Lawless

Set in 1931 during the early years of Prohibition and the Great Depression, John Hillcoat's vividly stylish, über-violent gangster Western introduces the legendary Bondurants, a trio of bootlegging brothers who controlled whiskey manufacturing and distribution in Franklin County in the backwoods of Virginia. Hot-headed Jack (Shia LaBeouf) is the youngest and serves as the narrator. Big, boozy Howard (Jason Clarke) is the oldest, but he's still shell-shocked from WWI so his role is, basically, that of enforcer —which leaves taciturn middle son Forrest (Tom Hardy) as the brains behind the family business. The siblings, whose parents died in the Spanish flu epidemic, run a rural café/feed store/gas station that serves as a front for their moonshine operation—which is disrupted by the arrival of corrupt Special Deputy Rakes (Guy Pearce), who wants a share of the profits generated by the brothers' high-grade hooch that is carefully concocted by crippled Cricket Pate (Dane DeHaan) at a secret distillery. A fastidious dandy, Rakes is a sadistic psychopath whose pastimes are rape and murder. Also on hand are notorious Chicago mobster Floyd Banner (Gary Oldman), and a pair of love interests: Jack's girlfriend is Bertha Minnix (Mia Wasikowska), a Mennonite minister's rebellious daughter, while Forrest is involved with Maggie Beauford (Jessica Chastain), a former burlesque “dancer.” Adapted from Matt Bondurant's 2008 semi-biographical novel, The Wettest County in the World, this true-crime-saga is visually striking, but too often dramatically inert. A strong optional purchase. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include audio commentary by director John Hillcoat and author Matt Bondurant, “The True Story of the Wettest County in the World” featurette on the book (22 min.), deleted scenes (8 min.), a “Franklin County, VA: Then and Now” location featurette (6 min.), the music video “Midnight Run” by Willie Nelson, and trailers. Exclusive to the Blu-ray release is “The Story of the Bondurant Family” featurette (13 min.), and bonus DVD and digital copies of the film. Bottom line: a solid extras package for an uneven film.] (S. Granger)