A brotherhood of alcohol smugglers from the country come up against new laws imposed by the authorities in Chicago.

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In Franklin County, Virginia, during Prohibition, the Bondurand brothers (Tom Hardy, Shia Labeouf and Jason Clarke) distil white lightning in the middle of the woods and have a successful family smuggling business. Everyone profits, from the sheriff to the local drunks, as the three brothers quietly rule the business. But in 1931, the authorities decide to impose rules disguised as new laws. The oldest, strapping and stoic, refuses to pay what amounts to bribes. Always ready for a wild night, the second oldest too often succumbs to the bottle, while the youngest has dreams of climbing the ladder and evening the score with the bigwigs in Chicago. He takes advantage of his oldest brother's convalescence by changing the rules...

Well carried out on all levels, this Western-style epic gracefully mixes violent brawls, history and easy love stories that don't cause trouble – spiced up by the lovely Mia Wasikowska and Jessica Chastain. The men may be lawless but they have a decent sense of honor. A tough and ballsy brotherhood vs. state authorities too corrupt to be honest; bullets fly everywhere, to the satisfaction of audiences brought up on things that go boom.