Here’s yet another of those post-apocalyptic “thrillers” set in the near future following some sort of dreadful catastrophe. As usual this set-up is merely an excuse for producing a cheap movie which can use a series of backgrounds that are tacky, small-scale, and require little expense to put on the screen. The plot in “The Lawless Land” also shows little imagination. The rebel guy falls in love with the Establishment girl and their attempts to get together and enjoy true love are constantly being thwarted by pursuing villains.
Amanda Peterson makes a colorless, oh-so-forgettable heroine and Nick Corri (a.k.a. Jsu Garcia) lacks the necessary verve to bring off this kind of role. He has a nude scene in prison when, along with other inmates, he stands facing a wall so he can be dusted with de-lousing powder. This offers us a glimpse of his bare buttocks. He also has a bare-chest scene in which he’s strapped face-up on a torture table. An interrogator wearing a surgical mask “zaps” him by politely pressing electrical wires into his nipples. Corri groans (not too loudly) but doesn’t reveal any information. This has apparently been going on for three days which makes you wonder: why doesn’t the interrogator try moving those wires down to the prisoner’s groin? Giving his privates a few high-voltage jolts would likely loosen his tongue, and hearing him squeal like an eight-year-old girl would certainly enliven the proceedings.
