A Lawless Street

John Chard

Feb 9, 2017 · via TMDB

★ 5.0

Funny how a man softens to another when once he's killed him. Marshal Calem Ware (Randolph Scott) is tired of Medicine Bend, tired of killing and tired of reprobates trying to kill him. He's also haunted by pain in his past. So when the past resurfaces and yet another scum-bag turns up to put out his light, Calem faces what he hopes will be the final day of reckoning. Brought to us by the Scott/Brown production company, A Lawless Street is directed by Joseph H. Lewis, adapted from a Brad Ward story (Marshal of Medicine Bend) by Kenneth Gamet and features cinematography from Ray Rennahan at French Ranch - Hidden Valley Road, Thousand Oaks in California. Joining Scott in the cast are Angela Lansbury, Warner Anderson, Jean Parker & Wallace Ford. This film came a year before Scott would do Seven Men From Now with Budd Boetticher, the start of which was a run of "adult" Westerns that showcased the best of both Scott and the Western of the 50s. So it's not unsurprising to find that "A Lawless Street" is some way short of the quality of the Boetticher/Scott movies. In fact, Scott may not just be in character for the film, he looks genuinely tired, which is in keeping with the very tired feel of it all. It has proved to be a pretty divisive film amongst Western purists, the routine story not helped by the fact it has been done to perfection before in other, more notable genre pieces. While the script also lacks vim and vigour and Scott is surrounded by very average actors. The ending fizzles out after the promise of so much more, and in fact it's ponderously drawn out. Yet the first half of the film saves it from being a stinker, Lewis' camera-work is fluid and fist fight fans are served up a treat. And we even get Lansbury flexing her tonsils for a delightful little ditty. So it's very much a film of two differing halves, one that sadly doesn't make for a satisfying whole. Much like Switzerland, I'm staying neutral with it, a 5/10 rating is given on proviso that it's noted that where Scott and Lewis are concerned, I'm unashamedly biased.

Yes, I know my rating for this is a tad high, but I just love both Randolph's work in general and Angela Lansbury at this really sexy juncture of her career. They have a really good chemistry together, even though the age difference is a shade on the 'Love in the Afternoon' or 'Lolita' side and can be a bit unnerving. Though I've enjoyed other Joseph H. Lewis films, such as 'Invisible Ghost' and 'Gun Crazy', he still doesn't have the touch for Western material that Scott would later enjoy in his collaborations with Budd Boetticher. It's not as dramatic a difference as comparing apples and oranges, but it is noticeable. At least when it comes to Westerns (I haven't seen other types of films by Boetticher), the guy's definitely an auteur, on the level of, say, an Anthony Mann, Howard Hawks or even John Ford. Very enjoyable, and a work of distinguished quality, definitely worth owning and re-watching.