Lawless

Blood and booze.

That’s all there is.

Based on a true story, “Lawless” chronicles the efforts of the Bondurant boys and their illegal bootlegging operation that stretched from the misty hills of Virginia to the gleaming lights of Chicago.

Tucked away in Franklin County, Va., the infamous Bondurants led one of the biggest bootlegging operations in the late Prohibition era.

Whispered rumors speak of the family’s immortality, but “Lawless” won’t survive the history books.

Shia LeBeouf leads the cast as the young runt Jack Bondurant. LeBeouf convincingly shivers in the shadows of his brutish, grunting older brothers Howard (Jason Clarke) and Forrest (Tom Hardy).

When Charlie Rakes (Guy Pearce) moves from Chicago as acting special deputy, he sets his sights, and guns, on the Bondurant boys. Their destruction means his success.

The movie is a cat-and-mouse chase between Rakes and his cronies, all complete with less-than-stellar Chicago accents and the Bondurants.

The violence can’t be escaped — not by the Bondurants or the audience.

It’s lawless, senseless violence that fails to do more than make the audience wish they hadn’t bought popcorn.

Love is a brief interlude that allows for some comic relief despite its clichéd plot. Jack falls for the preacher’s daughter Bertha (Mia Wasikowska), a prim girl with a rebellious streak.

Jack’s attempts to woo Bertha are endearing and funny, which adds to Jack’s believable naiveté.

The other romance is too subtle to stand out, with Maggie Beauford (Jessica Chastain), an ex-dancer from the big city, chasing Forrest, the grumbling brute.

Jack repeatedly tries to prove his courage to his older brothers, but his courage resembles brash ignorance instead. The Bondurants stumble into quite a bit of trouble and even more violence, courtesy of Jack’s arrogance and stubbornness.

LeBeouf is believable as the runt of the family but can hardly be taken seriously as an actual bootlegger, let alone an adult.

The other brothers add little depth. Howard hardly does more than inflict unwatchable pain on anyone who dares to question the Bondurants’ operation. Forrest usually reacts to the blood and guts with an, “Alright then,” and walks away.

Sorry, Forrest, but grunting doesn’t make me believe you are a person.

And “Lawless,” violence doesn’t convince me you are a worthy blockbuster.

By Bridget Ameche