It has a devastating lack of focus, with many unnecessary or underexplored subplots like the romances with the female leads, the Chicago gangster they're selling to, and the corruption of local law enforcement. The last half hour is really entertaining, when they finally picks a storyline to maintain for consecutive scenes, and everything besides the script and (I'm guessing) the editing is amazing, so this is worth seeing.

I did not know what to expect when I walked into 'Lawless'. Shia LaBeouf's accent definitely allowed me to keep my expectations low for the opening bit of the movie. However, as time goes on, it grew on me more and more. 'Lawless' is more like a comic book movie than a period/crime-drama. The Bondurants are mythical legends in their town and they try to keep that reputation, even against the most impossible odds. It gets pretty violent and grim at times, but it's also a hell of a lot of fun.

A mess that occasionally rewards its viewers for their patience with a nude Chastain, smarmy Pearce, and ridiculously badass Hardy.

Tom Hardy is really on a roll. Dude. Guy Pierce. That part in your hair was intense. Definitely needed more Gary Oldman.

Not enough Oldman. Too many characters all around spread the development far too thin. Some pretty gritty scenes and tense moments but there are too many wasted moments and LaBeouf's narration is overcooked and unnecessary.

This movie has some good performances and some really excellent acting moments, but is basically painful to get through

The worst kind of gangster cinema. Writing without any spark, performances without any gravitas and hyperviolence without any sense of purpose. In a year with films like Killing Them Softly and Django Unchained, there's no way Lawless could ever stand up. Jessica Chastain does her best, but the material gives her nothing. Everybody else is bad.

script could have been written better and some awesome actors seemed to be underused. they were basically the reason why I wanted to see this movie so I feel a little bit dissapointed by that. btw, comparing to the trailer, the movie itself is really slow, I didn't expect that. overall, I'd say it's a nice but forgettable movie.

Dull as dishwater, predictable Hollywood. It's getting bad when I can accurately predict the outcome of a movie 10 minutes into it. Maybe that's why the whole "rags to riches gangster" genre has become so tedious. I don't care what era or drug it's about, if you're not going to make it somewhat unique or fresh then don't bother.

A bunch of solid performances from professionals just going through the motions but everything that happens feels ultimately pointless.

Pretty good, just lacking some sharpness or magic

This movie would have been a lot better if the main characters weren't such a drag. While fairly interesting in and of themselves after the halfway point of the movie they start taking actions clearly to create plot for the rest of the movie, so it obviously goes down hill at that point. Brothers will tear a man's organs out and chop him into bits, but won't shoot another who's coming to burn down his property and shot him on sight? A declared enemy? Please!

WHAT'S WITH THOSE CRAZY HAIR CUTS? From the forehead down it's a historical crime drama, but from the forehead up it's the fucking Fifth Element.

A well put together origin film for Bane.

Interesting Prohibition-era and bootlegging-subject, but flat characters, sloppy story and storytelling kills a lot of the potential. On the positive side are the ever reliable Hardy and an underused Oldman, a cinematography and setting that adds to the era-feel and a good soundtrack. More gritty bootlegging and less shitty love and this one could have been so much better. *Preview*: #12#, hype, story, reviews, writer Cave/1, director Hillcoat/1, actors.

Was into this, Jessica Chastain gets naked and I blacked out, I guess the rest of the movie was pretty good. Not even Shia Lapoof could ruin this after that, my lord.

If Tom Hardy were any cooler his sweat would come out as sleet. If Jessica Chastain were any hotter her sweat would come out as steam. Shia's is just salty-water like all us normal people.

Great potential but this simply isn't anywhere near the level of Boardwalk Empire. Laboeuf manages to not completely ruin the film, which is a surprise, but unfortunately the writing spends way too much time on boring love sub-plots and not enough time showing how these brothers build a bootlegging business while maintaining the loyalty of the county. Gary Oldman should have had a much bigger role, and Laboeuf and Pearce much smaller. The production design is solid, but the soundtrack is wrong.

