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The Lawless

Play trailer Poster for The Lawless Released Jun 8, 1950 1h 23m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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Tomatometer 3 Reviews 31% Popcornmeter 50+ Ratings
In an early 1950s California border town, race relations between the white farmers and the migrant workers who harvest fruit for them have reached a boiling point. After a racial brawl erupts at a dance, a Mexican-American teenager flees after accidentally striking a policeman and, while on the lam, is wrongly accused of assaulting a white woman. Newspaperman Larry (Macdonald Carey) becomes the sole public advocate for the boy, but his courage turns the ire of the mob on himself.

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The Lawless

Critics Reviews

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Clyde Gilmour Maclean's Magazine Occasional sluggishness and an all-too-casual romance fail to outweigh the many virtues of this stark, suspenseful drama. Nov 14, 2019 Full Review Dennis Schwartz Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews A realistic B-film liberal melodrama about the discrimination of Mexican-American farm workers in California. Rated: B- Apr 1, 2016 Full Review Emanuel Levy EmanuelLevy.Com This early, socially-conscious film by Joseph Losey, before he was blacklisted, deals with racial discrimination in a powerful way. Rated: B+ Jun 2, 2011 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Audience Member Tightly paced social problem programmer is well directed by Losey. Carey was never the strongest of leading men and perhaps the film would have been better served by an actor with more gravitas in the lead but he turns in an acceptable performance. Gail Russell is fine in the limited screen time she has but her role isn't really noteworthy. The person who is underutilized is Lee Patrick as an out of town reporter, whenever she's on screen the other actors recede into the background so sharp is her presence, the mark of a truly outstanding supporting performer. The story is sadly relevant however even today, how people can be swayed by mob rule and unreasoning prejudice. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/27/23 Full Review Audience Member NOT GOOD AT ALL!!!!!!!!!!!! Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 02/14/23 Full Review Audience Member wasn't too bad seen worse movies Rated 2 out of 5 stars 02/12/23 Full Review Audience Member Poor acting, very much a B movie. Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 02/15/23 Full Review Read all reviews
The Lawless

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The Lawless

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Movie Info

Synopsis In an early 1950s California border town, race relations between the white farmers and the migrant workers who harvest fruit for them have reached a boiling point. After a racial brawl erupts at a dance, a Mexican-American teenager flees after accidentally striking a policeman and, while on the lam, is wrongly accused of assaulting a white woman. Newspaperman Larry (Macdonald Carey) becomes the sole public advocate for the boy, but his courage turns the ire of the mob on himself.
Director
Joseph Losey
Production Co
Pine-Thomas Productions [us]
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Jun 8, 1950, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Jan 15, 2016
Runtime
1h 23m
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