Lawman (1971)

I'm a lawman. Do you know what a lawman is, Crowe? He's a killer of men. Lawman is directed by Michael Winner and written by Gerry Wilson. It stars Burt Lancaster, Robert Ryan, Lee J. Cobb, Robert Duvall, Sheree North and Richard Jordan. Music is by Jerry Fielding and cinematography by Robert Paynter. The Lawman of the title is Jared Maddox (Lancaster), who arrives in the town of Sabbath to serve warrants on the group of rowdies responsible for the death of an old man. His cold hearted approach to his work, however, doesn't endear him to the townsfolk. A man gets caught in his own doing. Can't change what you are, and if you try, something always calls you back. Traditional Western that deals in the conflict between law and justice, Lawman, like the leading man, broods significantly. The overriding theme of if Maddox's enforcement of the law justify's the means, is tailor made for Winner's affinity for all things vengeance flavoured. Violence is not in short supply, the director gleefully keeping things gory, and the characterisations of the principal players are smartly complex. The excellent cast turn in equally great performances, the Durango locales are beautifully utilised by Winner and Paynter, and the production design is grade "A" quality. It's an anti-backlash movie of some substance, where spicy and thoughtful dialogue comes forth from the mouths of deftly shaded characters. Highly recommended to Adult Western fans. 8/10

***“Do you know what a lawman is? He's a killer of men”*** A grim marshal (Burt Lancaster) enters the town of Sabbath to apprehend the cattlemen guilty of accidently killing a man during a rowdy celebration while passing through his town. But the lawman finds resistance from everyone because the perpetrators work for the cattle baron (Lee J. Cobb) who “owns” the town and its sheriff (Robert Ryan). Sheree North plays his old flame while Robert Duvall, Robert Jordan, Albert Salmi and Ralph Waite are on hand as the cattlemen. "Lawman" (1971) explores the nature of law & justice in the context of the Old West and compels the viewer to choose sides. The days of the Wild West are over and civilization has arrived, which means there are legal consequences to unruly behavior that results in unintentional death. The townsfolk want the matter swept under the rug and everyone simply paid off by the rich baron. However, lucre isn’t what interests Maddox (Lancaster), but rather fulfilling his responsibility and ultimately justice. The plot was lifted from “Man with the Gun” (1955) and is also similar to “Last Train from Gun Hill” (1959), but with the tone of contemporary Westerns like “Firecreek” (1968) and “Valdez is Coming” (1971). While this is mostly a town-bound Western, it wisely features several scenes in the spectacular surrounding Southwest wilderness, including a nice waterfall sequence. This plus the superlative cast and heavy theme make “Lawman” an obscure standout. By the way, I’m wholly on the side of Maddox for the simple reasoning: Those who play and wreak havoc have to pay regardless of the social status of their employer. The movie runs 1 hour, 39 minutes, and was shot in Durango, Mexico, and points nearby (Sierra de Organos, Sombrerete, Zacatecas; and three areas of Sonora). GRADE: A-

Whilst Michael Winner has certainly assembled quite a formidable cast here, the story is itself pretty derivative and unremarkable. It all centres around Sheriff "Maddox" (Burt Lancaster) who pursues some ranch-hands to a neighbouring town after their boisterous behaviour resulted in the death of an old man. This town "Sabbath" has a marshal of it's own in "Ryan" (an underused Robert Ryan) who is a long time friend of the town's kingpin "Bronson" (Lee J. Cobb). Now the latter man is initially quite sympathetic to the plight of their visitor, but as it becomes clearer that there is no prospect of compromise, and that "Bronson" is not about to surrender his men, we are soon set on a collision course. The production has a quality to it, the on-screen charisma from both Lancaster and Cobb is effective and some effort has been made to imbue most of the main characters with some semblance of integrity - tempered, of course, by their years in this environment that was won and held at the point of a gun. That said, though, it's a story we have watched many times before. It is still a well constructed tribute to or reminiscence of a now dying genre that is worth a watch, even if it's unlikely to stay in your memory for long.