Watch: The Bondurant Boys Are Indestructible In The Trailer For John Hillcoat's 'Lawless' Starring Shia LaBeouf, Tom Hardy, Gary Oldman & More

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by Kevin Jagernauth
April 24, 2012 6:39 PM
40 Comments

The anticipation for John Hillcoat's "Lawless" -- formerly known as "The Wettest County In The World" and then just "The Wettest County" -- has been nearly unbearable. Going through a few release date shifts, and the aforementioned title change, fans eager for the film got a great boost of good news when it was announced last week that the film landed a coveted In Competition slot at the Cannes Film Festival. What at first seemed like The Weinstein Company moving around and tinkering with a movie they didn't know what to do with, instead looks like the studio positioning the film for the best rollout possible.

Well, after looking at the same couple of stills and set photos for a year, we now have a brand new trailer to show off what Hillcoat and co. have been working on. And it looks pretty damn great. Based on the novel by Matt Bondurant, this true story Prohibition-era tale is led by Tom Hardy, Shia LaBeouf and Jason Clarke as the Bondurant brothers who run a bootlegging gang but find their moonshine dynasty in Franklin County, Virginia threatened by the authorities wanting a cut. And while the trailer looks very much like it has been edited to appeal to a wide audience (the intertitles are corny, and the trailer music generic), Hillcoat's eye for broad vistas, his unflinching portrayal of violence and the power of the performances come through.

Tom Hardy looks like he'll be making yet another star-making turn (though we're less convinced of LaBeouf), but no surprise it's Gary Oldman as a gangster who employs the boys and an awesomely smarmy Guy Pearce, as a special agent tasked to bring them down, who truly shine and bring this thing to life. Not to mention that Jessica Chastain, as always, looks fantastic. Epic in scope and with the rugged aesthetic Hillcoat made his name on with "The Road" and "The Proposition," we can't wait.

"Lawless" opens on August 31st and will play the Cannes Film Festival next month. Watch below.

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More: Lawless, John Hillcoat, Film Trailers, Tom Hardy, Guy Pearce, Mia Wasikowska, Shia LaBeouf, Guy Pearce, Jessica Chastain

40 Comments

| Reply
`Loweralex | May 7, 2012 6:41 PMReply

This could be(it looks like) one top-shelf driving force of a film!! Hardy,Chastain and Guy Pearce.Give me a three hour film with the sequel being finished as we speaks.
Nik Grape | April 25, 2012 11:09 AMReply

Hope it's more subdued and patient than what the trailer suggests. Other than that, looks solid. But Shia LeBouf is just ... no.
Connor | April 25, 2012 8:49 AMReply

The Next Public Enemies ?
jingmei | April 25, 2012 6:15 AMReply

Holy shit that looks kinda classically awesome, Guy Pearce even hardly to be recognized with making up. Bet this is gonna be something worthy.
gonad | April 25, 2012 4:14 AMReply

Does Guy Pearce pull that 'De Niro having a stroke' face for the whole film?
divatime | April 25, 2012 3:09 AMReply

Tom Hardy is in this movie and they give more screen time to Shia LaBeof in the trailer... this must be a joke, right? I've read many reports that Hardy is the best thing in this movie - no surprise there - he's the best thing in ANY movie he's been in. Can't take your eyes off him, he's so mesmerising. Not since the days when Steve McQueen, Paul Newman, Marlon Brando ruled the screen have we seen an actor with as much charisma, looks AND phenomenal acting talent. Who the f*** wants to look at this lightweight Shia guy? Trailer = Epic fail.
Bored | April 27, 2012 5:09 PM

I've thought of this for a while, actually since Inception came out, how much Hardy paid for PR to spread this HARDY AMAZING IN EVERYTHING & IS THE NEXT XXXX thing all over the web???
a | April 25, 2012 3:23 AM

I wonder how long it's been since an Internet commenter compared their favorite actor to Brando. 30 seconds? 25?
Rah-al | April 25, 2012 2:56 AMReply

Am I missing something? This trailer looks really generic and uninteresting. A big letdown. Let's hope the actual movie is better than this.
casey | April 25, 2012 1:52 AMReply

For those who are all hating on this trailer, you can be quiet now, because this looks awesome. Until you make a movie yourself, you have no room to talk on others directing capabilities, acting chops, and all around on how to put a major film together. I am not saying that I do either, but I'm also not the one bad mouthing movies I've never seen, and tasks with which I've never tried. BTW Tom Hardy will own this movie!
a | April 25, 2012 2:18 AM

"Until you make a movie yourself, you have no room to talk on others directing capabilities, acting chops, and all around on how to put a major film together." LOL. So... no one can say anything, good or bad, about a movie? We better call Roger Ebert and tell him he needs to quit reviewing direction and performances, seeing as how he's never attempted either. And I wonder, Casey, are you an actor? If not, I don't think you should be talking about whether or not Tom Hardy is good at acting. Who are you to say?!
StephenM | April 25, 2012 1:40 AMReply

I don't love the way this trailer was cut together, but I'm still so excited for this I'm kind of bouncing up and down. Real manly of me, I know.
none | April 28, 2012 11:18 PM

"We better call Roger Ebert and tell him he needs to quit reviewing direction and performances" please.
Katie Walsh | April 25, 2012 12:45 AMReply

Holy fuck Tom Hardy
Travis Hopson | April 24, 2012 11:30 PMReply

Ooohhh, this looks nothing at all like the book I read. I'll withhold judgement because this is just a trailer, but the book isn't just some Al Capone flick set in the mountains. There's a lot more to it than that.
Gaton | April 24, 2012 11:24 PMReply

