screenplay treads too closely to a path we've seen before. Maybe that's no bad thing, since there are a handful of mild twists to subvert things -- and there's a kind of fable-like quality to the story, reinforced by the brothers' legendary status as invincible men in their tiny community. There's also a feeling that, unlike the fireball intensity of 'The Proposition', 'Lawless' has been tamed for the masses. In doing so, it never quite attains that 'classic' film status; it's pretty great -- but not the masterpiece it strives to be. I think that's fine; it's a dirty hillbilly action movie that doesn't talk down too much. I'm all for guys like Nick Cave and John Hillcoat being given a cinematic platform to reach a mass-market; this movie has plenty of integrity, if not sterling originality.