The true story of the infamous Bondurant Brothers: bootlegging siblings who made a run for the American Dream in Prohibition-era Virginia. In this epic gangster tale, inspired by true-life tales of author Matt Bondurant’s family in his novel The Wettest County in the World, the loyalty of three brothers is put to the test against the backdrop of the nation’s most notorious crime wave.
I’m on the fence about this movie Lawless, but I really shouldn’t be, because the good far outweighs the bad here. Let me start off with what’s causing me trepidation: Shia Labeouf. I don’t hate the guy, but I just can’t take him seriously as an actor. What’s more: this trailer just didn’t invoke any emotion in me, and no emotion at all is almost worse than a strong negative reaction. But here’s why I’m interested in this project: the serious amount of talent involved! There are the obvious standouts like actors Tom Hardy, Gary Oldman, Guy Pearce, Mia Wasikowska, and Jessica Chastain, but behind the camera is the writer/director pairing of Nick Cave and John Hillcoat, who together made The Proposition one of the darkest, most sinister movies that I’ve seen in a long time. But honestly, I’m so nonplussed by this preview that I think I’m going to have to see another one before I start getting excited.
Lawless comes out August 31, 2012.