Page 24 THE VILLADOM TIMES III • September 12, 2012 ‘Lawless’ moonshiners buck corruption, Prohibition by Dennis Seulking “Lawless” is based on the true Prohibition-era story of the Bondurant brothers, Virginia moonshiners who ran afoul of corrupt local politicians who were more than willing to look the other way for a hefty share of the profits. Other regional distillers of homemade booze went along with the shakedown, but the Bondurants refused to pay tribute. Oldest brother Forrest (Tom Hardy) is a man of few words but has his own unique sense of how things should be. He is breaking the law doing what he regards as a victimless crime. He is an entrepreneur, relying on supply and demand as his guide. He offers hootch to the locals, who cannot buy it legally. Hardy’s Forrest is reminiscent of Michael Corleone: both men are family-loyal, protective of the family business, and ruthless if crossed. Forrest and his brothers, Howard (Jason Clarke) and Jack (Shia LaBeouf), dutifully take orders and deliver right to folks’ homes. Things are going well until Special Deputy Charlie Rakes (Guy Pearce), the strong-arm employee of corrupt local politician Mason Wardell, rears his head. Deputy Rakes has the appearance of a silent movie star villain, with his slicked-down pitch black hair and dandified attire. He has a sadistic streak and is not above using brutal physical force and intimidation to get the Bondurants to step in line. Also posing difficulty is mobster Floyd Banner (Gary Oldman), who attempts to elbow his way into the brothers’ virtual monopoly in the area. Jack is first seen as the kid brother tagging along with his older kin as a sort of go-fer. Forrest and Howard look after him, but want him to be able to take care of himself. As the violence escalates and Forrest is temporarily hospitalized, Jack must rise to the occasion against formidable odds to protect the family business and his own life. LaBeouf is best known for “The Transformers” franchise. Here, in a movie refreshingly devoid of computer-generated effects, he etches a convincing characterization. In a sense, it’s a coming-of-age story with guns and the ever-present specter of early death. Jack is smitten with a local girl (Mia Wasikowska) and, for comic relief, the action occasionally shifts to his awkward attempts to court her despite her father’s contempt for him. Jack is forced to grow up fast, and LaBeouf por- Tom Hardy, Shia LaBeouf (in truck), and Jason Clarke (standing) star in ‘Lawless.’ trays his unwilling transformation effectively. Jessica Chastian plays Maggie Beauford, a young woman escaping an unpleasant past who gets a job as a cook and waitress at the Bondurants’ eatery. Chastain is always a pleasure to see, but her role here is merely window dressing. She does figure in one harrowing scene, but is on hand more to lend balance to this testosterone-driven film. Impressive in a small role is Dane DeHaan as Cricket Pate, a teenager who has the magic touch when it comes to his recipe for moonshine. Cricket is an innocent who ultimately learns the extent to which outsiders will go to stop the illegal making of spirits in his neck of the woods. With an angelic face, winning smile, and easy personality, he is ill-prepared for the ravages of the moonshine war that erupts. DeHaan, with little dialogue and mostly through reaction shots, manages quite successfully to make Cricket both sympathetic and believable. Director John Hillcoat has put together a first-rate cast and ably establishes the rural Virginia backwoods of the early 1930s. The atmosphere he evokes is a major reason “Lawless” works. This is the era of Bonnie and Clyde, narrow country roads, vintage cars and trucks, hidden stills, and booze-filled mason jars packed between straw in wooden crates. The local cops have more in common with the moonshiners than with the outside law enforcement officers, who look down on the area folks as dumb country hicks. There is a good deal of tension in “Lawless” and plenty of violence -- some of which is hard to watch -which accounts for the R rating. It is hardly a profound film, but its basis in reality gives it an interesting slant. As gangster films go, it is very good, and manages to delineate differing levels of lawlessness.