The State Department's purchase of A Child Went Forth led to a commission from the National Youth Association – then headed by Lyndon Johnson – for a documentary highlighting NYA's efforts to provide work and job training for young people in order to prevent poverty. Once again the as-yet inexperienced Losey found himself working with stellar talent, this time with veteran activist filmmakers Willard Van Dyke and Ralph Steiner.

Losey's least-seen American film offers a riveting example of the stripped down, urgent realism central to his brief Hollywood career, in strong contrast to the overt stylization that would became a signature feature of his European films. Ahead of its time for its focus on marginalized migrant workers, The Lawless gives an impassioned voice to the angry distrust of Main Street U.S.A. that echoes throughout Losey's early work. Making vivid use of Los Angeles locations and balancing its cast between studio contract players and non-actors from the migrant community, The Lawless offers a rare glimpse into the class turmoil of 1940s America.