I'm sitting in my hotel room in Manchester, England marveling at the greyness of the skies, the wetness of the air, and the innate knowledge in my primal systems that I am very close to the ocean. Having grown up near the Oregon Coast, but being landlocked for the last two-plus years in Colorado, that information sends zings of joy and excitement through me. There is definitely some metaphysical setting in the subconscious of people who've ever felt the pull of the sea ~ once it's in your blood, your blood will forever be composed of part seawater. Not to mention, I'm hanging out in the country that brought us both Bradley Wiggins and Mark Cavendish.Back on track. I realize that splash of personal divulgence is not the reason you're visiting this post. If you're like me, the reason you're here is simple: Guy Pearce. Okay, or maybe Nick Cave. Tom Hardy? Mia Wasikowska and Jessica Chastain? Shia LeBeouf, even? Can't say I blame you at all. As the central cast of Lawless, these ladies and gentlemen comprise spicy and delicious complements to a story made of unadulterated Appalachian moonshine and violence.First, the warning. If, like me, you were knocked nearly off your literary and story-conscious feet by the dark maelstrom of brilliance and creativity of Nick Cave's book And the Ass Saw the Angel and his and John Hillcoat's (of The Road fame in the States) collaboration on the movie The Proposition, you know to tote an impact-ameliorating pillow on which to land (possibly in the form of a giant flask of whiskey) along with you to see Lawless. (And if you didn't read or see the other two, let this post serve to inform you of the need).Second, the not-so-awesome disclosure. Imagine Lawless as pure gullet-busting White Lightning moonshine. Now imagine what happens to that deadly but pellucid 'shine when the taint of a film studio's pandering to a mass audience is mixed into it. Clouded, limpid, disjointed, and probably berry or licorice flavored. Like a Charleston Bog cocktail, Lawless became much harder to swallow after Hollywood's saccharine influence was added.A quick story description. In the Prohibition Era, three Appalachian bootlegging brothers refuse to kowtow and pay tribute to corrupt law officials in order to protect their moonshine business, instead opting to go rogue (but not like Sarah Palin) and keep their own full proceeds.Don't get me wrong, the twisted violence that only Cave and Hillcoat can bring to the screen in such gruesome, animated detail remains in full effect in Lawless—and I have to say, if those two ever work with David Cronenberg, we're all in for a very vivid look into one of the seven levels of hell—but somewhere during the adaption and editing, this movie lost its heart. The story itself lacks the usual focused, clear, and driven-by-a-single-purpose goal audiences have come to expect from Cave and Hillcoat, instead meandering through a number of subplots and walk-on characters that served merely to dilute what should have been a story of greed, murder, family, and revenge. It isn't until three quarters of the way into the film when one of the bootlegging crew is killed that any real resolution or purpose to the overall events is even articulated. (Note: The last is hardly a spoiler since we already know the film is about bootlegging and violence. What else could possibly happen?) By then, audiences who are still invested in the movie at all are really there just to see what happens to the antagonist, played by Guy Pearce.A word (or thirty) on Guy Pearce. I'm going to go completely off the rez here and bravely compare the transformative and transcendent acting skills of Guy Pearce to such great method actors as Gary Oldman and Johnny Depp. If you want a character who is truly evil, you need look no further than Pearce's villain in Lawless, Charlie Rakes. His role in this film will have you squirming in your seat, and make even the most charitable and forgiving soul pray for his bloody and screaming death. The trainwreck of brutality perpetrated by Rakes in nearly every scene, both those he's present in as well as several he's off-screen for, render the audience helpless to look away.Pearce pulls off such exquisite depravity in Lawless that it's easy to forget that he's also the actor that brought us Leonard Shelby from Memento and Capt. John Boyd from Ravenous. Or maybe it isn't. Pearce's mild on-screen presence belies a subtly disturbing yet beguiling persona that infuses each of the characters he plays with a kind of charisma and a kind of magnetism that audiences of discerning taste can't help but be drawn to. Much like Cave's songwriting, each time Pearce takes the screen, you know that something unexpected and markedly genius is going to happen.Overall, I recommend Lawless for three reasons: One, it's Cave's baby. Two, Guy Pearce takes the audience on a gruesome but entertaining ride. And three, despite being tainted by Hollywood, Lawless still has enough independent flair that audiences who are bored with the usual action or angst of most big screen releases will still feel they're being treated to a fresh and unique story.Bechdel Test status: Does not pass. Not even close. Not one tiny bit.Related and Also Recommended: Lockout with Guy Pearce and Maggie Grace.Next on my list of To See Films: Seven Psychopaths.
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All content copyright unless otherwise specified © 2008-2013 by Tammy Salyer, writer. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to use short quotes provided proper attribution is given.