Five clips from the period drama Lawless have been released.  Directed by John Hillcoat, the film stars Shia LaBeouf, Tom Hardy, and Jason Clarke as three brothers who became bootleggers in the South during Prohibition.  I was able to see the pic at Comic-Con and it’s great.  The violence is incredibly raw and brutal, but it’s grounded with real, engaging characters brought to life by stellar performances.  Though there’s not a bad actor in the bunch, the standout is definitely Guy Pearce as a corrupt FBI agent who’s obsessed with bringing the Bondurant boys down.  His character is as slimy as he is disturbing, and Pearce chews the scenery like no other.

Hit the jump to watch the clips.  The film also stars Jessica Chastain, Mia Wasikowska, and Gary Oldman.  Lawless opens on August 31st.

Here’s the synopsis for Lawless:

LAWLESS is the true story of the infamous Bondurant Brothers: bootlegging siblings who made a run for the American Dream in Prohibition-era Virginia. In this epic gangster tale, inspired by true-life tales of author Matt Bondurant’s family in his novel “The Wettest County in the World”, the loyalty of three brothers is put to the test against the backdrop of the nation’s most notorious crime wave.