Lawless (2012) | Rotten Tomatoes (2025)

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67%

Tomatometer

218 Reviews

74%

Popcornmeter

100,000+ Ratings

In 1931, the Bondurant brothers of Franklin County, Va., run a multipurpose backwoods establishment that hides their true business, bootlegging. Middle brother Forrest (Tom Hardy) is the brain of the operation; older Howard (Jason Clarke) is the brawn, and younger Jack (Shia LaBeouf), the lookout. Though the local police have taken bribes and left the brothers alone, a violent war erupts when a sadistic lawman (Guy Pearce) from Chicago arrives and tries to shut down the Bondurants operation.

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Lawless

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Critics Consensus

Grim, bloody, and utterly flawed, Lawless doesn't quite achieve the epic status it strains for, but it's too beautifully filmed and powerfully acted to dismiss.

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Critics Reviews

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J. Hoberman

ARTINFO.com

Lawless wants to be something larger than life, but it's too joyless to be a tall tale and too self-satisfied for tragedy.

Feb 22, 2019

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Nicolas Rapold

Film Comment Magazine

Hillcoat makes a foray into Virginia's Prohibition-era moonshine country. But the adaptation (by Hillcoat compadre Nick Cave) is a hokey piece of pop history that wearyingly insists upon its own mythos like a comic-book blockbuster.

Jul 1, 2013

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David Thomson

The New Republic

It's slight and casual to the point of laziness, but it's straight fun, done with knowledge and a laconic pleasure. You could do far worse.

Jun 14, 2013

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Iván Kazi

EscribiendoCine

The percentage of elevated violence impregnates and propels almost every facet of the protagonists' life. [Full review in Spanish]

Rated: 8/10

Apr 12, 2023

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Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

There isn't much dimension to these proceedings and not an inkling of greater meaning beyond the story at hand, but it’s such a well-made picture that one can hardly protest.

Rated: 3/4

Oct 3, 2022

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Keith Garlington

Keith & the Movies

“Lawless” is a tough, bloody, and violent action picture that’s very honest in what it’s trying to be. The story is simple and nothing will catch you by surprise. But it’s also compelling and the characters are easy to invest in.

Rated: 4/5

Aug 23, 2022

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Isa B The cast is outstanding in this picture. Tom Hardy, Jason Clarke, Shia LaBeouf, Guy Pierce, Jessica Chastain, Dane Dehaan, Gary Oldman and Bill Camp deliver the goods. It is a very good film and one I recommend. 87/100 Rated 4.5/5 Stars • Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 11/28/24 Full Review Audience Member A movie that will drive you to drink. A good cast is wasted playing unlikable characters with violent Tendencies and dull love lives. A thoroughly unemployable film. Rated 1/5 Stars • Rated 1 out of 5 stars 05/20/24 Full Review Drums n Bass I How do you mess up a movie with such an amazing cast? Well, in this case they did it with a disjointed storyline and plot holes you could drive a load of moonshine through. And cartoonish characters with retched dialogue, such as the Special Deputy. Even the great Guy Pierce couldn't salvage that monolithically evil role. Not sure I've ever seen a character as one dimensional, with the possible exception of Spongebob Squarepants (who's infinitely more entertaining, by the way).As usual, Tom Hardy showed absolute planetary gravitas and just became his terrifying character. Just his performance makes it worth a watch and is basically the only reason I gave it even two stars. As an individual performer he gets five, but sadly even that wasn't enough to elevate this beyond a "meh." Rated 2/5 Stars • Rated 2 out of 5 stars 01/10/24 Full Review Sps D Strong cast, successful acting and a gripping story, it's definitely a must watch. Rated 4/5 Stars • Rated 4 out of 5 stars 11/30/23 Full Review bash k Patronising at best, guy Pearce is the super villain who cannot be killed and even when killed is done in the dark taking away all pleasure from viewers for chance of justice being done, 1 star simply because couldn't give 0 Rated 1/5 Stars • Rated 1 out of 5 stars 11/03/23 Full Review Bruno V Filme com proposta de filme, mas que infelizmente que se arrasta e cansa a certo ponto. Logo pensei que estava assistindo uma série. Rated 5/5 Stars • Rated 5 out of 5 stars 10/07/23 Full Review Read all reviews

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Cast & Crew

John Hillcoat Director Shia LaBeouf Jack Bondurant Tom Hardy Forrest Bondurant Jason Clarke Howard Bondurant Guy Pearce Charley Rakes Jessica Chastain Maggie Beauford

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Lawless

Lawless: Official Clip - I Gotta Watch You Die Again