McQ

While the opening credits roll, several Seattle cops are shot dead. Awakened fully-clothed on his boat, groggy policeman John Wayne (as Lon "McQ" McHugh) learns one of the cops killed was his partner. Complicating matters, his partner looks like the one who killed the others. An assassin also tries to shoot Mr. Wayne, but Wayne is too quick to be killed and guns down the assailant. Wayne decides to track down the killers, who are involved in drug-trafficking. He viciously beats one suspect and deposits him in a men's room urinal. His violent outburst gets Wayne in trouble with superior police officer Eddie Albert (as Kosterman). Wayne won't accept his transfer to a desk job, quits his job, and becomes a vigilante... Wayne as a modern action hero does not work; the legendary actor appears old and uncomfortable in a role likely considered for Steve McQueen... While the script does make appreciated adjustments for Wayne's age, he sometimes seems stiff and labored. Conversely, he dashes around town in a little speedster called the "Green Hornet". In one of the most interesting sequences, Wayne immorally uses sex and drugs to obtain information from recovering addict Colleen Dewhurst (as Myra). It's incredible that Wayne prostitutes himself, albeit secondarily (to drugs), but Ms. Dewhurst's delicate performance carries the day. Directed by John Sturges, "McQ" does manage to maintain Wayne's screen presence. Often, Wayne teamed-up with a much younger actor, usually resulting in a great western film. It would have been better to see him similarly co-star, in a modern drama... Wayne does get to kick a "hippie" early in the running time; to boot, the lad has a full head of natural, fuzzy hair. ***** McQ (1974-01-04) John Sturges ~ John Wayne, Diana Muldaur, Eddie Albert, Colleen Dewhurst

McQ is being shown currently by a certain cable network. Very fun and entertaining to see this genre of movie, as it hardly exists today. John Wayne was very good as a near-retirement cop, but this movie definitely has a 1970's feel. From the cool and groovy instrumental soundtrack, to the chase scenes, this is a film that just isn't made anymore. The Seattle locale was used very effectively, and was different from what most movie-goers had been used to seeing. (Of course, now, with Canada taking over a lot of location shooting, it doesn't look that foreign today.) Seattle looked quite a bit different 30+ years ago, but just excellent location shooting! If you like this genre, and you like the Duke, this is a must-see!

"McQ" is John Wayne's attempt to move away from the western genre with which he was most commonly associated (although he had dipped into other genres along the way). Directed by a 63 year old director (John Sturges), and starring a 66 year old movie star, one can't help feeling that the film has a fairly geriatric air about it. "McQ" seems to takes its inspiration from movies like "Bullitt" and "Dirty Harry", which were big hits around that time. In this one, the plot is pretty similar to "Dirty Harry", and the fact that Wayne's main character is named McQ could possibly be an in-joke, intended to liken him to Steve McQueen (McQueen; McQ; get it??), who starred as Bullitt. Honest, tough Seattle cop Lon McQ (John Wayne) investigates the death of his partner Stan Boyle (William Bryant) and two other police officers. Strangely, McQ's superiors seem reluctant to let him handle the case – but handle it he does, in his typical fist-first, diplomacy-later style! McQ suspects that local hood Manny Santiago (Al Lettieri) is responsible for the killings so he ignores orders to leave Santiago alone and starts to tail his quarry. McQ's unorthodox approach so outrages his bosses that he has to hand in his badge, working almost as a vigilante to crack the case. Among those helping him are ex-junkie Myra (Colleen Dewhurst), private eye Pinky Farrow (David Huddleston) and council official Franklin Toms (Clu Gulager). Eventually, McQ discovers that his deceased partner was caught up in some high-level police corruption, selling seized narcotics back to the drug lords on the streets and pocketing sizable amounts of money in the process. That's why McQ's superiors never wanted him on the case in the first place, as they feared their illegal activities might be exposed if a loose-cannon of a cop like McQ ever caught wind of their plot. Angry and betrayed, McQ sets out to bring down the corrupt cops and drug dealers whose greedy operation caused the death of his colleagues. This is one of Wayne's poorest films, even though it's refreshing to see him in a different sort of movie. For a chance to see him tackling the whole "mean cop" thing in a better film, viewers should seek out "Brannigan" instead. "McQ" has a few moments that are effective, such as an exciting and cleverly edited car chase along a beach, and a claustrophobic action sequence in which McQ is sandwiched in his car between two dump-trucks in a narrow alley way, and almost killed. The calibre of the cast is surprisingly high, too, with such fine supporting actors as Colleen Dewhurst, Al Lettieri, Eddie Albert, Clu Gulager and David Huddleston involved in the mix. Alas, none of them have particularly memorable roles to get their teeth into. In fact, this "unmemorable-ness" extends to the whole film and makes it a turgid, indifferent affair. If you want to see John Wayne in something different from his usual fare, then "McQ" might appeal to you… but everyone else will probably come from the film feeling rather disappointed.

