By Hope Madden

Out on DVD/BluRay/OnDemand/assorted other whatnot this week is the period shoot-em-up Lawless. It’s prohibition time, and the bootlegging Bondurant boys turn down the pricy “protection” offered by big city law. A showdown between official muscle and hardened backwoodsmen is inevitable.

Director John Hillcoat’s assembled an impressive cast, including the great Tom Hardy and Jessica Chastain, whose skill and onscreen chemistry command attention. It’s worth a look.

Even better, dig back in the catalogue for Hillcoat’s first film, The Proposition. A magnificent, brutal, fascinating Outback Western, it’s an underseen gem any fan of the genre is guaranteed to love.