Western

Lawman

- He gave the West justice right up to its neck... then rammed more down its throat.

While passing through the town of Bannock, a bunch of drunken cattlemen go overboard with their celebrating and accidentally kill an old man with a stray shot. They return home to Sabbath unaware of his death. Bannock lawman Jered Maddox later arrives there to arrest everyone involved on a charge of murder. Sabbath is run by land baron Vince Bronson, a benevolent despot, who, upon hearing of the death, offers restitution for the incident.

Release Date : 1971-03-11

Language :English

Adult : false

Status : Released

Production Company : Scimitar FilmsUnited Artists

Production Country : United States of America

Alternative Titles :

Cast

Character Name : Bannock Marshal Jared Maddox

Original Name : Burt Lancaster

Gender : Male

Character Name : Sabbath Marshal Cotton Ryan

Original Name : Robert Ryan

Gender : Male

Character Name : Vincent Bronson

Original Name : Lee J. Cobb

Gender : Male

Character Name : Vernon Adams

Original Name : Robert Duvall

Gender : Male

Character Name : Laura Shelby

Original Name : Sheree North

Gender : Female

Character Name : Harvey Stenbaugh

Original Name : Albert Salmi

Gender : Male

Character Name : Crowe Wheelwright

Original Name : Richard Jordan

Gender : Male

Character Name : Sabbath Mayor Sam Bolden

Original Name : John McGiver

Gender : Male

Character Name : Jack Dekker

Original Name : Ralph Waite

Gender : Male

Character Name : Jason Bronson

Original Name : John Beck

Gender : Male

Character Name : Choctaw Lee

Original Name : William Watson

Gender : Male

Character Name : Luther Harris

Original Name : Walter Brooke

Gender : Male

Character Name : Hersham

Original Name : Robert Emhardt

Gender : Male

Character Name : Minister

Original Name : Charles Tyner

Gender : Male

Character Name : Hurd Price

Original Name : J.D. Cannon

Gender : Male

Character Name : Cobden

Original Name : Lou Frizzell

Gender : Male

Character Name : Dusaine

Original Name : Richard Bull

Gender : Male

Character Name : Totts

Original Name : John Hillerman

Gender : Male

Character Name : Bartender

Original Name : Roy Engel

Gender : Male

Character Name :

Original Name : Jan Burrell

Gender : Female

Character Name : Maid

Original Name : Madeleine Taylor Holmes

Gender : Female

Character Name : L.G. Moss

Original Name : Hugh McDermott

Gender : Male

Character Name : Widow Corman

Original Name : Joyce Perry

Gender : Female

Character Name : Lucas

Original Name : Joseph Wiseman

Gender : Male

Character Name : Marc Corman (uncredited)

Original Name : Wilford Brimley

Gender : Male

Character Name : Saloon Girl (uncredited)

Original Name : Laila Novak

Gender : Female

Character Name : Townswoman (uncredited)

Original Name : Mary Gregory

Gender : Female

Character Name : Woman Who Yells 'Murderer!' (uncredited)

Original Name : Claudia Bryar

Gender : Female

Character Name : Saloon Girl (uncredited)

Original Name : Jacqueline Evans

Gender : Female

Character Name : Razor (uncredited)

Original Name : Conrad Hool

Gender : Male

Character Name : Lon (uncredited)

Original Name : Lance Hool

Gender : Male

Character Name : Minor Role (uncredited)

Original Name : Tina Carter

Gender : Male

Reviews

John Chard

@John Chard

2024-05-16

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

Wuchak

@Wuchak

2021-06-23

***“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-

CinemaSerf

@Geronimo1967

2023-05-21

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.