Lawless

Right now you can watch Lawless in Australia on Amazon Prime Video and Stan, and in the US on YouTube TV and Kanopy — and it earns its twists rather than manufacturing them. The length is exactly right for the story it is telling — nothing rushed, nothing dragged out. With 3,366 viewer ratings on TMDB, this is not a title flying under the radar. Shia LaBeouf anchors it, but the writing does the real work. Put it on tonight on Amazon Prime Video and see for yourself.

Lawless arrived without much fanfare and built its audience the hard way — through word of mouth. Lawless treats its mystery as a means, not an end in itself. In 1931, the Bondurant brothers of Franklin County, Virginia, run a multipurpose backwoods establishment that hides their true business — bootlegging. Middle brother Forrest is the brain of the operation; older Howard is the brawn, and younger Jack, the lookout. Though the local police have taken bribes and left the brothers alone, a violent war erupts when a sadistic lawman from Chicago arrives and tries to shut down the Bondurants operation. Shia LaBeouf and Tom Hardy lead a cast that never lets the mystery feel thin. Lawless came out in 2012. The plot mechanics of Lawless never overwhelm the human cost underneath them. It delivers reliably on what it promises, which is more than most of its competition manages.

Crime and mystery fans will find exactly what they are after in Lawless. It does not lean on comparisons to make its case. The complete film is available and best experienced without too much prior knowledge of where it goes. Watch Shia LaBeouf work — it is a masterclass in the genre. Few crime dramas earn their twists this consistently.