Lawman is an excellent underrated 1971 Western that should stand next to the better-known classics in the Western canon. The film, directed by Michael Winner, features the brutality and moral ambiguity of other more highly regarded films like The Wild Bunch (1969), McCabe & Mrs. Miller (1971), and Unforgiven (1992). Lawman also features excellent acting from Burt Lancaster, Robert Ryan, Lee J. Cobb, Robert Duvall, Sheree North, and many other familiar supporting actors.
Lancaster plays Jared Maddox, the lawman of the title, who comes to town seeking the cowboys who got drunk and shot up his town and accidentally killed a man, as shown in the movie’s opening scene. Lee J. Cobb is the cattle baron Vincent Bronson who employs the cowboys. And Robert Ryan plays the local marshal who basically works for Cobb.
With that setup, early on a viewer might expect a good-guy-versus-evil-cattle-baron Western.
But that is not what happens.
While some of Bronson’s men are hotheads, Bronson is a practical man who initially tries to reason with Maddox. As the movie progresses, one begins to see that Maddox is relentless in his pursuit to follow the rule of law. Thus, he begins to seem like a Western version of Inspector Javert from Victor Hugo’s Les Misérables.
Even though Maddox realizes that the wanted men will most likely face a fine if brought to justice, various encounters lead to more and more bloodshed. Ryan’s marshall and Maddox’s former lover (Sheree North) question what is happening in the town. As the film moves to a chilling climax, the viewer begins to question what is right and what is wrong. But I will not reveal any more about the plot.
The wonderful screenplay is by Gerald Wilson, and Winner does an excellent job with the direction. Winner, who would revisit themes around violence three years later in Death Wish (1974), here highlights both the beauty and loneliness of the desert landscape (filmed in Durango, Mexico), doing the same with Lancaster’s face. His Western attempts to give a realistic portrayal of violence and the difficulty of living in the West.
Conclusion? If you are looking for a Western that features twists on classic stereotypes and you like movies that challenge conventions, you will probably enjoy Lawman. While Lawman may not be on the same level as some other classic challenging Westerns — such as McCabe & Mrs. Miller from the same year, it is still worth seeking out if you are in the mood for an unusual Western.
Other Reviews Because Why Should You Trust Me? The somewhat unusual Lawman garnered mixed reviews at the time of its release, although I wonder if it is a movie better appreciated as time has passed. Rotten Tomatoes gives the film an 80% critics rating and a 61% audience rating. The lower audience rating might be because some viewers were disappointed that the movie did not follow the usual Western conventions and featured a somewhat unusual resolution. Roger Ebert gave the film only two stars, calling it “a Western with a lot of sides but no center.” The New York Times found the movie “unresolved in substance” but “long on sting.” One of the few reviews of the film on the Internet is one by Dennis Schwartz, who gives the movie a B- and calls it a “wannabe thoughtful Western.” Schwartz also calls Lawman and “unofficial remake” of 1955’s A Man With a Gun, and I see some similarities in plot to that also underrated Western, which stars Robert Mitchum. Meanwhile, Jeremy Poulos on Letterboxd found the film enjoyable and noted similarities to spaghetti Westerns.
{Missed Movies is our continuing series on good films you might have missed because they did not receive the recognition they deserved when released.}
Thanks to Tony Fontane for telling me about Lawman on Twitter. Leave your two cents in the comments.
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