Lawless (2012 film)
| Lawless | |
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | John Hillcoat |
| Produced by | |
| Screenplay by | Nick Cave |
| Based on |
The Wettest County in the World by Matt Bondurant |
| Starring | |
| Music by |
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| Cinematography | Benoît Delhomme |
| Edited by | Dylan Tichenor |
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Production
company |
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| Distributed by |
The Weinstein Company FilmNation Entertainment |
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Release date
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Running time
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115 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $26 million |
| Box office | $53.7 million |
Lawless is a 2012 American crime drama film directed by John Hillcoat. The screenplay by Australian singer-screenwriter Nick Cave is based on Matt Bondurant's historical novel The Wettest County in the World (2008). The film stars Shia LaBeouf, Tom Hardy, Gary Oldman, Mia Wasikowska, Jessica Chastain, Jason Clarke, and Guy Pearce.
The film is about the violent conflict between three bootlegging brothers–Forrest (Hardy), Howard (Clarke), and Jack Bondurant (LaBeouf)–and the ruthless Deputy Charley Rakes (Pearce) and his men, who try to shut down the brothers' Prohibition-era moonshine business after Forrest refuses to pay the cops off. The film was in development for about three years before being produced. It screened at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival and was theatrically released on August 29, 2012.
In 1931, the Bondurant brothers — Forrest, Howard, and Jack — are running a successful moonshine business in the Piedmont region of Virginia. The brothers use their gas station and restaurant as a front for their illegal manufacturing business with the assistance of Jack's disabled friend and engineer, Cricket. Jack witnesses infamous mobster Floyd Banner shoot dead a rival in broad daylight.
Jack returns to the gas station, where Forrest hires dancer Maggie as a waitress. Shortly afterward, the gas station is visited by newly arrived U.S. Marshal Charley Rakes, accompanied by the Virginia state's attorney Mason Wardell, the sheriff, and the sheriff's deputy. Rakes demands a cut of profits from all bootleggers within the county, including Forrest, who refuses and threatens to kill Rakes if he returns. Forrest implores his fellow bootleggers to unite against Rakes, but they refuse.
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