At Cannes, I sat down with the director and screenwriter of "Lawless," John Hillcoat and Nick Cave, who also wrote "The Proposition." This gorgeously mounted period adaptation of "The Wettest County in the World," which is palying out around the country, about the real-life Virginia rum-runner Bondurants, is more family relationship drama than actioner. Tom Hardy is the standout as a sensitive but violent head of the family who is more protective mother hen than father; the rest of the strong ensemble includes Shia LaBeouf, Guy Pearce, Gary Oldman and actresses Jessica Chastain and Mia Wasikowska, who shine in underwritten roles. (Here's more background on how the indie movie got made.) Hillcoat and Cave explain why.
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