Okay, this isn't exactly high art, but it has a few things going for it if you're in the mood. A cool music score a little reminiscent of "The Taking Of Pelham 123", a plethora of killings at the start which are the nastiest the movie gets, and John Wayne his usual likeable self. He manages some very funny reactions and strolls through seattle with the air of a man to whom this is child's play. The influence of The French Connection is obvious, as is the Dirty Harry mould of tough cop, but there are little dtails that make things refreshing, like the background characters, and Lon's character itself, who genuinelty seems to be motivated by a desire to do justice, not act out his own fantasies. The scenes with Myra and with Diana Muldaur are particularly good, and the hatred between McQ and Santiago is teriffic. The beach chase at the end is pure hokum, and unlike Dirty Harry, a movie which deserves to be seen as more than just a thriller, McQ is purely a thriller, not trying to change the world, but just pass a couple of hours. And why not!

With the success of "Dirty Harry" in 1971, there were bound to be lots of imitators, and "McQ" is one of them. After his officer best friend is killed, McQ (Wayne) is told by his boss (Eddie Albert) to forget about the murder and let the police investigate. So…McQ resigns from the police force, drives around in a sports car, carries an automatic weapon, and destroys the bad guys in a climatic shootout on a beach. Sound familiar? This ponderous, heavy-handed film tries to turn John Wayne into Dirty Harry, and it doesn't even come close. Wayne tries, but he's way too old for his role. Albert comes off much better as his boss Capt. Kosterman but he can't possibly save this turkey. You might want to watch the movie to see Wayne in his late 60s trying to act half his age, but it just doesn't work. This is one of Duke's late-career misfires.

If you don't particularly like John Wayne, then I doubt if this film will change your opinion. But, if you do like his films and want to watch some mindless action, it's not a bad bet at all--though the film is awfully derivative. That's because only a short time before this, the Dirty Harry films debuted and were VERY successful. John Wayne must have been really ticked, as he was first offered the part as Inspector Callahan ("Dirty Harry"). McQ is his attempt to cash in on the genre, though the results were definitely very mixed. First, let's talk about the bad. The overall tone of the film is pretty dark and depressing. A plot involving stolen drugs and dirty cops was a far cry from the usual John Wayne fare. Plus I was pretty shocked when this newer and "hipper" Wayne gave drugs to Colleen Dewhurst to elicit her assistance AND THEN he slept with her! This just seemed rather gross. Occasionally, the Duke's reasoning abilities seemed a bit "super-human"--such as how did he know what he knew when the film was about to end??!! Also, unlike Dirty Harry and Wayne's next film (BRANNIGAN), there are no great lines from the film such as "you feelin' lucky, punk". Also, the story itself is just okay. As for the good, there are some wonderful action scenes--ones that a 60-something Wayne couldn't have really done if his life had depended on it! And the final confrontation was really exciting and about what you'd hope for in the film. By the way, while I only see this as a slightly better than average time-passer, his next film, BRANNIGAN, is a much better film. While not exactly a sequel, he plays a very similar role but the writing, locale and acting is just a whole lot better--and aside from THE SHOOTIST, is probably the best film of the final decade of Wayne's career.

