Law and Lawless: Just another dusty ride

Is it worth your time?

If you have a soft spot for grainy, low-budget westerns where the horses get more screen time than the dialogue, you might find something here. People who need a coherent plot or high-production values should probably steer clear, though. It’s definitely not for anyone who gets annoyed by plot holes you could drive a stagecoach through.

There’s this moment early on where the ranch foreman, Barnes, looks so obviously guilty that I almost laughed. He’s got that specific kind of mustache that in 1930s cinema meant "I am definitely going to betray the protagonist within twenty minutes." And he does. Of course he does.

Watching Jack Hoxie ride around is fine, I guess. He’s got that classic squint down pat, even when he’s just standing near a fence. The whole thing feels a lot like Sundown Rider in terms of its general energy—meaning it is very much a 'get the job done and go home' kind of production.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of Law and Lawless (1932) through its definitive frames.

The weird stuff

• There is a horse named Sheik in the credits. I hope Sheik got paid in extra oats because he does half the acting.
• The fight choreography is essentially just guys bumping into each other until someone falls down.
• I swear the background extras are just the same four guys in different hats.

The pacing is all over the place. One second they are riding across the plains, and the next, someone is being accused of murder in a barn. It happens so fast you almost miss it. It reminded me a bit of the frantic energy in Mickey Cuts Up, though obviously in a very different setting.

Honestly, the movie gets a lot better once it stops trying to explain the "murder mystery" and just lets the guys chase each other around. The plot is just an excuse for the stunts, which are mostly just people jumping off things. It isn't exactly high art, but it beats staring at a blank wall for an hour. 🤠

Is it a classic? Not by a long shot. But there’s something honest about how cheap and quick it is. It doesn't pretend to be more than a filler movie for a Saturday afternoon bill. It’s not going to change your life, but you won't feel like you wasted your entire day either.