A Mexican-American fruit picker gets in a little trouble that becomes a tempest in a teapot. Losey's film appeals to my liberal sensibilities with its condemnation of mob justice, media hysteria and racial intolerance. It's an engaging story. However, it's not very elegant in its execution. The performances are very flat, no one in the entire cast stands out as particularly good or memorable. The photography and score are serviceable at best, only a few shots are interesting. And it's all handled rather clumsily, you can hear the nails being struck as the points are hammered home. I like where the film's heart is at, but similar themes are done better elsewhere. It did make me wonder when was the final instance of someone putting "Extra, extra, read all about it!" in a script unironically.
Review of The Lawless
