I have always heard that if you read a poem or hear a song for the first time and you can guess the next line or verse based on word choice or rhyme scheme, it’s not a very good poem or song. So it did not bode well for me when, as I was watching the trailer for Phil Blattenberger’s Cold War thriller Laws of Man and the words “When Anyone’s a Target” popped up on the screen, I correctly stated that the next line would be “Everyone’s a Suspect.”
Note: Minor spoilers will follow.
I must confess that as I began watching the film, which was released in theaters and streaming platforms today, my expectations were quite low. On a positive note, the film features a cast of experienced actors with impressive resumes. The trailer itself was interesting enough – a neo-western set in the Nevada desert at the beginning of the Cold War.
The two protagonists, U.S. Marshals Frank Fenton (Jacob Keohane) and Tommy Morton (Jackson Rathbone), are sent into the unforgiving and lawless wasteland to serve a warrant for the arrest of suspected murderer Benjamin Bonney (a tip of the hat to Billy the Kid, maybe?), played by Dermot Mulroney. Of the two, Frank is the straight-laced, by-the-book officer dealing with World War II-induced PTSD. Tommy is the more reckless of the duo, the gunslinging cowboy who would be as much at home in a Stetson on horseback than in a postwar muscle car navigating the backroads of Nevada.
During the course of their assignment, they run into the usual smattering of thugs, killers, corrupt local officials, inter-agency/jurisdictional conflicts, and a twist in the final act that could have worked a lot better had Blattenberger devoted more time to developing the politics and desired outcome of that portion of the story.
In fact, if there’s any way to explain the film’s shortcomings, that might be the best way: Rushed and underdeveloped. The characters have some redeeming qualities and could be interesting. But we never get to see what really motivates their behavior.
The exception to this is Mulroney’s Bonney. The film does delve into his backstory and at least lays some foundation that explains why he turned into a cold-blooded killer. Unfortunately, neither Frank nor Tommy get the same treatment. Part of Frank’s story is told through flashbacks to his service in World War II. Early in the film, he gets introduced to Rev. Cassidy Whittaker (Harvey Keitel), an aging, foul-mouthed stoner of a preacher who connects with Frank. Rev. Whittaker is staying at the same motel as Frank and Tommy, and while Tommy is enjoying the company of a strikingly beautiful siren (especially to be in such a remote location) named Dinah Rose (Ashley Gallegos), the good reverend counsels Frank and suggests that Frank has been led to this place at this moment for a specific purpose. However, we never really get to see what that purpose might be nor do we find out exactly how the demons Frank brought home from the war changed him or led him into the line of work he’s in.
There is a flashback where Frank and a fellow soldier storm a cottage in the European countryside. Believing it to be occupied by Nazis, they open fire then advance on the house. When they go inside, they see that they killed two civilian women. Presumably, this incident is what torments Frank but, again, this plot point isn’t well developed.
And while we’re on the subject of Rev. Whittaker, Blattenberger treats him in typical Hollywood fashion. In mainstream movies, people of the Christian faith are often caricatures, stereotypes, or portrayed as insincere hypocrites. While Blattenberger does treat Rev. Whittaker’s advice as important to the narrative, the fact that we have yet another foul-mouthed preacher who smokes pot is more than a little disheartening.
Mulroney’s Bonney is a convincing enough villain. Tommy, however, is another story. What isn’t really convincing is the anger and the wrath that engulfs him as the film unfolds. Bonney orders a hit on the two marshals and a gunman opens fire on their motel. Frank is with Rev. Whittaker and escapes unscathed. Tommy, however, is in his room with Dinah and she does not survive. Yes, she was his love interest, but she was a prostitute and the two had only been together for a couple of days. Tommy, himself a veteran of the Korean War, vows to take on Bonney and his gang with an unexplained and – here is that word again – unexplored hatred.
That’s not to say that the movie doesn’t work. I found the film easy to watch and entertaining. At just 98 minutes, it doesn’t require a significant time investment. But that could very well be one of the movie’s shortcomings – a longer runtime would have given Blattenger more time to develop the characters and set the stage for the big twist at the end.
The film does suffer from budget constraints – the war flashbacks were underpopulated and the technological sets look dated, even for 1963. The CGI was rather Spartan but, to be fair, most CGI does leave a lot to be desired. Believable CGI is expensive, time consuming, and complicated – something all but the biggest of big-budget movies wrestle with.
A nice touch would have been a reunion with Rev. Whittaker and Frank at the film’s closing. That would have been another way to bring Whittaker’s presence full circle, to add some closure to the demons that tormented Frank. Instead, we are left to guess that the denouement resolved all of his issues.
Laws of Man was released to theaters and streaming platforms today. Rated R for violence, language, grisly images, and drug use. Cast: Jacob Keohane, Jackson Rathbone, Keith Carradine, Graham Greene, Kelly Lynn Reiter, James Urbaniak, Forrie J. Smith, Richard Brake with Dermot Mulroney and Harvey Keitel. Written and directed by Phil Blattenberger. Produced by Phil Blattenberger, Jacob Keohane, and Dan Black.
Final verdict: A fun but predictable Cold War thriller with an unexpected yet under-developed final act plot twist that would have worked much better with a little more expansion.