Archive of films Lawless / Lawless

USA
2012, 115 min

Section: Horizons
Year: 2012

Remarkable directing-screenwriting duo John Hillcoat and Nick Cave (The Proposition) are back with a gangster movie set in the prohibition era. The film tells the tale of the famous Bondurant brothers, whose uneventful bootlegging trade in a remote corner of Virginia one day comes up against the dogged resistance of special agent Rakes. This stylish spectacle, recently screened in competition at Cannes, is particularly appealing for the suggestive acting performances of Tom Hardy, Shia LaBeouf, Gary Oldman, Jessica Chastain and Guy Pearce.

Synopsis

Of all the American movies in the program for this year’s Cannes festival, Lawless was without question "the most American.” Set in a period that ranks high in North American mythology, this exquisitely shot genre spectacle presents sensitive roughnecks; women both innocent and fallen; a traditional, progress-denouncing religious community; and, in contrast, it celebrates the infectious joy of a prosperous enterprise. The noteworthy directing-screenwriting duo of John Hillcoat and Nick Cave (The Proposition) returns with a Prohibition-era gangster flick about the notorious Bondurant brothers (Tom Hardy, Shia LaBeouf, and Jason Clarke), whose peaceful distilling and bootlegging activities in the Virginia outback one day run up against the dogged resistance of Special Agent Rakes (a perverse dandy played by Guy Pearce). Despite its period framing, the film (which also features Gary Oldman, Jessica Chastain, and Mia Wasikowska) does have certain contemporary parallels. Although the Bondurant brothers operate an illegal business, they are also the most principled citizens of a town that is shot through with corruption.

About the director

John Hillcoat (b. 1961, Queensland, Australia), director and occasional screenwriter, took a degree in fine arts. After graduating from the School of Film and Television at Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne, he began working on his feature debut, the crime drama Ghosts… of the Civil Dead, co-written by and co-starring Hillcoat’s frequent collaborator Nick Cave. In addition to writing the music for the cult Western drama The Proposition (2004), the renowned rocker once again co-wrote the script with director Hillcoat, and the movie stars their friend Guy Pearce. Hillcoat also brought his penchant for tough environments, in which the characters find themselves facing a crucial life decision, to his adaptation of Cormac McCarthy’s The Road (2009). Hillcoat, also a celebrated maker of music videos (Depeche Mode, INXS, Placebo), competed at this year’s Cannes festival with his latest film Lawless.

Contacts

Bontonfilm, a.s.
Na Poříčí 1047/26, 110 00, Praha 1
Czech Republic
Tel: +420 257 415 111
Fax: +420 257 415 113
E-mail: [email protected]
www: www.bontonfilm.cz

FilmNation Entertainment
150 W. 22nd Str., 9th Floor, NY 10011, New York
United States of America
Tel: +1 917 484 8900
Fax: +1 917 484 8901
E-mail: [email protected]
www: www.filmnation.com

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About the film

Color, DCP

Section:	Horizons

Director:	John Hillcoat
Screenplay:	Nick Cave podle knihy / based on the book by Matt Bondurant
Dir. of Photography:	Benoit Delhomme
Music:	Nick Cave, Jordan Tappis
Editor:	Dylan Tichenor
Producer:	Douglas Wick, Lucy Fisher, Megan Ellison, Michael Benaroya
Production:	Red Wagon Productions, Annapurna Pictures, Blum Hanson Allen Films, Benaroya Pictures
Cast:	Shia LaBeouf, Tom Hardy, Jason Clarke, Guy Pearce, Jessica Chastain
Contact:	Bontonfilm, a.s., FilmNation Entertainment
Distributor:	Bontonfilm, a.s.

Guests

Aleš Danielis

Distributor

Marek Jeníček

Distributor, Producer