Lawman

Although this film was an imperfect one for a couple of reasons, it was nevertheless a noble effort of producer/director Michael Winner's to present a thought-provoking Western in his 1971 film Lawman.

After seven cowboys shoot up the town of Bannock and unwittingly kill a resident, Marshal Jered Maddox travels to the nearby town of Sabbath to bring in the guilty parties.  Despite the efforts of the town's sheriff to convince Maddox to drop his pursuit, even with the circumstances of the charges and the likelihood of light punishment for the perpetrators, Maddox insists on bringing them in one way or another, regardless of the pressure imposed upon him by residents of the town.

The thing about Lawman which is most striking is the fact it is a thoughtful Western.  It looks at characters driven by circumstances or pride, who are forced to face the consequences of their actions and how they face it, characters who are driven to do their job to the fullest extent and characters who become complacent in their lives.  It also looks at how easy it is for us to want justice, but challenges us to ponder if we'd be willing to want justice even if it affect us in a negative manner.

Burt Lancaster, as Maddox, did a masterful job of portraying a marshal determined to fulfill the tasks required of his job, no matter the scope of the crime, and no matter the cost to himself or to others.  In addition to Lancaster, Lawman also features several well-known actors giving superb performances, such as Robert Ryan in the role of the complacent sheriff of Sabbath, Lee J. Cobb as the cattle baron who doesn't want violence (but would rather not go back), and Robert Duvall as another of the targeted cowboys compelled to not go back due to the cost it would take upon his family and his land.

As I wrote already, I see Lawman as an imperfect film for a couple of reasons: while the script by Gerry Wilson is a fine, thought-provoking story, I came away with the opinion the film could have been better served had it been longer than 99 minutes, and I regarded the numerous occasions where the cameras zoom in and zoom out as largely unnecessary.  In what was otherwise a well-written and well-acted Western, I give Lawman two and a half (of four) stars.