Pulp was invented during the time of the depression.  Cheap, fast read stories of adventure, escapism, or erotica with no significant depth to them. All the play is at the surface. Subplots were razor thin or non-existent.  The dialogue was quick, the words were simple and the books were prepped for disposal soon after its use. Pulps would eventually spill over to films, primarily in film noirs, but would blossom into other genres like romance, and eventually would have  a permanent home in cinema with the likes of Western, science-fiction, horror, or even x-rated.

 Laws of Man is a cheap, and guarded pulp, whether the creators of this film know it or not. In fact, it is more of a western pulp with a sci-fi pulp third act. Something that I wish they would have acknowledged and went all in for it. Like, all the chips and let the whole script have some amusement. It does for the villainy though. Bullseye on the bad guys in this. Dermot Mulroney playing Benjamin Bonney is a cross between a bond villain and a Dashiell Hammett villain. Most notably from Hammett’s underrated, Red Harvest. The rest of the cast is peppered with familiar stars like Keith Carradine, Richard Brake (another great bad guy), Dermot Mulroney, Graham Greene and Harvey Keitel. Cemented with Jackson Rathbone and Jacob Keoshane playing the U.S. Marshalls that carry the story into the town of Gilead. With a town of that name of course there is a biblical angle at play as well. I would give the film credit for being consistently off balance. At times overacted, and then underacted. Intensity played soft, and soft drama shot hard. Sometimes the script is serious and then beyond silly. There’s also an awkwardness to this film, a little too safe camera work and framing. For me, the cardinal sin was a boring second act, and a wild third act that should have made a more massive payoff than what was presented. 

It would be interesting to take a peak at the script. A possible jumbling of acts and scenes might make the film alluring. The film wants to emphasize the transformation of characters once they enter Gilead and then leave, or even stay,  but it would be better served if  Laws of Man emphasize what its title refers to, what all the characters are struggling with,……..control.