Review by LeCarpentier

Set during the Civil War and involving the Homestead Act of 1862, E. B. Derr's historical drama, THE LAW COMMANDS, casts Tom Keene as the misunderstood protagonist. When a beloved, two-fisted settler (Carl Stockdale) is murdered while trying to follow the local physician's non-violent approach to dealing with land-grabbers, the community turns on the doctor (Mr. Keene), who must prove that his approach can work.

Budd Buster is excellent in the role of "Kentuck," the sidekick in most of the films in this series, well supported by Marie Stoddard as his robust wife. Robert Fiske again makes a splendid heavy, assisted in his treachery by John Merton this time around. Veteran screen actor Horace B. Carpenter has one of his most prominent roles in sound features as an irate settler struggling to find a way to protect his claim from being stolen by the unscrupulous land thieves.

Bennett Cohen's screenplay gives THE LAW COMMANDS some unusual components, and prolific William Nigh's direction takes full advantage of them. With Tom Keene as a likeable defender of justice and fair-play, and with a good and well-directed supporting cast, this and other films in Crescent's set of eight historical fiction dramas should be regarded as a cut above average.