man like our heroes!).

I have no idea what Gary Oldman was doing in this movie.  It almost seemed like they shot the whole thing, were told by the financiers that they needed a bigger name in it then hired Gary O and went back and shot a couple more scenes with him in it.

What undercut everything was Cave's script which showed no sense of how to structure the story pieces into an actual narrative.  Things just kinda happened without explanation or reason.  No subtle indicators of how life was different back then so you knew how to read what was happening.  Guy Pierce just kinda attacked then took twenty minutes off.  He had no particular drive so the movie lacked it. Either the filmmakers were too enthralled by the "true story" aspect of it and didn't want to bend the narrative into something compelling or they didn't know how.  

[boltthrow]

Oh I will say this:  the movie contains a haunting image of a man tarred and feathered.  It's horrifying but somehow beautiful.

[tattooedsean]

Oh I will say this:  the movie contains a haunting image of a man tarred and feathered.  It's horrifying but somehow beautiful.

I don't want to even imagine how that felt.