Lawless

A slice of family history that only works in its two hours of runtime when it scores points with good actors and brutal violence, but also forgets the characters. Hardy just grunts and LaBeouf builds an empire out of nothing; it’s got the same feelings as Proposition, copying from everywhere, but with a beautiful signature. (26/09/2012)

Three and a half stars. If the script had cared as much about the third (and equally interesting) brother as it did about Jack and Forrest, if Gary Oldman had been given more space, and if the incredibly slimy Guy Pearce hadn't been a simple comic-book caricature but rather a believable villain, it would have been even better. But the atmosphere is very pleasant and, thanks to the music, I am rounding up. (16/02/2013)

At last, today marks the end of the ridiculous prohibition in this country. And so in my opinion there’s no better movie than this to close this glorious chapter in our history. The moonshine in the Bodurant brothers’ jelly jars were capable of turning you blind even back then. Hardy is again almost legendarily awesome ("Hmm..."), Shia is continuing in his career as far as possible from beg robots and I dare say this is the best possible direction, Guy Pearce is a disgustingly slippery swine, Oldman devilishly stylish and Jessica Chastain. Hillcoat superbly layers up the story and period atmosphere, adding just the right amount of rawness. Brass knuckles are now officially the weapon of the year. Cave delivered a superb screenplay and excellent music... simply a movie to warm the heart. (27/09/2012)

Brainless, plotless, gutless. A flat gangster film for beginners, which is the same as counterfeit whiskey, has all the necessary ingredients, but its taste lacks any of the sophistication of the original. If some people are satisfied with Hardy with a single grimace, Pearce acting on the verge of tolerability and LaBeouf the same as always, then by all means. I expect more from a prohibition gangster film than the familiar sentimental macho poses... (03/07/2012)

This is what I was expecting from Michael Mann’s Public Enemies and I was disappointed. John Hillcoat and Nick Cave and a bunch of littleknown actors created a gangster film from the era of prohibition, where the goal is to portray the characters and their stories, rather than visual epicness (on the contrary, the visuals are rather dull and faded, for some incomprehensible reasons). A super bad villain, blood and brutality, friendship, brotherhood, black humor, feminine beauty and tenderness, and a final massacre. All of this blended together to create 100%-pure genre entertainment of a distinctive character. I vacillated between four and five stars, finally settling on five thanks to the festival atmosphere. [KVIFF] (04/07/2012)