My opinion of John Sturges' McQ has evolved over the years. I saw it thirty years ago on NBC (with only a few bullet holes and mild curse words eliminated) and thought it was a flabby, but relatively decent little cops and robbers flick. It had the additional enjoyment of being filmed, in part, in Seattle, an exotic city some 280 miles from my home, Spokane. John Wayne was something of a cartoon to me when I was a teenager. I didn't understand or appreciate his body of work and that he was a unique performer--to paraphrase his words, "not an actor, but a re-actor." His screen persona was simple and subtle, very human yet heroic. I didn't see any of this; McQ was just John Wayne putting on a business suit (as the reviewer in Time said, "Seems like putting Cary Grant in bib overalls"), strapping on an exotic weapon, and sliding behind the wheel of a Trans Am to go kick drug-dealer butt. McQ wasn't anything special. Just a cop movie with an old guy playing young. As I got older--and saw McQ uncut on WTBS or KSTW--I began to appreciate both the film and its star even more. Yet I knew that the conventional wisdom of McQ was that it was a ridiculous attempt to modernize Wayne's image, to cash in on his stardom (which it didn't; McQ flopped at the box office). I declared McQ to be my official "Sinful Pleasure," a really bad movie that is truly lovable. Think of a dog so ugly it's cute. I taped a keeper copy of it off Cinemax, watched it every year or so. A DVD came a couple of years ago. I realized I never get tired of this movie. It's got lots to complain about--the looping of the dialogue is atrocious, the geography is laughable, the clichés are stacked like cord-wood, and the thought of all the better things John Sturges did in his career keeps popping into my mind. Yet . . . Wayne is at his most comfortable, maybe his best work since In Harm's Way. The crime drama itself plays out nicely, with clues being offered out at just the right pace, Seattle and the Olympic Penninsula are beautifully sun-washed and crisp-looking, and Wayne's costars give real weight to the movie--Colleen Dewhurst, Eddie Albert, Diana Muldaur, and David Huddleston, to name a few. There are a few over-the-top scenes that stretch credulity (his confiscation of a MAC-10 machine pistol from a gun dealer and talking Ebonics to Roger E. Mosley come to mind), but our affection for Wayne, and his professionalism, allow him to tame the gamier moments. You actually can believe his call for help to Seattle patrolmen when his car is demolished by a couple of semis, "Get some foam on this thing. I'm up to my butt in gas!" His embarrassment when asking for money from ex-wife Julie Adams and her moneybags husband is one of the best moments in the movie. And, of course, his being seduced by Dewhurst, at first, is so off-putting that you may want to make a Mystery Science Theater 3000 comment at the screen. But if you're anywhere near adulthood, realize this: Middle aged people (Wayne's character is in his fifties and so is Dewhurst's) have sex. Wayne is the gentleman, here. He's being approached by Dewhurst and he doesn't want his saying no to be hurtful or condescending. If you watch the scene more than once, I believe you will see it as a sweet and decent moment and not some sort of dirty joke about old folks. This brings us back to the evolution of my opinion of McQ. First it was an okay shootemup, then a sinful indulgence, and now, a set of good performances that lift up an otherwise pedestrian crime drama. It's easy to brand a movie a "sinful pleasure" because you can trash it while enjoying it. Sort of a cheap shot; cowardice comes to mind. McQ is no longer a sin for me to enjoy. It's a pretty good movie with really good people. I recommend it, warts, jive, and all.

I was happy I'd had a particularly busy week, and decided to "veg-out" for a while early Friday afternoon. As a result, noticed this being run on AMC at a time I normally wouldn't have watched. For some reason, this is one of the Duke's film which I'd missed earlier, and had never taped or rented. (It also reminded me of how infrequently one saw him on-screen in contemporary, civilian attire.) One of his later films, not many years before his illness and death, he seemed surprisingly spry and energetic at age 67. And the story was interesting (from the start to the end) and gripping, and the remaining actors well-cast and excellent. With John Wayne now gone for more than 30 years, it's particularly nostalgic and enjoyable to watch one of his movies you haven't seen before. This may not quite be a 10* flick, if one were rating in a contemporary fashion. But for the above reasons, I enjoyed it at this level today.

Before hand I would apologize if there is grammar errors. English it's not my native language. This movie, fr me it's up there with bullit maybe more enjoyable because Mr Wayne communicate the street lingo well and it's less stiff than Mr. McQueen. I'm actually would like to purchase the music score but it's not commercially available. I don't understand why Elmer Bernstein does not included the music on his repertoire. I thought the cast was superb, A great line, when the snitch said " you're no badge anymore, what ya gonna do, go fist city on me". The car chase it's equal or better than bullit's chase. Hopefully, in a near future it's re-released on HiD and we get to enjoy it again. I lived in Seattle during early 90's and just now I gather the movie was shot there. You darn right it's one of John Wayne's under appreciated, under-looked pieces.

i watched this film after Christmas and did'not expect it to be a masterpiece like Lord of the rings. John Wayne is about as threatening as a chicken nugget. He does'not really give the crooks a chance especially at the end of the film the shootout on the beach he just pumps them with bullets from his silenced mac 10. The acting is terrible especially the scene where he stays at Lois's house for the night. And in the morning when he wakes up his hair is the same, he just looks the same as he did the day before. John you should of retired long ago