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      Beyond the Law

      1968 1h 50m Drama List
      Reviews 30% Audience Score 100+ Ratings This largely improvised film by writer and director Norman Mailer focuses on various conflicts and interactions at a New York City police station. Lieutenant Francis Xavier Pope (Norman Mailer) runs the facility with fitting toughness, wired to deal with any situation that may come through the doors. Among other things, Pope must contend with a surprise visit from the mayor (George Plimpton) and a quirky biker named Popcorn (Rip Torn), making for an eventful night. Read More Read Less

      Critics Reviews

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      Margaret Hinxman Daily Telegraph (UK) A flashy Italian-German Western... with some ingenious touches. Mar 16, 2020 Full Review Michael McNay Guardian Reassuringly old-fashioned. Jan 23, 2020 Full Review Christopher Hudson The Spectator There is a perfectly sensible massacre at the end, with Lionel Stander, here a decayed preacher, giving one of his gruesome dying performances which anyone who saw Polanski's Cul-de-Sac will remember him for. Oct 19, 2016 Full Review Read all reviews

      Audience Reviews

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      delysid d this is a good but not exactly mindblowing example of italian western starring the great Lee Van Cleef who is one of my heros Rated 3 out of 5 stars 07/25/18 Full Review dave j Wednesday, December 4, 2013 (1968) Beyond The Law DUBBED SPAGHETTI WESTERN I was somewhat involved with the movie for for the most part until the ending which really sucked. Lee Van Cleef as Billy Joe Cudlip he is one of a trio of thieving bandits who succeeded into stealing a small bag of money from a locked stagecoach compartment. The group also includes a pretentious preacher (George Sanders) and an African man (Al Hoosmann). Unsatisfied, the trio want to score a much bigger jackpot except that Billy is starting to build a rapport with a European dude named Ben who's general responsibility was to make sure money would be travelled safely to it's rightful owners. And things really become complicated as soon as Billy accepts a role as deputy of the small town with the only obstacle are another outlaw bandit named Burton (Gordon Mitchell) commanding a gang of outlaws who're also basically seeking for the same thing as the thieving trio which is undeserving amounts of riches. After seeing many Spaghetti westerns, there seems to be a trend where the general storylines demands spontaneous 'unpredictability' even if it doesn't make any lick of sense, and this is another example of another one of those movies where it doesn't feel the need to make any sense when it ends badly. 2 out of 4 stars Rated 2 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Audience Member This is a really bad Italian western. Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 02/06/23 Full Review Audience Member This spaghetti western is not too bad.i though the story was interesting,and there are some good performances.Lee Van Cleef is the main star,and is quite good here.but he is overshadowed by a few others.Antonio Sabato(father of pseudo-actor Atonio Sabato Jr.)for one puts in a terrific performance,as does Lionel Stander(80'S TV show Hart to Hart.i also liked Bud Spencer(who acted in numerous spaghetti Westerns)though i wish his role had been bigger.but the real standout,in my mind,is Gordon Mitchell,for his "ice water in his veins' portrayal of Burton.the big negative for me though is the length of the film.i feel it is at least 30 minutes too long,and it moves fairly slow at times.but the performances overcome that weakness.for me, Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/02/23 Full Review Audience Member Gritty western with a nice edge to the story, but fairly long and unnecessarily drawn out. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 02/06/23 Full Review Audience Member Lee Van Cleef is beyond the law but this film unfortunately does not go beyond expectations. Ordinary spaghetti western but still worth it for Van Cleef alone as a petty criminal turned lawman for small mining town. Redemption is always sweet. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 02/24/23 Full Review Read all reviews Post a rating

      Cast & Crew

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      Beyond the Law

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      Movie Info

      Synopsis This largely improvised film by writer and director Norman Mailer focuses on various conflicts and interactions at a New York City police station. Lieutenant Francis Xavier Pope (Norman Mailer) runs the facility with fitting toughness, wired to deal with any situation that may come through the doors. Among other things, Pope must contend with a surprise visit from the mayor (George Plimpton) and a quirky biker named Popcorn (Rip Torn), making for an eventful night.
      Director
      Norman Mailer
      Genre
      Drama
      Original Language
      English
      Release Date (DVD)
      Aug 28, 2012
      Runtime
      1h 50m