Lawless

Set in 1931 rural Virginia, Lawless follows the Bondurant brothers, who run a storefront that conceals a profitable moonshine business. Forrest handles the planning, Howard supplies the muscle, and the youngest, Jack, keeps watch and records events. For years local officers accept payoffs and leave them alone, but the arrival of a cruel federal agent from Chicago shatters the uneasy balance. As pressure mounts from law enforcement and rival criminals, tensions escalate, loyalties fray, and the brothers lean on family ties and harsh pragmatism to protect their livelihood without betraying their identities. Stakes rise and small-town codes are tested as violence grows now too.

Directed by John Hillcoat and released in 2012, Lawless adapts Matt Bondurant's account of his family's bootlegging. The screenplay was developed with writer-musician Nick Cave, and the film assembles a strong period cast led by Hardy, LaBeouf, and Gary Oldman.

The movie saw moderate commercial success, drawing steady crowds without achieving blockbuster status. Its theatrical run attracted interest among fans of gritty period pieces, but it wasn't a major revenue generator compared with studio tentpoles of the time internationally overall.

Lawless drew attention for its rough, violent aesthetic and strong ensemble performances, especially Tom Hardy and Shia LaBeouf. Scenes of tense confrontations and the film's stylized take on Prohibition-era crime have kept it in discussions about recent American outlaw cinema, and its score and cinematography get frequent praise from critics.

Critics were generally favorable, and audiences rate it around 7.062/10 from 3,218 votes, appreciating its atmosphere and acting. Reviewers noted strong individual performances but also criticized uneven pacing and explicit violence. Major themes include family loyalty, endemic corruption, masculine codes, and the moral cost of illicit prosperity and survival struggles.