The wettest county in the world...

The Prohibition era is a topic very much in the public's awareness as of late, largely thanks to the incredible HBO drama "Boardwalk Empire" which has just embarked on its third season following overwhelming critical acclaim. The show has earned international praise for its ultra-violent, unflinching insight into the illegal alcohol trade in 1920's America, pinpointing Atlantic City and it's significance in the period. Which means there is no time like the present to shoot a film that borrows many of the show's themes and issues and contextualises them towards the very end of the Prohibition, in 1931, a decade after alcohol was outlawed in the United States, causing many men to take the law into their own hands and capitalise on the chance of making a quick buck. In "Boardwalk" we are taken to New Jersey, whereas "Lawless" heads to the rural marshes of Franklin County, Virginia, inhabited by our main characters, the Bondurant brothers, who make their living through the brewing of moonshine. The film is directed by John Hillcoat, famed for his gritty Aussie flick "The Proposition". Nick Cave wrote that and also wrote this, meaning they have a nice little partnership going on which could easily continue to develop of things carry on as they have been.

The backwoods of Ohio set the scene for the film's events, which are blood-soaked and brutal to the end, but not shy of true heart thanks to the surprise star of "Lawless" (for me anyway), that kid from Transformers, Shia LaBeouf. I've never been a fan of the lad, probably because Transformers and the other shitty-looking films he's been in (Disturbia etc) have been about as intriguing to me as the latest series of The X Factor. But he's just another actor in desperate need of a good role, before he can finally flourish and show us what he's made of. His performance in "Lawless" might be far from Oscar-worthy, but it can at least serve as a platform for him to stand on in order to aim for bigger and better things. He plays the lead role of Jack Bondurant with the right amount of cocksure naivety and wide-eyed innocence, constantly in the shadow of his battle-scarred older brothers Forest and Howard, played by the always brilliant Tom Hardy and the lesser known Jason Clarke.

The film largely revolves around Jack's coming-of-age story and the trials and tribulations he faces when getting mixed up in the bootlegging trade that his siblings earn their bread from. Things turn violent in their neighbourhood when a sadistic, camp tyrant appears in the form of Guy Pearce's Detective Charlie Rakes, who demands a cut from all of the brothers' profits, much to Forest's distaste. Rakes proceeds to intimidate Forest's men by using extreme violence and thus the inevitable war begins between the bootleggers and the sharply dressed sociopath, depicted with Nazi-esque precision by Pearce, who really enjoys playing with Rakes's evil, twisted psyche.

In terms of the other key actors, there isn't a bad performance in sight. Hardy is on form as the bear-like Forest, using the restricted dialogue he is given to send shivers down his enemies' spines, sharing a similarity to his portrayal of Bane in "The Dark Knight Rises", in the sense that he relies on his eyes rather than his voice. His cold, fixed stare has a tendency to shoot straight through you, making it clear that this is not a man you should possess the idiocy to fuck with. He also has a softer side though, and his stoicism is admirable, making him a slightly unhinged yet lovable protagonist. Gary Oldman appears on screen for a shorter time than I expected, but is of course absolutely superb as always. The first time we see him, he is stomping down the middle of a road wielding a Thompson gun, spraying bullets everywhere with the look of a madman. His cheeky little wink to Jack Bondurant says it all though; he might not be a big piece of this puzzle, but he's sure as hell enjoying himself. Jessica Chastain also pleases, playing the damsel in distress living in an environment not for the faint of heart, but still managing to stay strong amongst men of extreme violence.

Indeed, the violence is heavy, hence the 18 certificate, which is rarer these days as such decisions by the BBFC obviously cut down a film's target audience significantly. But when you fully realise the backdrop of the film's and it's subject, it feels wholly necessary. Though ever so slightly cheesy in small parts, the film succeeds in painting a picture of a dog eat dog world in which brute force and ambition were the only things that would carry you through a hard life in 1930's America.