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A very underrated Tom Hardy thriller movie is on TV tonight

Published 11:56 23 May 2026 BST

Updated 11:56 23 May 2026 BST

Stephen Porzio
A very underrated Tom Hardy thriller movie is on TV tonight

Homemovies & tv

Also starring Gary Oldman and Guy Pearce, the film is loosely based on a true story.

Our TV movie pick for tonight (Saturday, 23 May) is Lawless, the 2012 crime thriller starring Tom Hardy (The Drop, Warrior).

"In 1931, the Bondurant brothers of Franklin County, Va., run a multipurpose backwoods establishment that hides their true business, bootlegging," the plot synopsis states.

"Though the local police have taken bribes and left the brothers alone, a violent war erupts when a sadistic lawman (Guy Pearce, The Brutalist) from Chicago arrives and tries to shut down the Bondurants operation."

Guy Pearce in Lawless

Written by Nick Cave and directed by John Hillcoat (re-teaming after The Proposition), the ensemble cast of Lawless also includes Oscar-winners Gary Oldman (Oppenheimer) and Jessica Chastain (Molly's Game), along with Dane DeHaan (A Cure for Wellness) and Mia Wasikowska (Stoker).

A hit upon release, the movie earned decent reviews, with particular praise going to its gorgeous cinematography and period detail, as well as Pearce's terrifying villain.

That said, some took issue with its excessive violence and dark tone.

In the years since its release, however, the film seems to have earned a cult following, holding a high 7.2 IMDB score.

Lawless is airing on the channel Legend Xtra at 9pm. It's also available to rent on Apple TV, Prime Video and the Sky Store.

Watch the trailer for Lawless here:

Here are the other movies on TV tonight:

The Woman King - Film4 - 9pm

Viola Davis headlines this excellent historical action war drama.

The Equalizer 3 - Channel 4 - 9pm

In this action trilogy capper, Denzel Washington's vigilante moves to a small town in Italy for a quiet life.

Yet, when he discovers the locals are being intimidated by deadly gangsters, he sets out to save them from the threat.

Rocketman - Sky One - 9pm

Taron Egerton is Elton John in this wonderful music biopic.

The Waterboy - Comedy Central - 9pm

The hit Adam Sandler comedy.

My Favourite Cake - BBC Four - 9pm

This romantic tragicomedy, about a 70-year-old widow in Iran who falls in love again, holds a perfect 100% Rotten Tomatoes score.

The Ice Road - Legend - 9pm

In this action thriller, Liam Neeson plays an ice road driver who leads a daring rescue mission over a frozen ocean.

This is to save trapped miners after a remote diamond mine collapses in far northern Canada.

Mothering Sunday - RTÉ One - 9.55pm

In this well-reviewed British romantic drama, a housemaid (Odessa Young) in the 1920s meets the son (Josh O'Connor) of her employers' wealthy neighbours for a secret tryst that will reverberate through her later life as a writer.

Roxanne - TG4 - 10pm

Steve Martin wrote and starred in this '80s comedy inspired by Cyrano de Bergerac.

Hart's War - RTÉ2 - 10.50pm

A World War II-set legal thriller starring Bruce Willis and Colin Farrell.

Fever Pitch - Channel 4 - 11.10pm

This '90s British rom-com starring Colin Firth was later remade in the US.

My Week with Marilyn - BBC Two - 11.20pm

Michelle Williams is Marilyn Monroe in this biographical drama.

We Were Soldiers - Legend - 11.25pm

A Mel Gibson-led Vietnam War drama.

How I Spent My Summer Vacation - Legend Xtra - 11.25pm

Also known as Get the Gringo, this action comedy from 2012 also stars Mel Gibson.

Sleep - Film4 - 11.40pm

This compelling 2023 South Korean thriller follows a newlywed couple and expectant parents whose domestic bliss is disrupted when the husband begins sleepwalking.

Though he has no recollection of his nighttime activities the morning after, the husband's sleepwalking episodes turn increasingly destructive and violent, causing his wife to fear that he may harm himself and/or their baby.

Made in Dublin - RTÉ One - 11.55pm

This 2023 indie Irish drama follows a young aspiring actor (Stuart Cullen) who works as a waiter in a posh restaurant to support his ailing mother.

To pay off debts, he borrows money from ruthless loan sharks while spinning tales about a fake movie career to keep his mam's hopes alive.

Fargo - TG4 - 12.05am

A pregnant police officer (Frances McDormand) investigates a kidnapping scheme gone very wrong in this incredible Oscar-winning black comedy crime thriller.

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