7.2 | / 10 |
Users | 3.4 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
In Depression-era Franklin County, Virginia, a trio of bootlegging brothers are threatened by authorities angling for a cut of their profits, including a sadistic and vain special deputy from Chicago.
Starring: Shia LaBeouf, Tom Hardy, Jason Clarke, Guy Pearce, Jessica ChastainCrime | 100% |
Period | 44% |
Drama | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.40:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
English SDH, Spanish
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD, 1 DVD)
Digital copy (on disc)
DVD copy
Region A (C untested)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 2.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
We can't never die.
Bootlegging's a wet business, and that's not just a reference to the liquor. For every pint of the stuff produced in Lawless, there's about a
gallon of blood spilled. That's not a very good ratio, not a ringing endorsement of prohibition, and certainly not very good for business.
Lawless tells the story of Virginia mountain moonshiners at the height of prohibition, sharing the bloody details of their relationships, their
business dealings, and the
violence that followed them with every jar produced and each liter sold. The movie angles to ascend above typical era drivel that's shaped more by
an excesses of gunfire than well-defined characters. The movie largely succeeds. It plays with an evident sense of authenticity -- which includes an
abundance of plot-driven violence offset by a slight bit of humor -- that allows viewers to saturate themselves not in the handmade liquor but within
the
boundaries of one of the most dangerous and fascinating eras of 20th century American history.
Witness to violence.
Lawless looks great on Blu-ray. The film opens with a beautiful overhead of fall foliage, offering an impressive array of Virginia colors and also pinpoint details and sharpness even at some distance from the treetops. The detail and color excellence continues throughout. Old storefronts, period clothes, muddy cars, grasses, dirt roads, and pretty much every other element within the movie shines. There's a wonderful crispness to the image, bringing the period reconstruction to life with surprisingly little effort. Colors, likewise, enjoy striking balance, even as the film dabbles primarily in tans and grays and browns and other rustic hues. Splashes of brighter shades on clothes, hair, lipsticks, and the like enjoy dazzling brilliance and natural balance. Skin textures appear accurate, while black levels are precise and deep with no signs of crush or paleness. There are a handful of slightly softer shots and a touch of banding, primarily around bright light sources in poorly lit surroundings, but the transfer is otherwise proficient and clear. This is another first-rate new release image from Anchor Bay.
Lawless' DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack does the film justice. The only real gripe with the presentation is that gunfire never finds much of a heavy, energetic presence. Clarity is fine but listeners won't find themselves ducking for cover even during the most intensive shootouts. Otherwise, the track offers a big, wide, enveloping stage in which it plays heartily and with much precision. Thunder rolls nicely about, cars rattle on through, and other ambient effects are handled with generous spacing and accuracy. Indeed, the track handles both the most sonically intensive and minimal ambient effects with equal care, placing the listener in the midst of prohibition-era Virginia with ease (other than the puny gunfire, of course). Music plays smoothly and accurately, whether score or robust period dance music. Dialogue plays clearly and evenly from the center channel. This is a hearty, well crafted soundtrack that could use a little finish on the gunfire but that otherwise impresses a great deal in every other area of concern.
Lawless contains a handful of on-disc supplemental features, headlined by an audio commentary track. DVD and iTunes digital copies are also
included in the set.
Lawless seems to nail its period recreation, and not just through sets and costumes. The actors live the time and violence with striking precision. The story doesn't necessarily make for the end-all, be-all of Gangster/Prohibition period films, but it does everything very well and nothing poorly. The movie feels a hair overlong but at the same time it never drags too much. It effectively blends its drama with sometimes hideous violence and subtle humor, making for one of 2012's better and must-see films. Lawless' Blu-ray release features high quality video and audio. A nice little collection of extras is included. Recommended.
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35th Anniversary Edition
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Extended Director's Cut
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Remastered
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