Laws of Man, Co-Starring Harvey Keitel

The U.S. Marshals Service was created to enforce and protect, rather than investigate. In addition to pursuing Federal fugitives and serving warrants, they provide security for missile silos and Antarctic stations. Unfortunately, these two Marshals are no Sam Gerard (from The Fugitive). They are deeply flawed, but at least they are both military veterans (one during WWII, the other in Korea), so when the bad guys declare war on them, they know how to return fire in director-screenwriter Phil Blattenberger’s Laws of Man, which releases tomorrow in theaters and on VOD.

Frank Fenton and Tommy Morton are Marshals, but they dress like Hoover-era Feds. The abstaining Fenton also acts like a Mormon, which should help him in hardscrabble Utah, but not with their first target, the deranged criminal family of Crash Mooncalf. They try to settle matters with a hail of bullets, but instead Morton plugs the old man right between the eyes. He considers that a result, whereas the justice-minded Fenton admonishes it as a mistake. The warrant for Benjamin Bonney (never explicitly identified as a descendant of Billy the Kid, but that would make sense) will be more difficult.

Again, Fenton and Morton demonstrate tactical superiority over Bonney and his three sons (one of whom seems to be invisible), but the grizzled old killer was already way ahead of them, having quashed their warrant. Frankly, the humiliations that follow are not credible, because threatening a federal officer is never legal under any circumstances. However, it prompts some serious hardcore seething from the tightly wound Fenton. Obviously, someone is protecting Bonney and the local head of the FBI field office, Galen Armstrong seems like a likely candidate, since he practically walks around with a sign around his neck that says “bad guy.”

Nevertheless, the first forty-five minutes or so work pretty well, because of how Blattenberger shows the two Marshals working together and relating to each other. They both clearly carry a great deal of baggage, but Morton adopts a live-for-today attitude, whereas Fenton ruminates over the past—deeply and often.

Laws of Man also benefits from a colorful supporting cast, including some big names squandering in brief throwaway roles, like James Urbaniak as a gas station proprietor and Graham Greene as the fatalistic (or maybe just bored) sheriff. However, Harvey Keitel is delightful to watch chewing the scenery as Cassidy Whittaker a traveling revivalist priest, sort of in the tradition of Orange County ex-hippie Evangelicals who still retained some stoner tendencies, who were much more prevalent in the 1970s. (It is an entertaining performance, even if you don’t know what I’m talking about.)

To give credit where its due, Jackson Rathbone and Jacob Keohane have decent push-and-pull tension and chemistry, as Morton and Fenton. Dermot Mulroney also snarls pretty effectively as Bonney. However, Keith Carradine’s portrayal of Armstrong craters into an absolutely ridiculous caricature. To be fair, he is the one most disadvantaged by the ludicrous third act twist, which is completely confused in terms of politics and nearly impossible considering the necessary logistics. It is meant to be a shock, but what makes it truly stunning is that people with a financial stake in the film actually allowed it.

That might make Laws of Man sound more intriguing than it really is. Still, the period details are decent, which is a nice surprise, given the severe budget constraints. Blattenberger’s grungy early scenes showed lean-and-mean promise, but the slow decline turns into a spectacular (in the wrong way) collapse. Not recommended, Laws of Man releases tomorrow (1/10).