In Franklin County, Virginia, the kings of the moonshine industry are the Bondurant brothers. Forrest, the eldest, runs a gas station as the front for the business, while the middle brother, Howard, assists the operation. The youngest, Jack Bondurant, desperately wants in, and Forrest agrees with hesitation to let him do some of the simpler tasks, like driving the moonshine to deliver to customers. Soon, a new special police deputy brought in from Chicago, Charley Rakes, pays them a visit and asks the Bondurants for a cut of their profit in exchange for looking the other way. Forrest refuses and tries to convince the other bootleggers in the county to stand up for their businesses, but they all eventually give in to Rakes. Jack finds Rakes one day raiding their still, and Rakes beats Jack to within an inch of his life to send a message to his brothers. All this does is enrage Forrest, and when later two mobsters disrespect him, Forrest beats them up. In exchange for this beating, the mobsters wait until later that night and slit Forrest's throat, not killing him but severely injuring him. When Forrest finds out via torture that these mobsters secretly work for Rakes, this solidifies the Bondurant family against them even more. Rakes blockades the paths out of town, trapping the Bondurants, but since they aren't exactly the running type, they prepare for battle; the winning side stays, the losing side dies.
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Best part of story, including ending:
It's a great historical crime story, with a ton of action, violence, and family members fighting for each other. It also boasts great cinematography, music, and acting.
Best scene in story:
The scene in which Forrest has his throat slit but manages to stay alive long enough to get to the hospital is a testament to the human spirit.
Opinion about the main character:
Jack is tempted by his brothers' criminal lifestyle at first, but he quickly realizes it's not all it's cracked up to be. Between that and a love story on the side, Jack is a likable young lead.
