Lawman is a 1971 American revisionist Western film produced and directed by Michael Winner and starring Burt Lancaster, Robert Ryan, Lee J. Cobb, Sheree North, and Robert Duvall. The screenplay by Gerald Wilson focuses on Jered Maddox, a rigid marshal who arrives in a small town to arrest a group of cattlemen for the accidental death of an old man, sparking a conflict between his absolute adherence to the law and the community's pragmatic desire for peace.
Filmed on location in Durango, Mexico, Lawman was Winner's first Western and his first American production. The film explores themes of justice, obsession, and the changing nature of the American frontier. It received mixed reviews upon release but has since garnered appreciation for its moral complexity and performances.
Plot synopsis
A group of drunken cowboys from the town of Sabbath, employed by wealthy cattle baron Vincent Bronson, pass through the town of Bannock. In their reckless celebration, they shoot up the town, and a stray bullet accidentally kills an elderly man. They return to Sabbath unaware of the death.
Jered Maddox, the marshal of Bannock, rides into Sabbath carrying the body of Marc Corman, one of the cowboys involved, whom Maddox killed when Corman drew on him. Maddox visits the local marshal, Cotton Ryan, and presents warrants for the remaining men: Vernon Adams, Choctaw Lee, Jack Dekker, Harvey Stenbaugh, and Hurd Price. Ryan, an aging and compromised lawman whose job depends on Bronson's influence, warns Maddox that Bronson effectively owns the town and that arresting his men will be impossible. Maddox remains undeterred, stating he will "kill these men where they stand" if they do not surrender within 24 hours.
Ryan rides to Bronson's ranch to inform him of the situation. Bronson, a reasonable man who regrets the accidental death, offers to pay generous compensation to the victim's family and to Bannock. Maddox refuses the offer, insisting that "the law is the law." Bronson's foreman, Harvey Stenbaugh, urges violence, but Bronson initially insists on negotiation.
Maddox encounters Laura Shelby, a former lover who now lives in Sabbath with Hurd Price, one of the wanted men, but without benefit of marriage. After they spend a night of pleasure together, she pleads with Maddox to show mercy, but he refuses to compromise his code. The next morning, Maddox visits Marshal Ryan and reveals that he has changed his mind and no longer intends to return to Bannock with prisoners. As tensions rise, Stenbaugh defies Bronson's orders and attempts to ambush Maddox, forcing the marshal to kill him in self-defense. This escalates the conflict, leading Bronson's other men to believe they must kill Maddox to survive.
Crowe Wheelwright, a young gunfighter working for Bronson, is intrigued by Maddox's reputation but eventually becomes disillusioned by the senseless violence. One by one, the wanted men confront Maddox and are killed, despite Maddox's claim that he does not seek bloodshed, only compliance with the law.
The violence culminates in a confrontation on Sabbath's main street, during which Maddox uncharacteristically shots a fleeing Hurd Price in the back. Bronson, grieving the death of his son Jason—who committed suicide after believing he had failed his father—and realizing the destruction his pride has wrought, confronts Maddox but ultimately kills himself in the street. With the warrants served or the subjects dead, Maddox rides out of Sabbath, past a grieving Laura Shelby, leaving a broken community in his wake.
The screenplay was written by Gerald Wilson, who sought to challenge the traditional Western mythos. He was inspired by the journals of Charlie Siringo, a detective and cowboy, which suggested that lawmen in the Old West were often the primary instigators of violence.[3] Wilson intended to convey the theme that "law and order is certainly not the only way to administer justice."[4] The project was considered a loose remake of the 1955 film Man with the Gun, which starred Robert Mitchum.[5]
British director Michael Winner was attached to direct, marking his first Western and his first production in the United States. Winner expressed a desire to avoid the "spaghetti Western" aesthetic of filming in Spain, seeking instead a location with "an American influence."[6]
Filming
Principal photography began in April 1970.[7] The film was shot on location in Durango, Mexico, and Chupadero, New Mexico. Winner secured the Durango location shortly before Howard Hawks attempted to book it for Rio Lobo (1970).[6] Winner strove for authenticity in the production design, noting in later interviews that he insisted on accurate period details, such as importing authentic oil lamps from London's Portobello Road rather than using prop recreations.[8]
Winner described his approach to the genre as an outsider: "The West is everybody's... Americans come to Britain to film English history. Why shouldn't an Englishman go west?"[1] He also commented on the practical difficulties of the genre, describing the West as "vulgar" and "dirty."[9]
Reception
Critical response
Upon its release, Lawman received mixed reviews. Howard Thompson of The New York Times called the film "a potent but curiously exasperating Western" with "a baffling, oblique arrogance about the central character... that belies his seeming quest for justice."[10]Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film two stars out of four, describing it as "a Western with a lot of sides but no center," and criticized the villainous characters as "monotonously bad."[11]Gene Siskel of the Chicago Tribune awarded two-and-a-half stars, praising the cast but finding the story "depressing and poorly conceived."[12]
Variety was more positive, calling it "quite entertaining" and praising Lancaster as "highly convincing." The review highlighted Lee J. Cobb's performance, noting he "quietly steals the film as the local boss who, unlike many in such films, is no ruthless villain."[13]Kevin Thomas of the Los Angeles Times also praised the film as "a good solid western."[14]
Modern reception has been generally more favorable, with critics acknowledging the film's revisionist themes. On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 63% of 8 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.2/10.[15]Time Out described it as a "typically ham-fisted Western... [which] ultimately resorts to killing and ketchup to make up for its lack of style and originality," though it noted the similarities to Man with the Gun.[16]
12Clinch, Minty (1986). Burt Lancaster. Stein and Day. p.136. ISBN0-8128-3016-4.
↑"Big Rental Films of 1971". Variety. January 5, 1972. p.9.
↑Malcolm, Derek (October 25, 1973). "Mole sees the light: DEREK MALCOLM reviews new films and talks to Gerald Wilson who wrote the script for Scorpio". The Guardian. p.14.
↑Fishgall, Gary (1995). Against Type: The Biography of Burt Lancaster. Scribner. p.276. ISBN0-684-80705-X.
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