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Lawman

Play trailer Poster for Lawman R 1971 1h 38m Western Play Trailer Watchlist
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73% Tomatometer 11 Reviews 63% Popcornmeter 1,000+ Ratings
During a drunken spree in the small Wild West town of Bannock, one of a half-dozen workers from a nearby ranch accidentally shoots an innocent man. Bannock's marshal, a righteous man named Jered Maddox (Burt Lancaster), comes to the larger town of Sabbath bearing the dead body of one of the revelers and demands the surrender of the remaining five from sheriff Cotton Ryan (Robert Ryan) and ranch owner Vincent Bronson (Lee J. Cobb), starting a confrontation that threatens to engulf them all.
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Lawman

Critics Reviews

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Kevin Maher The Times (UK) 08/27/2021
4/5
Potent stuff. Go to Full Review Roger Ebert Chicago Sun-Times 10/23/2004
2/4
What we're left with is a Western with a lot of sides but no center. Go to Full Review Sean Axmaker Stream on Demand 04/06/2024
... it’s not so much cynical as sorrowful in its clash of ideals, and never less than clear-eyed in the presentation of harsh frontier realities. Go to Full Review Matt Brunson Film Frenzy 10/03/2021
3.5/4
All of the central characters are refreshingly complex -- few can be strictly defined as "good" or "bad." Go to Full Review John Mahoney Los Angeles Free Press 01/09/2020
For the budget and the hoopla and the waste, the technical components of the film are routine, the acting as good as top pros can deliver with an ordinary script and a hypothyroid director. Go to Full Review Mattie Lucas From the Front Row 06/04/2019
3/4
Almost presages Unforgiven's elegiac take on the genre's violent implications, acknowledging that just because someone wears a badge doesn't mean they're the hero. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Jake D Oct 18 I realize times were different, but tied down animals just sucks. See more Jelisije J May 30 A realistic tragic tale where a Lawman hunts down and tries to arrest a group of individuals who after a night in his town kill a man in a drunken state by accident. See more Peter H Mar 15 Lancaster is a compelling actor and is the reason to watch this. The story itself, a product of its time, doesn't quite make sense. He is a by-the-book lawman except when he ain't. See more Richard B 12/04/2024 Great Western movie, good storyline, another superb performance by Burt Lancaster See more Olivia Y 12/11/2022 Very, very underrated. The acting is superb, probably what you'd expect from a great cast I guess. It doesn't follow the usual glorified and false old west portrayed in all westerns of that time. It's gritty, grim and unrelenting in its depiction of the emotional frailties of men. The characters all have differing faults, which lead them helplessly to the climactic bloody and violent ending. Everyone loses because of egos and misplaced loyalty. Lancaster shows us a Terminator of the west. See more 12/28/2021 Too preachy. Not typical of Michael Winner..... too much 'tell' and not enough 'show'. See more Read all reviews
Lawman

My Rating

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Cast & Crew

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Michael Winner

Director

Burt Lancaster

Bannock Marshal Jared Maddox

Robert Ryan

Sabbath Marshal Cotton Ryan

Lee J. Cobb

Vincent Bronson

Sheree North

Laura Shelby

Joseph Wiseman

Lucas

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Lawman

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Movie Info

Synopsis During a drunken spree in the small Wild West town of Bannock, one of a half-dozen workers from a nearby ranch accidentally shoots an innocent man. Bannock's marshal, a righteous man named Jered Maddox (Burt Lancaster), comes to the larger town of Sabbath bearing the dead body of one of the revelers and demands the surrender of the remaining five from sheriff Cotton Ryan (Robert Ryan) and ranch owner Vincent Bronson (Lee J. Cobb), starting a confrontation that threatens to engulf them all.
Director
Michael Winner
Producer
Michael Winner
Screenwriter
Gerald Wilson
Production Co
Scimitar Productions
Rating
R (Violent Content)
Genre
Western
Original Language
English
Release Date (Streaming)
Sep 16, 2008
Runtime
1h 38m
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