Photo courtesy of The Washington Comany

Lawless tells the story of the Bondurant brothers, played by Tom Hardy, Jason Clarke, and Shia LaBeouf, who run an illegal liquor bootlegging business in Franklin County, Virginia. The business is led by Forrest Bondurant (Hardy), the stern yet protective older brother. Howard Bondurant (Clarke) is the violent middle brother, and Jack Bondurant (LaBeouf) plays the ambitious yet naive youngest brother. The brothers’ business runs smoothly until they are visited by the brutal and ruthless Special Agent Charlie Rakes, played by Guy Pearce, from Chicago. Once Rakes shows up and attempts to force himself into the Bondurant’s business, all hell breaks loose.

As the movie progresses, the story presents itself in a way that it is easy to follow. The movie flows nicely and provides certain twists and turns that audiences always enjoy. The one surprising aspect about the film was the amount of violence throughout. Any movie these days is going to have some sort of violence in it, but the violence in Lawless is poignant and really holds no punches. It is cringe-worthy at times but it makes the film feel very true to the time period.

Lawless is also filled with some strong performances. Tom Hardy and Shia LaBeouf give the noticeably stronger performances overall; their scenes together give the film its emotional backbone. Hardy fits perfectly as the eldest brother who has to act as a father figure to his brothers while keeping his successful business running smoothly. LaBeouf fits the role as the ambitious little brother who wants to be in the business with his older brothers, and be as respected as they are in Franklin County. It is a polarizing dynamic between the

The Prohibition Era is a well-known chapter in American history. The legal act that prohibited the manufacturing, transportation and selling of alcohol in the United States changed the landscape of the 1920’s. The rampant selling of illegal alcohol was even more well-known, mainly in the big cities like Chicago and New York.

Rarely do you get a story that describes what it was like in the backwoods of America, where a large amount of the liquor was produced. Lawless is one of those rare two of them throughout the film and makes the film great to watch.

Certain aspects of the film make it flawed. At certain points the story seemed to jump forward a little bit and makes one wonder how the story got to that point, it is understandable that the story has to move forward, but it is also important to tell a full story rather than leave plot holes. Another flaw that is very noticeable is the lack of development with certain characters. Mia Wasikowska, who plays LaBeouf’s love interest, and Gary Old man, who plays mobster Floyd Banner, are so underutilized in the film that you may forget they were there.

Lawless is a good movie that tells a good story, but is held back by its own flaws. The film was beautifully shot and contains some strong performances, but falls short of its vast potential.