And whose supposed to go see this movie? Not much interest.
Rob Z | April 24, 2012 10:54 PMReply

Malick did the right thing giving away his title...Lawless just sounds like a bad straight to dvd kind of b movie...Trailer was a big let down ...
James Wilervant | April 24, 2012 10:52 PMReply

Wow..That looks surprisingly unimpressive...I am not sure what look he was going for but Hillcoat just made a movie that looks a hell of a lot like Public Enemies which was also really disappointing .
Sean | April 24, 2012 9:38 PMReply

The trailer was alright, but i'm more excited about seeing some footage for the first time. I am so hyped for this film. Great cast. And i might be the only one who thinks Shia looks good in his role. If anything, Oldman looks plain and generic.
Plus, it seems as though the film heavily deviates from the book, because i'm don't remember that much action in the novel.
Can't wait until August.
hank | April 24, 2012 9:22 PMReply

title sucks.
te | April 24, 2012 9:12 PMReply

MEH.
this guy | April 24, 2012 8:40 PMReply

With Nick Cave adapting the script and Hillcoat directing, this will be much, MUCH more than what this trailer shows. There will be violence and poetry in the visuals like only those two together can give. I can't wait.
Oogle monster | April 24, 2012 8:30 PMReply

This looks infinity times more badass than Savages.
cirkusfolk | April 24, 2012 8:26 PMReply

I was expecting a worse trailer by what you said. For instance the trailer for The Road was way worse in trying to appeal to a mass audience with its inter titles and music. This trailer just makes the film look like a shoot em up instead of a mood piece and maybe that's what it is. Reminds me of Public Enemies but hopefully it's better than that. As far as Guy Pearce goes, I heard he had a lot to do with how his character came out and supposedly its supposed to be a homage to Nick Cave himself even though I don't see it. Looks to me like he just wanted to play someone flashy and over the top maybe to earn himself an Oscar nom. Ive actually heard Tom Hardy is the best thing in the film which again is why they pushed it back. I'm also surprised we saw so much of Gary Oldman as I heard his part was very small.
cirkusfolk | April 24, 2012 8:26 PMReply

I was expecting a worse trailer by what you said. For instance the trailer for The Road was way worse in trying to appeal to a mass audience with its inter titles and music. This trailer just makes the film look like a shoot em up instead of a mood piece and maybe that's what it is. Reminds me of Public Enemies but hopefully it's better than that. As far as Guy Pearce goes, I heard he had a lot to do with how his character came out and supposedly its supposed to be a homage to Nick Cave himself even though I don't see it. Looks to me like he just wanted to play someone flashy and over the top maybe to earn himself an Oscar nom. Ive actually heard Tom Hardy is the best thing in the film which again is why they pushed it back. I'm also surprised we saw so much of Gary Oldman as I heard his part was very small.
Scott BaioWulfgang Amadeus | April 24, 2012 8:11 PMReply

Trailer still up here...for now. It debuted on Entertainment Tonight as well.

http://themoviebox.net/1065
Carl | April 24, 2012 8:07 PMReply

John Hillcoat is so-so director who gets treated like he's done something great when he hasn't. The movie looks as lackluster as everything else he's done. He's not Terrence Malick, he's not Andrew Dominik and he's not the Coen Brothers: all of whom could have taken this subject matter and something incredible with it.
Huffy | April 24, 2012 10:52 PM

I wouldn't go that far but I am puzzled by the enormous amount of this is receiving. The Proposition was good but not great as so many people claimed it to be and The Road was meh considering how good the original novel was. I think Hillcoat is a good director with a vision but far from the second-coming of Malick that people make him out to be (probably because of the self-serious nature of his films).
Redcup | April 24, 2012 8:50 PM

Yes

This plus a seemingly unimpressive lead = why I don't get its hype.
kris | April 24, 2012 8:05 PMReply

can we start the tom hardy mania?
walktheearth | April 25, 2012 12:18 PM

You're about 3 years too late.
Roark | April 24, 2012 7:21 PMReply

Nice that when they pull the trailer down they still make you sit through a 30 second ad before letting you know. Assholes.
triguous | April 24, 2012 7:17 PMReply

Isn't there already a Ryan Gosling film called "Lawless" being released this year? I actually prefer the title, "The Wettest County."
a | April 24, 2012 7:22 PM

This movie took the title from the Gosling movie, basically. The Gosling movie won't be out this year. Who knows how long Malick will take on it. Maybe long enough so that naming it Lawless won't be an issue.
jp | April 24, 2012 7:14 PMReply

anyone know where to find the trailer since it's been pulled down?
Alex | April 24, 2012 7:00 PMReply

Unfortunately, the trailer makes it out to be pretty standard. Still good, but lesser than i hoped. Hopefully, the film is better than the trailer makes it out to be.
BobMann | April 24, 2012 6:55 PMReply

Tom Hardy looks BADASS
Gary Oldman looks BADASS
Guy Pearce looks BADASS
Dan | April 24, 2012 6:53 PMReply

Looks good. I hear Guy Pearce is a scene-stealer
KT | April 24, 2012 6:53 PMReply

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
that guy | April 24, 2012 6:52 PMReply

this trailer feels so heavy-handed... really misses the mark. the film still has a lot of promise with the cast (except for LaBeouf, who has had 1 good performance in A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints) and of course director Hillcoat.