The theme of "Lawman" is neither unique nor new, The "Last Train From Gun Hill (1959)" starring Kirk Douglas and Anthony Quinn came to mind right away, and before that "The Man From Laramie (1955)" with James Stewart, although both of these also involves an element of personal revenge which, in turn, brings back to mind another string of memorable movies from "The Bravados (1958)", "Nevada Smith (1966)", "Hang 'Em High (1968)", "Valdez Is Coming (1971)", "Jeremiah Johnson (1972)", to another Michael Winner film "Chato's Land (1972)".There is a whole lot of violence in all these movies, and Michael Winner seemed to be paying homage to the spaghetti westerns. Kudos to the script writer for the many noteworthy lines. The much anticipated ending came with an unexpected twist, leaving the audience to figure out the punchline of the movie.The aging cast of Burt Lancaster, Robert Ryan, Lee J. Cobb brought back quite a bit of nostalgia from the glory days of Hollywood. Recognizing David McGiver from "Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961)" brought back a chuckle, and Robert Duval, whom I first noticed in "The Rain People (1969)", was still at the beginning of his prolific career.I do miss those good old days...

Notice the title...Lawman...it could well have been called...Pig...if the counter culture of the time had anything to say. But that would have been silly. But true nonetheless. Because this is a cop not unlike the men in blue of the turbulent, wild streets of the 1960's who knew no compromise and had only one thing on their minds (a job to do and complexities had nothing to do with it).This is an unusually interconnected film that has a depth of field that was fashionable and a cynicism prevalent in 1971. It has a plethora of verbiage that is only common in the best of Westerns with many quotable lines. There is a great cast and the tableaux of the time is excellent.A must see for fans of the genre and is an overlooked and under-appreciated film that is both an icon of the modern Western while also being a throwback to the psychological, multi- layered style of post-modern 1950's movies like High Noon, The Searchers, The Tall T, and The Naked Spur, to name a few.

One fun way of viewing "Lawman" is to see it as a Western version of the 1953 Marlon Brando movie "The Wild One" with an alternative denouement. Both films begin with a bunch of rowdy guys in their twenties and thirties riding into a small town (on horseback in "Lawman" and on motorcycles in "The Wild One")and acting like spoiled teenagers with an arrogant sense of entitlement as they terrorize the place with their rough joviality. An innocent victim of their antics is an old man who is killed by accident. At this point in "The Wild One" J.C. Flippin steps in as the authority figure and the movie ends. In "Lawman" Burt Lancaster steps in as the authority figure and the movie begins.

This is not a great film but it deserves viewing if you enjoy the western genre. The setting and scenery are great. Great actors: Burt is solid as man on a mission, Robert Ryan is always good. It is just gritty enough without being cheesy. The final scene will surprise you and made me question the killings. This is not a happy cowboy movie. It is tough and raw as westerns should be. Lots of riding in the rugged countryside. The towns folks are a little boring in their effort to stop the action. I enjoyed the whore house scenes. The cattle roundup scene is pretty good. Overall it is a good western. Lots of moral overtones.