Lawless (2012, USA)

There might be a good movie somewhere in Lawless – perhaps it’s hiding in the material I suspect never made the final cut. With its overstuffed cast and lurching structure (not to mention the ridiculously neutered title), John Hillcoat’s latest film feels like it’s missing a good twenty minutes of connective tissue. Despite the apparent intention to bend Lawless into a more action-oriented film, the final product feels gutless.

There are moments of clarity, however. Hillcoat, working again with his Proposition cinematographer Benoît Delhomme, knows how to play with light and locations, and the outdoor sequences shine. Guy Pearce warrants commendation for showing up a better-than-able cast (I’m not lumping LaBeouf into that group), though I’m sure it’s easier – not to mention more fun – to play a straight psycho than it is a more complex one, as is Tom Hardy’s lot. (Pearce does struggle with his flat Chicago accent more than Hardy his hills one, but perhaps it should be called a draw, as for the second time this summer you can only understand about three-quarters of anything coming out of Hardy’s mouth.) There is one romantic subplot too many, but can someone find Jessica Chastain and Mia Wasikowska a real project together?

The Proposition is one of my favorite films of the ‘00s, but I worry that Hillcoat is not fulfilling his promise, even when reunited with Delhomme and, of course, Nick Cave. Hillcoat’s next film, currently slated for 2013, appears to be some sort of cop drama starring Shia LaBeouf, whom I find distracting in pretty much every role. I’d like to see him strip down with a project as raw as The Proposition. Lawless had promise, but its authorial voice is muted.