Mixed feelings about this one. On paper it looks like a good story based on true events, with a great cast (apart from LaBeouf!), but in reality it's somewhat of a disappointment. At 115 minutes, the film meanders along slowly and unevenly, jolting between violent drama and teen romance in an odd way, until we reach the clumsy climax without really feeling involved or caring how it all ends. Lack of chemistry between the brothers is an obvious problem. The youngest one (Jack) is an unlikeable cocky brat, the middle one (Howard) is sketchy at best, and only the eldest one (Forrest) manages to ellicit some emotional investment from the audience. To be fair, there are moments of enjoyment but they are few and far between. A bottle of moonshine in fact might have made this a more fun experience!
Performances are all pretty decent though. Tom Hardy quietly growls and grunts through his lines (not unlike Clint Eastwood might do) in his usual charismatic way, adding a dash of much-needed humour when you least expect it. Not sure how accurate his Southern drawl is, but it takes a while to get used to. Guy Pearce plays the sadistic evil baddie pretty well, even doing his best scenery-chewing Gary Oldman impression at one point to much amusement. Oldman himself is sadly underused, reduced to only a couple of scenes, a mere cameo. What a waste! Jessica Chastain notches up another solid supporting credit despite having to strip naked inexplicably, while Mia Wasikowska's preacher's daughter is sweet and captivating for the little screen time she gets. Shia LaBeouf does just enough not to be too irritating but also fails to garner much sympathy, and is a painfully wrong choice for a lead role. He's giving up "acting" in blockbusters but honestly I do wish he would give up appearing in films altogether.
The atmospheric soundtrack (by Nick Cave and other artists) is very good, the cover of Velvet Underground's "White Light/White Heat" being one of the high points, and the period sets/costume designs all look authentic. But overall this is still a second-rate gangster non-thriller that won't last too long in the memory. Much like alcohol consumption often proves - it seemed like a good idea at the time!
Certified 18 (some very graphic violence, f-bombs and ooh... a pair of boobs on display!)
UK release date: 7th September 2012
