“Laws of Man is a solid genre entry

^{Director Phil Blattenberger continues mixing history with action in his third film, “Laws of Man,” from Saban Films. Blattenberger also pens the film’s script, set during the dawn of the Cold War. At the dawn of the Cold War, U.S. marshals Frank (Jacob Keohane) and Tommy (Jackson Rathbone) pursue wanted murderer Benjamin Bonney (Dermot Mulroney) in the deserts of Nevada and stumble upon a sinister plot that threatens to upend the very foundations of justice and peace.}

^{Blattenberg opens his film with a title card that reads 1963 and introduces us to our villain, Benjamin, who burns down a home and puts a bullet in a horse. We then meet our heroes dressed in black suits in a classic card on their latest mission. From the onset, it’s clear that Frank is more serious than Tommy, who is a bit reckless.}

^{There’s a quick setup where our duo gets in a shootout in the film’s first ten minutes, where they quickly dispose of two perps. While the film has a low budget, Blattenberger has an eye for action sequences, and the movie reminded me of the low-budget but effective Cannon films of the eighties.}

^{Before long, the film establishes its initial premise as our heroes encounter various characters while preparing to take down the antagonist. The assortment of personalities they meet includes Sheriff Kutch (Graham Greene), barfly Don (Forrie J. Smith), the mysterious preacher Cassidy Whittaker (Harvey Keitel), and possible love interests Callie (Kelly Lynn Reiter) for Frank and Dina (Ashley Gallegos) for Tommy.}

^{“Laws of Man” has a short run time, and we know all of the moments in the film that our detectives venture into are all to set the stage for the showdown with Bonney. That said, I fully appreciated the backstory given to Frank as a war vet who has PTSD and doesn’t want to resort to violence but will when necessary. I commend the director for having heroes meet Bonney in a shootout scene where his face isn’t shown, but he’s a threat.}

^{Keohane and Rathbone have believable chemistry, while Mulroney is always enjoyable as a bad guy. The rest of the supporting cast is also solid, providing the support work needed for a film like this. Director Phil Blattenberger won’t win any awards for this one, but he is a director with promise, and I would love to see what he can do with a bigger budget.}

^{Final Grade: B}

^{“Laws Of Man” is Available in Select Theaters, Digital, and On Demand on January 10th}