Brannigan (1975)

Superstars just Can't Help Themselves. Usually, Late in Their Stellar Careers, They have a Tendency to Remind Us all that indeed They are Human (Fat Elvis in a ridiculous bejeweled jumpsuit anyone?). This one is from "The Duke", John Wayne.Looking Old and Dying (He was), Wayne Stops just Short of Completely Embarrassing Us and Himself. He took on another Tough Cop Role (even after the big flop McQ (1974). Helping Him along this Misstep is a Good Supporting Cast and a Decent Production.The Most Glaring Cringe is the totally Out of Time and Place, Saloon Fisticuffs. But, there is just Enough Gravitas Left in Wayne to make this Worth a Watch for Fans. Thank the Lucky Stars that He Ended His Long Career Perfectly Cast and with the Excellent Direction from Don Siegel, His Curtain Call, "The Shootist" (1976) is One that the Big Galoot Can be Proud.

Tough Chicago cop Brannigan (John Wayne) goes to London to extradite an American criminal named Larkin (John Vernon) but the bad guy is seemingly kidnapped before Brannigan can get to him. That's not enough to deter our hero, though. He's determined to get his man, no matter how many British toes he has to step on to do so, including those of a stuffy police commander (Richard Attenborough).A fun 'fish out of water' movie for John Wayne; his second attempt to duplicate Clint Eastwood's success at moving from westerns to police thrillers. It's a better movie than Wayne's previous attempt at a Dirty Harry-style cop flick the year before, the underwhelming McQ. It moves quicker and there are some funny lines here and there. Plus everyone in the cast seems like they want to make this work, unlike McQ where nobody seemed that into it. Duke is clearly having a good time and appears more at ease with this mostly British cast than he did with many of his later films. Vets Attenborough, Vernon, and Mel Ferrer deliver as they usually do. Judy Geeson has a nice chemistry with Duke. Thankfully (given their age difference) the film never goes "there" beyond mild flirting. Lesley Anne Down plays a prostitute and Daniel Pilon is the hit man hired to kill Duke. It's not an exceptional film in any way but it is enjoyable, especially for Wayne fans who might like to see him in different surroundings than the western plateau or the battlefield.

Jim Brannigan (John Wayne) is a tough Chicago cop on a mission to take in mobster Larkin (John Vernon). Larkin is keen on taking down Brannigan also. Brannigan goes to London to bring back Larkin for extradition only to find him gone while out on bail. Brannigan isn't convinced but his lawyer Fields (Mel Ferrer) brings them a tape of the ransom demand.John Wayne is old and dying, but he still has his iconic swagger. He's trying to do his version of Dirty Harry, but Father Time is never defeated. He looks old like grandpa trying to do action. This is especially obvious when Wayne starts a fight with Attenborough in an Irish pub. It looks like old fashion ol' western saloon brawl from the 50s.Cmdr Swann (Richard Attenborough) is the proper London cop who is working on the Larkin case. He brings proper acting to this action drama. It's good that he's there because Brannigan's foil is gone for most of the movie. When the movie starts, you'd think it would be mano to mano with the evil mobster Larkin. The kidnapping plot line really screws it all up.

The movie does really try hard to walk a really thin line. It tries to be a an action movie, a comedy, a thriller, a cop movie. And it also tried to establish "Branningan" as a brand name. Like Callahan, but softer and "funnier".Well I can tell you that it doesn't work. I really tried to love the movie, but it's not possible. The effort is there and John Wayne tries, but he is never really as smooth as the character should be. Still the movie can be fun, although not as much as it would like to. While other movies did create cool characters without effort, this is just a decent try, to do the same, without the same result. Nice movie, but nothing that you need to buy (unless you're a huge John Wayne fan).