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On the podcast this week, Steven and Sean are selling some highly illegal moonshine and doing our damned best to stay away from the creepiest Guy Pearce we\u2019ve ever seen in the 2012 film from John Hillcoat, Lawless.

Have you ever seen something so terrifying, so gut-wrenching, so deep-down disturbing that you wonder how you\u2019ll ever be able to sleep without nightmares again? Well, if you don\u2019t want to experience that, then make sure to avoid looking at Guy Pearce in this film. He\u2019s taking creepy to a whole new level in this one. From his horrid haircut to his no eyebrow-having face to his assault on, well, everyone, he\u2019s just, as John Ralphio would say, the WOOOOORST!

I mean, the good ol\u2019 Bondurant boys just want to make some illicit alcohol out in the forests of Virginia and sell it to the locals. Is that so bad? Come on, Prohibition\u2019s on. People need to get booze into their bodies somehow! Why can\u2019t it be a trio of enterprising capitalists like them? Cracking down on them for breaking just a little teensy law is\u2026 You know what? I\u2019m just going to say it. It\u2019s downright un-American. They\u2019ve got their own thriving small business going. They\u2019re pulling themselves up by their bootstraps, as the most out of touch and harmful among us like to say. They\u2019re what we all strive to be.

And yet, they\u2019re getting hassled by the law at every turn. Their distilleries are raided and blown up. Their throats are sawn open. Poor Shia LaBeouf can\u2019t even give the girl he\u2019s sweet on a nice sundress in peace. All because they wanted to reach a little way above their lot in life\u2026

What a damn, cryin\u2019 shame.

[Editor\u2019s note: none of this is to say that we\u2019re supporting the manufacture and distribution of the \u201charder\u201d drugs out there. Just because those previous paragraphs made it sound like we condone breaking the law doesn\u2019t mean we want there to be heroin flooding the streets or anything. Sheesh.]

If you\u2019re a fan of the film, The Proposition, then you\u2019re likely to enjoy this one. We did a previous episode on that one (find the link to it below). They share the same director and screenwriter, so you know this one\u2019s going to be good and intense. Also, this one\u2019s a lot less dusty. The\u2019s some amazing cinematography and sound. This one was designed so well that you\u2019re likely to feel you\u2019re actually living in the 1930s.

It\u2019s a gritty story with some real heart. Oh, and it\u2019s got Tom Hardy. What more could you ask for?

(Recorded on September 28, 2020)

Links to Stuff We Mentioned:

Lawless - IMDb

Lawless trailer - YouTube

The Proposition | More Movies Please! - Libsyn

Prohibition in the United States - Wikipedia

Homer vs. the 18th Amendment | The Simpsons - IMDb

John Hillcoat - IMDb

The Proposition - IMDb

Nick Cave - Wikipedia

Tom Hardy - IMDb

Jason Clarke - IMDb

Shia LaBeouf - IMDb

Guy Pearce - IMDb

Iron Man 3 - IMDb

The King's Speech - IMDb