Laws of Man opens with a pan down from a night sky to a house on fire. Benjamin Bonney (Dermot Mulroney) steps into the frame. A horse neighs anxiously in the background. The first of many onscreen deaths happens within these first 60 seconds. Written and directed by Phil Blattenberger — his third feature after Point Man and Condor’s Nest — Laws of Man explores the long-term effects of violence on the psyches of the men who engage with that violence.
The story begins in 1963 with U.S. Marshals Frank Fenton (Jacob Keohane, who is also co-producer) and Tommy Morton (Jackson Rathbone) investigating a series of murders in Nevada. In an early moment of near meta-fiction, Frank admonishes Tommy by saying, “This isn’t a cowboy movie,” to which Tommy replies, “Sometimes a cowboy is what you need.” Their exchange not only instantly develops Tommy’s character — we understand who he is and what he wants faster than a Polaroid picture — but also foreshadows the many gunfights to come.
Appearances by Keith Carradine, Graham Greene, and Forrie J. Smith help punctuate the action with moments of measured drama. But it’s Harvey Keitel, who, at the age of 85, ignites every scene he appears in. An often understated yet always compelling actor, Keitel has played roles as diverse as Sport in Taxi Driver, Judas Iscariot in The Last Temptation of Christ, and the highly quotable Winston Wolf in Pulp Fiction. Here, he plays Cassidy Whittaker, an unconventional evangelical, a desert mystic who acts as a spiritual guide to Frank, as Frank struggles to reconcile his past trauma with his present duty. Some of the most memorable moments in Laws of Man are between Cassidy and Frank, particularly when Cassidy activates Frank’s post-traumatic stress during a psychedelic trip.
At times playing like a more emotionally reserved Quentin Tarantino or a less bombastic Guy Ritchie, Laws of Man is a revisionist Western viewed through a midcentury modern lens. Law enforcement agents seek justice in a desert setting, accessorized with classic American sedans, two-button suits with skinny ties, and wood-paneled interiors. Blattenberger takes detours into conversations about moral responsibility and the meaning of justice. Cinematographer Daniel Troyer takes the viewer on a tour of majestic southwestern landscapes, into desolate battlegrounds in World War II-era Europe, and then into nightmarish visions in Frank’s mind. In the third act, the film veers unexpectedly into Cold War espionage territory, but despite these narrative detours, Blattenberger keeps his central theme on the road to redemption.
Between action sequences, characters mourn the loss of unambiguous morality over shots of tequila and unfiltered cigarettes. In the second act, Tommy says to Frank, “There used to be good guys over here and bad guys over there.” But moral ambiguity returns when Frank’s impeccably mannered lawman gets raw enough to actually fight for what he believes is right. In this way, Laws of Man is a study of masculinity, each characterization representing a facet of manhood, from youthful aggression and brazen sexuality, to elderly discernment and gentle strength.
Laws of Man was nominated for Best Film at the Newport Beach, St. Louis International, and Santa Fe International film festivals, and won Best Narrative Feature at the Tangier International Film Festival. It is now streaming on Apple TV and Prime Video.
Laws of Man (2025)
Rated R
99 minutes
This article appears in Jan 17-30, 2025.