michael thompson Despite Burt Lancaster; Robert Ryan; and Lee J. Cobb; to name just three terridic actors in this film; I found it to be a plodding and dour affair from start to finish; lacking in soul and personality.; I am a huge Western fan; but I thought that the script; albeit full of philosophical statements; was plodding.Also Michael Winner directing, gave graphic shots of cows being branded.Sorry, but this film was not for me.

Mark Turner Burt Lancaster was beyond his peak years in the seventies. Nearing 60 and coming off of the success of AIRPORT this movie was released to little fanfare or box office success. The western genre hadn't quite died but too was on its last leg. Gone were the days of white and black hats replaced by pondering over the justification of violent justice.The film opens with a group of cattlemen celebrating the end of their drive in the usual fashion with plenty of drink, women and carousing ending with guns being shot off randomly while in the town of Bannock. Unfortunately those gunshots kill an elderly man in the city. Rather than stay around to answer for this they head home in the hopes all will be forgotten.That isn't the case though when Marshall Jered Maddox (Lancaster) returns and then sets out to arrest the men responsible. Arriving in the town of Sabbath with one of the men he caught along the way dead and strapped on his horse, he checks in with local Marshall Ryan Cotton (Robert Ryan). Cotton tells him the odds are against him as the town is basically owned by Vincent Bronson (Lee J. Cobb), a wealthy land owner who is used to having his way.Both men have a history together as renowned lawmen. While Maddox carried on and developed a name for himself Cotton settled for one shining moment and has coasted by ever since, satisfied to be a paid man on Bronson's payroll.Bronson is willing to admit some wrongdoing as well as to pay off the family of the man shot and killed. But Maddox isn't interested in deals or money, only in justice and performing the job he was hired to do. Cotton was right in his appraisal of things as the townspeople stand against Maddox. The man he killed and brought back was family to a store keeper who holds no love for the lawman.Bronson sends in a contingent to try and find a compromise led by longtime friend Harvey (Albert Salmi). But Harvey, filled with the idea that he is untouchable in this town, instead confronts Maddox only to be shot. With no likelihood of a mutual agreement Bronson now sets out to take down Maddox. The problem is he may have finally come up against a man not willing to go down as easy as all others.The movie depicts Maddox as a gunman turned lawman whose only way of dealing with things is straight down the line. Break the law, pay the price. If you refuse to go peacefully he has no issue killing you and taking your body in. The pay is low, the odds are against you and the support is minor when there. But it is what he knows.Along the way the possibility of something better is waved in front of him, a woman he once knew (Sheree North) whose husband is among those he's seeking. The chance to walk away from it all, to reunite with her and go somewhere else to start fresh. But that would entail walking away from a career he's worked too long at to simply abandon.Does this make him a bad man in the role of a solid citizen or a solid citizen forced into a career that forces him to do bad things? The decision is left in the hands of the viewer to decide by the end of the film. Guns will blaze, dust will fly and bodies will fall before that end in typical western fashion. The movie is well made and entertaining enough without the concepts getting in the way of the standard fare. All involved turn in great performances and director Michael Winner turns in another great film to enjoy. Twilight Time is offering this movie in a clean and clear presentation with nothing much in the way of extras. Those include an isolated music track and the original theatrical trailer. Fans of westerns and of Lancaster will want to make a point of picking this up right away though as the release is set for just 3,000 copies like most Twilight Time offerings.

zardoz-13 British director Michael Winner helmed a genuine winner with "Lawman." This intelligent, dramatic, but complex horse opera about a fearless, incorruptible marshal who refuses to back down boasts a stellar cast, including Burt Lancaster, Lee J. Cobb, Robert Ryan, Robert Duval, Albert Salmi, J.D. Cannon, and Ralph Waite. An old man dies from a stray bullet in Bannock during a rowdy, night-time celebration by drunken cattle drovers. The owner of the herd, Vincent Bronson (Lee J. Cobb), doesn't learn about the death of the innocent bystander until eight months have passed. Bannock Marshal Jared Maddox (Burt Lancaster) rides into the town of Sabbath with one of the men who participated in the shooting. This participant is draped head down across the back of a horse. Maddox confronts Cotton about the homicide with a list of names of the men that he is looking to take into custody. Trouble ensues despite the fact that Bronson is willing to provide compensation. Maddox is the obdurate kind of man who doesn't take "no" for an answer. "Scorpio" scenarist Gerald Wilson doesn't pull any stops. "Lawman" was one of Burt Lancaster's best roles in his latter years. The scenery is rugged and the characters are tough as leather. "Lawman" is a must-see for anybody who craves top-notch oaters.

dougdoepke A no-nonsense marshal is sent to apprehend roistering cowboys who've accidentally killed a townsman.The movie comes across as a revisionist western in keeping with its counter-cultural period. For example, none of the characters ends up as particularly likable, including Lancaster's and Ryan's. That way we're denied the usual hero to root for. Ordinarily, Lancaster's lawman would be expected to furnish the white hat, but here he comes across as a merciless enforcer, with no life apart from a professional one. Ryan too, as the burned-out sheriff, is sympathetic but hardly heroic, while Cobb's boss rancher transcends the usual black hat with some sympathetic character qualities. Even the scalawag gunsels show considerable regard for one another, with their own stories to tell. On a morality level, the movie is pretty complex, with no easy answers.All in all, it's an interesting story even if overdone at times, especially the big showdown that sprawls unconvincingly. Nonetheless, there's an aging Ryan and Lancaster, two of Hollywood's finest actors, lending authority to the proceedings. The supporting cast may be crowded and difficult to keep up with, still the movie definitely merits a look-see.