A pair of US Marshalls got to a small town in Nevada where a family seems to be controlling everything by murdering whoever they see fit.
Witten and directed by Phil Blattenberger, Laws of Man is on the predictable side of things with a few elements that were surprising. Still, the writing works, and the direction is decent to it leads to easily watchable film with some elements of surprise and a solid bunch of violence. Set at the dawn of the Cold War, the film takes a bit of a turn for the historical drama-fiction, something that can be entertaining enough. Yes, there are some true facts in here, but overall these are not why folks will want to watch it. Most likely, the majority of people will see the cast, spot a name or two they know from somewhere else and then put the film on not knowing what the story is about which is likely the better way to stumble onto this film. As mentioned above, the story and the way it is brought to the screen are decent so it’s not a waste of a film, but it’s also not a film that will leave a big mark on the viewer. In the 1990s, it would likely have slipped under the radar and onto the video store shelves where folks would rent it based on cast and cover art alone. Here it’s a video-on-demand release that works well as this, it’s entertaining enough, it’s got a few solid bits in the story, and the cast is decent to good with names most people know.
A quick peek at the cast list for Laws of Man shows that the viewer is treated to performances by Dermot Mulroney, Keith Carradine, Harvey Keitel, Richard Brake, and Graham Greene. Most of these folks, except for Mulroney, appear in small-ish roles, giving them barely any screen time to make any sort of real impact. Yes, these are all talented men who can give good performances in their sleep at this point, but they are severely underused here. Jackson Rathbone and Jacob Keohane have the two leads of the US Marshalls, and their performances are ok, decent even. However, they are easily overshadowed by the above-listed men. They do decent work, but it feels like both are a bit held back, like they aren’t allowed to fully go where their characters need, leading the film to feel like something is missing.
The film’s look here hinges on the work of cinematographer Daniel Troyer and it’s good. The look here is more subdued and made to let the story and characters take center stage. There are no real flourishes of style or camera movements that take the breath away. The look here works, there are a few really good sequences here and there, but overall, much like the rest, the cinematography is decent.
Laws of Man is a decent film that entertains but doesn’t leave much of a trace once it’s over. The story and direction are decent, the performances are decent but also feel like they are somehow limited, the look of the film is decent, the period piece aspect mostly works but can easily be forgotten given the wardrobe choices. This is the kind of film that you put on when you want to see your favorite actor and they happen to be in it. It’s a decent watch, but not something that is hugely memorable.