Lawman (1971)

Don't listen to the negative reviews

I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

Instead, you get a movie that's enjoyable enough, but leaves you feeling like it could have been much, much more.

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

A hardened marshal called Bannock : Lancaster arrives in a wild and whooly town named Sabbath to look for some outlaws , but these work for the powerful owner Bronson: Lee J Cobb, then things go wrong . As his unexperienced son : John Beck and his band of gunfighters : Robert Duvall, JD Cannon , Richard Jordan , William Watson set out in pursuit Bannock .Later on , Bannock seeking the help of a timid sheriff : Robert Ryan , but he rejects him .Thought-provoking and suspenseful Western about a two-fisted as well as stoic marshal who comes into unfamiliar little town . This Lawman succeeds overall thanks to the skilled playing of its cast and Winner's typically tough style of storytelling , even though it contains some unconvincing moments . The picture packs thrills , go riding , fights , shootouts , violence and a lot of zooms . Lancaster gives a very good acting as a feared sheriff who seeks bandits refusing to sway from duty in spite of entire town turns against him . The acting honors go to Robert Ryan as a shy , reluctant but honorable sheriff .Others costarring providing enjoyable interpretations are the followings : Robert Duvall , JD Cannon , Sheree North , Albert Salmi , John McGiver , Joseph Wiseman , Richard Jordan , Ralph Waite , John Beck ,Richard Bull, and John Hillerman .And veteran Lee J Cobb delivers one of his finest performances as a tough land baron who seeks vengeance .Thrilling and pulsating musical score by Jerry Fielding , Sam Peckinpah's regular . And atmospheric and evocative cinematography by Robert Paynter , Winner's usual .This intriguing motion picture was compellingly directed by Michael Winner , though it has an unsatisfactory conclusion undermining otherwise splendid story .Winner was a prolific craftsman who made all kinds of genres as Terror : The nightcomers , Scream for help , The sentinel ; Costumers : The wicked lady ; Western : Chato the Apache with Charles Bronson ; Film Noir : The big sleep , but specially thrillers such as : Appointment with death , The Mechanic ,Firepower , The stone killer , being his greatest success the Death Wish series I , II , III starred by his fetish actor , Charles Bronson. Rating : 6.5/10 . Decent and acceptable western . It will appeal to Burt Lancaster fans.

The reason is that a new life of the family is waiting there. Why does Maddox kill the Hurd Price? I think the answer is that Maddox wanted to marry Laura.

Michael Winner, trying his damnedest to make a crappy movie, failed to deliver in 1974's Death Wish. The Brian Garfield story was just too good for this hack to hack it up.Similarly, Winner gets a good and a great performance from Richard Jordan and Lee J. Cobb, respectively. Although Lawman is, in many ways, a bland bloodbath, and there's more than enough plug-nickel psychology to go around, you can't help but begin to like what you're seeing.Burt Lancaster, one of the most overrated stars in the heavens, is the "lawman" who comes to Bent Armpit or Pig Wallow or whatever the name was for the town that's harboring a bunch of idiot cowhands who accidentally killed an old guy in Lancaster's burg some time before. Ol' Burt takes it upon himself to start throwing lead at one cowpoke after another, including Robert Duvall and Albert Salmi, and by the end of the flick, the bodies are stacked up like the wood stakes that are going to go over their graves. Sheree North plays a modified version of the same character she did in a bunch of movies, once she got some years on her. When I say "modified," I mean, three-dimensional, sexy-in-a-real-sense.Robert Ryan lopes about being Robert Ryan. If that wasn't a toupee, the man had great hair. Charles Tyner, a character actor who appeared in more movies and TV episodes than I can count, starts off as a worthless town preacher, but when he is called upon to read over the body of one of the baddies, his prayer is straightforward and heartfelt. Just when you thought this was going to be another slam at a minister . . . Lancaster actually almost acts as he slaughters most of the town of Bull Semen or Cliché Flats or, wait, I should stop this and mention the best part of Lawman!It's the rancher who employs the dummies who shot up Lancaster's town, then they sort of apologize to their boss, Lee J. Cobb. Cobb is so good, you begin to feel that you've seen him before. In a sense, you have. Ed Begley played a similar character in Hang 'em High. Begley begins to dissolve into a toxic stew of guilt, panic, and self-preservation in that fairly good Eastwood western.Here, Cobb spends much of the movie brainstorming on how to get Lancaster not to keep killing his crew. He keeps lurching toward revenge, and his business acumen holds him in check. When he's had enough, he rides into Toe Fungus or Armpit Sweat (stop this!) and he runs smack into Lancaster, the killing machine who has the nickname, "Widowmaker."What Cobb does when his business and his family are ruined startled me. Didn't see it coming. Made complete sense.Taking me by surprise, and delivering some good performances amid the tumbleweeds, puts Michael Winner's Lawman a gun-notch above similar oaters of the late 60s and early 70s. Although edited for television (apparently the original has a lot more gore and some boobs to boot), Lawman is a pretty good use of 90 minutes--if you fast forward through the ads.You'll have to sit through the paperback psycho-babble.

See it – This is a good Burt Lancaster western, but it is a bit cliché and the ending might ruin it for you. Lancaster plays the stereotypical "hard-nosed" lawman. Robert Ryan co-stars as the stereotypical "washed-up" sheriff who is owned by the stereotypical wealthy and powerful cattle baron. The story itself is very similar to parts of other westerns such as "The Proud Ones" and "Firecreek." But if it's action you want, it's action you'll get. There are 4 pretty good gunfights, each better than the one before it. The final showdown is one of the bloodiest and most senselessly tragic endings you'll see in a western.