Lawless.
Was hoping this would be good and was suprised it was actually better then I expected.
Great performances across the board. Tom Hardy steals every scene. Just a soon-to-be star bringing it. Movie would have been better served if it focused more on him and jettisoned much of the Labouf storyline. Hardy does get a lot of screen time but you wouldn't know it by the previews.
Guy Pearce delivered a great villain performance. The guy from Brotherhood was good too. Gary Oldman had a few scenes which were good but not sure why he agreed to such a bit part.
Chastain and Wasikoswki looked amazing.
Movie is not perfect. Labouf is a bit weak and some of the scenes were clunky. But some top-notch performances, great music and cinematography. This director did The Proposition which was a good one.
3 out of 4 stars. Solid flick and odd that with such a cast it seemingly got dumped this weekend.
Screenplay written by Nick Cave, btw.
Guy Pearce's character was one of the more sadistic on-screen portrayals in recent memory. He was outstanding - absolutely frightening in every scene he was in. I loved the way they captured Prohibition-era rural Virginia in the 1930's. Its only 80 years ago but it felt like it was 200 the way they lived - wood houses, basic amenities and the cross-section of society living side by side (devout Christians and renegade bootleggers living shoulder to shoulder)
Also, another shout out to the soundtrack. Appalachian foothill blues and country ballads that perfectly intermingle with a solemn, gritty storyline. Also agree that we couldve done with more Tom Hardy and less Shia Lebouf but it doesnt take away from an above average flick.
7.5 or 8 out of 10.
saw this last night at the Arclight. I'll give it about a 7...maybe even 6.5. some great performances, but it just didn't come together for me the way it could have. I'm one of the people that actually thinks Shia is a better actor than people give him credit for, and Tom Hardy is always nails. but it was just kind of anticlimactic at the end. and what's up with Gary Oldman having about 5 minutes of screen time? weak.if you see it, I would definitely suggest going to a theater with good sound. when Shia was in the church and they were singing that hymn, I could feel it all the way through my bones. amazing sound in that scene.
oh, and the tall dorky guy from Avatar was in the same theater, and even he said with a cast like that, he was disappointed in what a clunker it was.