MovieChat Forums > Lawman (1971) Discussion > Did anyone else get the impression this ...

Did anyone else get the impression this was a Spaghetti Western?


The music, the odd reverberations in the spoken dialouge, non-standard sound effects and a little too much emphasis on the National Geographic side of fallen horses.

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Just watched this flick for the first time ... and yes its "spaghetti-western"-ness did strike me same as you but,

whereas in Clint & Leone's collaborations those unusual effects somehow *added* to the production's unique appeal, in this movie, they seem due to simply formulaic script writing & sub-standard editing work.

Don't quite get the NatGeo reference but the film doesn't interest me enough to go back and try to figure it out.

This is NOT a good movie.

Too bad too looking at the cast beforehand sure seemed like an interesting bunch of pros.
Will say Ryan made the most of what little he had to work with.

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spaghetti-westernish for sure.

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I don't see much (if any) Spaghetti Western influence in "Lawman" beyond the superficial things you note. 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).

Euro Western plots almost always revolve around (1) annihilating bandit gangs that beleaguer a settlement, (2) grim revenge or (2) acquiring lucre, usually hidden treasure. Their "characters" are typically juvenile caricatures.

"Lawman" is deeper in that it 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 radical 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 who "owns" the town. However, filthy lucre isn’t what interests Marshal Maddox (Lancaster), but rather fulfilling his responsibility and, hopefully, justice.

While it's 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 and superior to practically any mediocre Spaghetti Western I've seen, including Leone's okay-but-overrated films (not including Ennio Morricone's scores, which are usually outstanding).

By the way, I’m wholly on the side of Maddox (Lancaster) for the simple reasoning: Those who play and wreak havoc have to pay regardless of the social status of their arrogant employer who thinks money is the answer to everything. Wrong.

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