Lawless (2012)

Director: John Hillcoat

Writers: Nick Cave, Matt Bondurant

Composers: Nick Cave, Warren Ellis

Starring: Shia LaBeouf, Tom Hardy, Jason Clarke, Guy Pearce, Jessica Chastain, Mia Wasikowska, Dane DeHaan, Chris McGarry, Tim Tolin, Gary Oldman, Lew Temple

More info: IMDb

Tagline: When the law became corrupt, outlaws became heroes.

Plot: Set in Depression-era Franklin County, Virginia, a trio of bootlegging brothers are threatened by a new special deputy and other authorities angling for a cut of their profits.

My rating: 6/10

Will I watch it again?  No.

What the hell is up with Guy Pearce's accent?  This might be the first time I didn't like Pearce's performance.  And I didn't care for Hardy, LaBeouf or Chastain.  Oldman was good, though.  It's an OK movie but it felt like a missed opportunity all the way around.  This era is so rich with history and aesthetic that it's a shame to let something potentially compelling get cocked up by bland acting (when folks aren't overacting) and the director's fondness for the color brown (including the overuse of grading the film in shades of brown as if the world was transitioning from black and white on it's way to color by way of sepia tone).  It's a shame this was so disappointing.  I wanted to like this.  I expected more from the creative team who brought us the brilliant THE PROPOSITION (2005).  That reminds me I haven't seen that in years.  It's time to dust of the Blu-ray.