So, you know I really liked those "Huh". Those were the best lines of the film. This a quite a likable western, especially those who like that type of genre. The "growing up" of the youngest brother was a nice transition and even a fun one since the oldest brothers didn't come to his rescue until they really had that. That was a great change from the normal story lines and great character development. Quite an entertaining story, tho I would have liked a better ending, it rounded up quite well.

Not bad.

Fantastic flick. I really had no idea what I was in for, and damn was I surprised. Tom Hardy truly caught my attention for the first time, although he'd deserved it all along, and the rest of the cast was phenomenal as well. This movie is rough and very brutal, but it's a story with some great atmosphere and an even better story.

Thread-bare story, lame script, so-so performances.

While I certainly enjoyed it, I really was expecting a lot more. John Hillcoat has made some of the best movies I have ever seen (the Proposition) but this isn't one of them. Having said that, I did enjoy the performance and the story.

I was buying into the myth of the Bondurant brothers but Guy Pearce's lame character, Charlie Rakes, damn near ruined the movie for me. His screen time ought to have been given to Gary Oldman.

Tomy Hardy and Guy Pearce delivers both blood & moonshine

Hopeless subplots ruined a movie with quite the potential... More bootlegging and less love please!

Who knew Shia LaBeouf could act? Hardy steals the show, as he so often does, and Pearce is nothing short of menacing. The script was well written, yet felt constrained by time. Perhaps an extra 30 minutes of length could have allowed us to better know Chastain's character? At the very least, it would have let us see more of the criminally underused Oldman. The film is shockingly violent and leaves you feeling very uneasy throughout, but hey, it was a violent time. Well worth a watch.

Shia LaBeouf can't narriate, but his acting, along with everyone else's, makes Lawless worth watching. The writing paces it at a risk but is filmed excellently.

Jack's story of being up to the task rather than living in his brothers' shadow, which takes Hillcoat and his writer Cave some time to establish, could've benefited from a stronger focus. It does a fine job however in capturing 1930's bootlegging era and the characters did eventually grow on me. Fist -and gunfights are minimalistic yet effective and unflinching.

I know what this contrived, shapeless, and inauthentic Nick Cave script needs: Shia LaBeouf! Yeah, and we can make him do a completely lifeless voice over narration to make his presence all the more apparent. That'll make things a little more tolerable.

Solid enough to be a decent watch filled with great performances from a strong cast, but seriously lacking in appearances by Gary Oldman

Amazing cast, lovely script. Just raw and cool all the way through. Loved every minute of it. The world needs more gangster westerns.

I wanted to go higher, but there were some definite flaws. Nothing major, but kept it just short of spectacular.

very good 10 out of 10

Perfectly cast and brilliant acting. Gripping from start to finish. Catch it when you can.

A really fantastic crime drama -- even though the ending, as some have already said, IS a bit anti-climactic. Absolutely loved Guy Pearce's sleazy policeman character, and even thought Shia LaBeouf played the "wet-behind-the-ears, foolhardy younger brother" role well. A must watch for fans of the genre and time period (they did a great job making it "feel" like Prohibition era America, I loved it especially for that).

Wild, bloody, sometimes far fetched bootlegging story. It does great job, however, in creating mood by amazing imagery, and of course, badass Tom Hardy.

Good acting, good camera work, good bla bla bla............ but pretty much absolutely pointless.

Pleasantly surprised by this intense gangster flick. Nothing in the script will surprise, but through a combination of excellent movie craft and solid work from the actors with the characters, it sticks out as honest quality in a year with a lot of over-inflated movies.

A beautifully-shot, wonderfully atmospheric movie somewhat let down by some rather tedious sequences (that epilogue.. guys, wrap things up) and a rambling narrative that left me a little underwhelmed at film's end. A good movie, but not as special as I'd hoped it might be.