John Hillcoat is a unique filmmaker at a time when we need that more than ever. I was less impressed by his adaptation of Cormac McCarthy's "The Road" than I was his vibrant Aussie western "The Proposition," but "Wettest County" (adapted from Matt Bondurant's moonshining novel "The Wettest County in the World") seems like a tale and a setting right up Hillcoat's gritty alley. An early-year release could make it a tough awards play, though if it has those goods, I wouldn't be surprised if it were pushed further into the year. Tom Hardy, Shia LaBeouf, Gary Oldman and 2011's "it" girl, Jessica Chastain, star. --Kristopher Tapley