5 Reasons To Ignore The Hate And Love Lawless

4. The Best Villain Since Anton Chigurh

Having watched Lawless, it now feels like a huge missed opportunity that Chris Nolan couldn't find some place for him in his Dark Knight trilogy for Guy Pearce, who spent all of his screen time in the Bondurant story reminding everyone exactly why he is considered a truly great acting talent and stealing focus from almost everyone else. And despite career blips like the (admittedly clearly fun) Lockout, Pearce is a serious talent, and one who shines as psychopathic law-man Charlie Rakes opposite the Bondurant brothers. He is a despicable character, his physical repulsiveness (achieved astonishingly successfully by the removal of the actor's eyebrows) is matched only by his moral repugnance, and following the trend of the film's apparent disregard for femininity, his effeminate nature, marked by his obsessive compulsive cleanliness, is both a point of ridicule and an extra level to his horrific power. Like Hannibal Lecter's immaculate appearance and manners, Rakes' unconventional quirk heightens his presence as a villain, and the real moments of disgust, like his implied sexual violence towards women, land stronger punches as a result. Yes, his ultimate fall to apparent insanity comes a little out of nowhere - though his tendency to frenzied anger and rash decisions is implied earlier in the film - but in Pearce's hands, the character leaves the right sort of distasteful imprint on the audience that only the most successful villains, like the wonderful Anton Chigurh ever manage. They get under your skin, and they stay there - and Rakes certainly does that.
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