Jacob Keohane stars as U.S. Marshal Frank Fenton in the film, “Laws of Man.”
Set in Nevada but filmed primarily in the original Las Vegas, “Laws of Man” is a movie that centers on two U.S. Marshals who are on a quest to apprehend a murderer – but end up on an unexpected journey that forces them to question their own morals instead.
The film begins with the law enforcement agents driving through the American West. Although the film states that the setting is Gilead, Nevada in the early 1960s, the agents were actually filmed traveling through San Miguel County in 2023.
When the U.S. Marshals – played by actors Jacob Keohane and Jackson Rathbone – stop at a bar to rest, the setting is the Trading Post Saloon, located at 1106 Grand Ave. When the agents call it a night, the hotel they stay at is a location in Mora.
“The whole area was absolutely ripe for locations,” said Phil Blattenberger, who wrote and directed “Laws of Man,” of Las Vegas and its surrounding areas.
This was Blattenberger’s first time filming in New Mexico. When he first began scouting for locations for “Laws of Man,” he said he knew he wanted to film in New Mexico, but was unsure where. Las Vegas was chosen, he said, in part because he was looking for a place that did not look too modern, given that the film is set in 1963.
Blattenberger also wanted to ensure that filming locations were close to one another, which Las Vegas also allowed for, he said.
“Laws of Man” portrays U.S. Marshal Frank Fenton, played by Keohane, and his partner, Tommy Morton, played by Rathbone, as having almost opposing personalities. Blattenberger describes Frank as straight-laced, and said Tommy is a “shoot-at-the hip cowboy who has his own version of morality.”
A World War II veteran, Frank has a series of flashbacks that reveal he struggles with post-traumatic stress disorder and psychosis. These flashbacks also reveal that Frank used to have a different, more laidback personality.
“You see throughout these flashbacks that (Frank) used to be a quite different person,” Blattenberger said. “The journey for him, his arc in the film, is wrestling with whether he should return to that or whether he’s on the right path now.”
During their stay at the hotel, Frank meets Rev. Cassidy Whittaker, played by Harvey Keitel. Through preaching the Bible and the sharing of illicit drugs, Rev. Cassidy forces Frank to confront his memories of the war.
“There’s a disarming that happens there,” Blattenberger said of Frank and Rev. Cassidy’s interaction. He noted that Rev. Cassidy allows Frank to be vulnerable and work through his emotional issues; a true feat, given that the story takes place “decades before modern Americans went to therapy,” Blattenberger noted.
Aside from the encounter with Rev. Cassidy, the law enforcement agents are further distracted from their task of nabbing the bad guy when a surprise obstacle – not described in this article to avoid a spoiler – presents itself. The local Masonic Lodge served as the location for a courtroom where the agents go in an effort to overcome this obstacle.
The final moments of the film have several surprise twists and turns that delve into conspiracy-theory territory, but that force Frank to consolidate his past and present and live by a moral code of ethics he may not have considered before.
Without revealing too much of the film so as to avoid a spoiler, the final plot twists could not have been feasibly filmed in Las Vegas. Instead, these were filmed in Tucson, Arizona. Frank’s flashbacks to the trenches in World War II were filmed in North Carolina.
Other actors in “Laws of Man” include Forrie J. Smith, of “Yellowstone” fame; Keith Carradine and Graham Greene.
Aside from providing an ideal location for his film, Blattenberger said Las Vegas also provided good crewmembers and supportive locals.
“There’s so many incredible local people that pitched in to make this film happen, that it simply could not have happened without them,” Blattenberger said. “It truly was an effort that took Las Vegas as a municipality … to make it happen.”
“This movie is Las Vegas, New Mexico’s, more than it is anybody else’s. We’re just so incredibly grateful for that.”
Blattenberger describes “Laws of Man” as a crime thriller in a neo-Western setting. This film is rated R, and had a limited theatrical release on Jan. 10. It is available on platforms that offer on-demand content.
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