The trailer for ‘Lawless’ debuted this week. First off this movie instantly reminded me of ‘The Newton Boys’, which was a painful memory. But mostly I have a huge problem with this film over the casting- the two tough brothers are played by Tom Hardy and Shia Lebeouf.
One of those things is not like the other.
I’m all for an actors ability, but if we really try and think of Hardy and Lebeouf as tough guys, the two could not be further apart. Hardy was terrifying as the title character in ‘Bronson’ and he will soon be the one to break the bat. On the other hand giant robots constantly carried Shia. Did he ever throw a punch in a Transformers film?
Granted the characters can be different. One brother hot headed and tough while the other is gentler and intelligent. You know, like EVERY OTHER FILM involving two criminal brothers. The trailer tries to make Shia look super tough. He looks to be the one with the love interest and a bit more the hero. Which should make you laugh when thinking about the two of them side-by-side, flexing through ol’timey rolled up shirts with suspenders.
This is even more upsetting after the perfect casting in ‘Warrior.’ Hardy’s character was a monster. His back looked like he was a Mogwai who just got wet. His smaller science teacher brother, played by Joel Edgerton, holds his own in their climatic fight. Edgerton though was convincing in his portrayal of a smart, tough, and dedicated fighter. You believed he could do it. Each and every fight they both won wasn’t a huge stretch of the imagination.
Shia vs. Hardy? No one is taking any bets.