Lawless - The Outlaws - Blu-Ray

Content: Franklin County, Virginia, in the year 1931: America is firmly in the grip of Prohibition. Forrest Bondurant (Tom Hardy) and his brothers Howard (Jason Clarke) and Jack (Shia LaBeouf) take advantage of the nationwide alcohol ban to run a lucrative moonshine operation. Approved by the local police, who are themselves regular customers of the Bondurants' high-strength wares, the brothers are able to go about their illegal business completely unmolested, conducting it behind the legal facade of a gas station. That changes, however, with the appearance of Special Deputy Charlie Rakes (Guy Pearce), who opens up to the brothers that his boss, Virginia Commonwealth Attorney Mason Wardell (Tim Tolin), wants a piece of the Bondurants' pie. Of course, the brothers aren't about to take that lying down, and they try to join forces with the county's other moonshiners against the greedy authorities. For the ice-cold Charlie Rakes, this is an open declaration of war. He launches a relentless campaign against the moonshiners, which soon results in a first casualty. But although the enemy has a clear advantage and is outnumbered, the Bondurant brothers do not want to give up the fight...

Lawless - The Outlaws is based on a biographical novel by Matt Bondurant, the great-grandson of Jack Bondurant. That's been turned into a gripping screenplay by musician Nick Cave, which John Hillcoat has filmed as a prominently starring Prohibition thriller with Western leanings. Hillcoat, who most recently thrilled with his apocalyptic drama The Road, has assembled an absolutely impressive cast in front of the camera for his latest film. Not only the three main actors Tom Hardy (The Dark Knight Rises), Shia LaBeouf and Jason Clarke (Zero Dark Thirty) are convincing, but also the excellent supporting actors such as the Oscar-nominated Jessica Chastain, Gary Oldman, Dane DeHaan (Chronicle) or Mia Wasikowska (Alice in Wonderland). The film's secret star, however, is Guy Pearce, who turns in an almost frighteningly good performance as the slick and sadistic Charlie Rakes. Watching this ensemble is quite a pleasure, intensified by the engaging camerawork and tight staging.

However, Hillcoat has not directed a pure thriller. While there are some very gory and even action-packed sequences, there is also a family drama and two very nice love stories told at the same time: that of Forrest and waitress Maggie (Jessica Chastain) and that of Jack and Bertha (Mia Wasikowska), the daughter of a Mennonite preacher who doesn't like at all to see his good daughter consorting with a crook like Jack. Hillcoat proves through the clever interweaving of the various plot elements that exciting action and sensitively realized emotions are by no means mutually exclusive, and that there can also be room for some romance and drama in a tough guy movie. The fact that this resulted in a very coherent overall picture in the end speaks for the talent of the director, who has delivered his best film to date with Lawless.

For although The Road was fascinatingly directed and excellently acted, the story was still a bit too unwieldy and extremely dark. Lawless - The Outlaws is simply more accessible in that regard, without being any less challenging. The film is first class entertainment cinema that tells its thrilling story played by great actors and wrapped in wonderful pictures. It's a pity that a movie like this doesn't make it to the theaters. But if you like gangster movies of a very special kind, you will appreciate the high quality of the film even in home cinema format. Absolutely worth seeing!

Image + Sound: The subdued colors emphasize the overall very authentic look of the film. The high overall sharpness, which makes even smaller details appear absolutely clear in many moments, the well-tuned black levels and contrasts ensure that the visuals leave a thoroughly positive impression. The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix also offers good surround dynamics in the quieter moments thanks to atmospherically implemented ambient sounds and smaller sound effects. And then during gunfights or explosions, the sound mix can unleash its full power. Very good!

Extras: The Blu-Ray has some interesting extras to offer in addition to the main film. Starting off is an audio commentary by John Hillcoat and Matt Bondurant, the author of the book and great-grandson of the real Jack Bondurant. It's a very interesting commentary that goes into more detail about not only the making of the film, but also the historical background without being too dry. The only pity here is that there are no German subtitles available for the commentary.

The rest of the bonus material, on the other hand, is optionally subtitled. Offered are some cut scenes (approx. 8 min.), a rather standard making of (approx. 22 min.), as well as a visit to Franklyn County, Virginia (approx. 6 min.) and an insight into the history of the Bondurant family (approx. 13 min.). The trailer and other programming tips from the provider round out the additional offerings.

Conclusion:Lawless is a gripping blend of family drama, Prohibition thriller and romance. With an impressive cast, among whom a wonderfully nasty Guy Pearce particularly stands out, and underpinned by extremely powerful imagery, John Hillcoat has made a story based on true events entertaining, gripping and moving. Why a film of this quality didn't make it to theaters remains a mystery. On DVD or Blu-Ray, friends of sophisticated American entertainment cinema should not miss this gangster ballad. Absolutely recommendable!

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp