What to read, watch, and listen to if you lovedLawless
John Hillcoat · Film · 2012
If you loved Lawless, start with Godless (Scott Frank, 2017) — a series on the same thread. Below: 4 books, 4 series and 2 podcasts, each matched to Lawless across media.
If the gritty, moral complexity of Lawless hooked you, you will appreciate these stories exploring the violent friction between lawless individuals and authority.
Books on the same thread
A Time to Kill
John Grisham · Book · 1992
Explores: Racial injustice, Revenge, Morality.
Like the Bondurant brothers in Lawless, this narrative centers on the intense consequences of taking justice into your own hands when the official legal system fails your moral code.
The Lincoln Lawyer
Michael Connelly · Book · 2011
Explores: Moral Ambiguity, Redemption, Justice System.
This story echoes the moral ambiguity found in Lawless by forcing you to navigate the gray areas of the justice system through the perspective of a compromised legal professional.
The Racketeer
John Grisham · Book · 2012
Shares a thread with Lawless: Corruption.
The corruption and institutional rot that threaten the protagonists in Lawless are mirrored here, as a lawyer navigates a dangerous conspiracy involving powerful figures and a harrowing murder case.
The Road
Cormac McCarthy · Book · 2007
Explores: Parent-child bond, Moral ambiguity, Existential dread.
Much like the brutal survivalist tone of Lawless, this novel examines the primal bond between family members struggling to endure against a harsh, unforgiving, and truly desolate American landscape.
Series on the same thread
Godless
Scott Frank · Series · 2017
Shares a thread with Lawless: Neo-Western.
If you enjoyed the resistance against outside threats in Lawless, this show delivers a similar sense of tension as an outlaw searches for a man hiding in a community.
The Untouchables
Quinn Martin · Series · 1959
Shares a thread with Lawless: Corruption.
This series captures the same Prohibition Era intensity seen in Lawless, pitting incorruptible agents against the organized crime syndicates that defined the violent landscape of the 1930s in America.
Deadwood
David Milch · Series · 2004
Shares 2 threads with Lawless: Corruption, Neo-Western.
The struggle between establishing order and maintaining autonomy in a lawless frontier makes this a perfect companion to the rural crime drama and atmospheric setting of Lawless.
Justified
Graham Yost · Series · 2010
Shares a thread with Lawless: Neo-Western.
This drama mirrors the Appalachian setting and family loyalty central to Lawless, focusing on a lawman who must balance his professional duties with the complicated reality of small-town corruption.
Podcasts on the same thread
Law And Crime Investigations
Podcast
Explores: Criminal Trials, Police Investigations, Legal Commentary.
For those fascinated by the real-world implications of the violence in Lawless, this podcast provides an analytical look at the criminal trials and investigations that define our legal history.
Criminal
Podcast
Explores: Justice, Wrongful Conviction, Morality.
Just as Lawless explores the intersection of human behavior and criminal consequences, this podcast examines the lives of people caught on either side of the law in compelling narratives.
Keep exploring
Common questions
Is Lawless based on a specific historical time period?
Yes, Lawless is set in 1931 during the Prohibition era. The film follows the Bondurant brothers in Franklin County, Virginia, as they operate a bootlegging business while navigating a violent conflict with a corrupt lawman from Chicago.
What is the primary business of the Bondurant brothers in Lawless?
In Lawless, the Bondurant brothers operate a multipurpose backwoods establishment that serves as a front for their true business, which is bootlegging. Forrest acts as the brain, Howard as the brawn, and Jack as the lookout for their illegal operation.
Why does a violent war erupt in Lawless?
A violent war erupts in Lawless when a sadistic lawman arrives from Chicago to challenge the Bondurant brothers. This conflict disrupts the status quo in Franklin County, where local police had previously taken bribes and left the bootlegging operation alone.
Who directed the 2012 film Lawless?
The 2012 film Lawless was directed by John Hillcoat. The story focuses on the Bondurant brothers and their struggle to maintain their bootlegging business in Franklin County, Virginia, against an aggressive and sadistic lawman sent from Chicago.