Brannigan (1975) User Reviews

Trodding the Path of Eastwood

[bkoganbing · 7/10 · 21 June 2006]

By the mid 1970s the western film had really become a thing of the past. The action heroes by that time were police of all different kinds of character. Clint Eastwood had sure proved that with the success of the Dirty Harry Films. In fact by the time Brannigan came out, Eastwood had two of them already done.

I suspect that John Wayne was also looking for modern stories for reasons of health. Those western locations were and are pretty rugged. Wayne was 68 when this was done and playing a man in his fifties. He also had only one working lung in those last dozens years of work after the cancer operation of 1964.

So in Brannigan Wayne makes a more successful transition from his western character to a modern policeman than he did in McQ. He's from the Chicago PD and in London to pick up gangster John Vernon who's skipped bail. An assignment that the San Francisco PD surely would have sent Harry Callahan on.

Vernon is not only not in custody with Scotland Yard, but he's been kidnapped and is being held for ransom. Vernon's lawyer Mel Ferrer arrives from Chicago to pay the ransom.

It's a merry chase from then on and while the ending is no kind of surprise the film is a lot of fun.

Richard Attenborough makes an effective British foil for Wayne's all American hero. And Judy Geeson who first became noticed by movie fans as a student in Sidney Poitier's class in Two Sir With Love, plays Wayne's driver and confidante as a police sergeant. The two of them have a marvelous father/daughter like chemistry.

Wayne films are not complete unless there is a fight scene. In this case a London pub is busted up like a frontier saloon in a scene reminiscent of The War Wagon. It's sort of out of place though in a modern film.

And the climax is a homage to Dirty Harry. Dare I say it, but I'm still wondering why Eastwood's Malpaso Productions didn't sue the Duke's Batjac company for that scene which is ripped off from Magnum Force.

Probably because Clint liked the homage.

Entertaining John Wayne film in the "Dirty Harry" scheme of things...

[Doylenf · 7/10 · 26 April 2008]

JOHN WAYNE fans have nothing to complain about. This may not be one of his top films, but it's a piece of slick entertainment with a good script and some clever lines and situations.

He may have been sixty-eight when he did BRANNIGAN, but he was still convincing enough as a "kick butt" cop transplanted rather suddenly to ye olde London and coping with some shrewd and cunning kidnappers demanding a great deal of ransom money. In addition, he has to cope with RICHARD ATTENBOROUGH as the police chief who doesn't like Wayne's Yankee ways.

It's a tale that gets off to a brisk start and never stops feeling like a spin off from a "Dirty Harry" movie starring Clint Eastwood. In fact, given Wayne's age, Clint probably would have been a more suitable, age appropriate choice for the leading role here--but Wayne still had enough energy and spirit to play the part in his usual style.

JOHN VERNON and DANIEL PILON make an interesting pair of villains, as does MEL FERRER as a crooked lawyer who's in on the kidnapping scheme. All of them get their comeuppance in a script that has quite a few surprises and plot twists along the way. JUDY GEESON has a nice rapport with Wayne as the woman assigned to drive him around the city.

Nicely photographed with good shots of the busy London area, it's not one of Wayne's best films but it's a very satisfying one with a good plot and a fair amount of action. The London pub brawl did seem to be a bit overdone but the director obviously played it for laughs.

Summing up: Never a dull moment.

"You dirty lousy mick, you got no rules!"

[classicsoncall · 6/10 · 1 August 2015]

In deference to John Wayne's legendary film career in Westerns, Turner Classic Movies moderator Ben Mankiewicz stated that you could move "Brannigan" out West and it would work. Having seen a ton of Wayne's films, I think it's pretty safe to say that this more closely resembled his Lone Star flicks from the Thirties like "Texas Terror" or "The Lawless Frontier" rather than say, "Rio Bravo" or "True Grit".

I think a lot of it boils down to the writing; there's a lot here that doesn't make sense. For starters, how is it that Jim Brannigan's boss Moretti (Ralph Meeker) in Chicago hands him a passport among other things to go to London. You have to apply for a passport yourself and have your picture taken along with supplying a ton of identification. Then in London, when he becomes aware that assassin Drexel is on the street below the apartment he's investigating, he shouts out to him to stop!! Really? They teach you that in detective school? And how about the continuity lapse when Commander Swann (Richard Attenborough) tells Brannigan he's got a phone call, Swann calls him 'Joe'.

At least part of the story line was interesting though. The Larkin (John Vernon) kidnapping plot kept you guessing as to what was going to happen next, and the hit-man hired by the American mobster started out as a fairly creative fellow in his attempts to take out Wayne's character. But there again, the final face off between Brannigan and Gorman (Daniel Pilon) was written far too clumsily. I can't imagine a professional assassin would be so reckless to put an end to his target that he'd pull out all the stops and try to run him over with his car, giving Brannigan plenty enough time to just shoot him through the windshield. It felt like the writers just needed a quick way to get this thing over with.

Through it all, Brannigan's English partner Jennifer Thatcher (Judy Geeson) is easy on the eyes and gets in that cool line about Americans being 'overworked, over-sexed and over here'. After that quick peck on the cheek she gave Brannigan I groaned a bit thinking the film makers were heading in the wrong direction, but unlike Wayne's early Westerns, this is one film that ended where the Duke didn't get the girl. If that had happened, the film makers would have really pulled a Murphy.

Fine late-career vehicle for an aging acting legend

[jimu63 · 15 February 2003]

A year after looking silly starring in the Dirty Harry clone "McQ," John Wayne gave the modern-day cop thriller another try to much better effect in "Brannigan," a fine vehicle for the aging legend.

Wayne plays Lt. James Brannigan, a Chicago police detective hot on the trail of mobster Ben Larkin. When Larkin is located in London, England, Wayne is dispatched to pick him up and extradite him home to face criminal charges (extortion, prostitution, bribery, murder). Upon arrival in London, he meets his pretty young escort Jenny (she's on loan from vice squad.), who takes him to meet Scotland Yard chief Sir Charles Swann ("Gandhi" director Richard Attenborough, in a terrific performance). In the meantime, Larkin, who is under surveillance, is kidnapped, thwarting Brannigan's plans for a quick extradition and embarassing Swann, who has just berated Brannigan for losing Larkin in the first place and assuring him: "It can't happen here." To Swann's obvious displeasure, Brannigan decides to stick around and help Scotland Yard find Larkin, even though he and Swann have a prickly relationship at best and disapprove of each other's police methods--i.e. Brannigan is a conservative who carries a gun and believes in the use of force and Swann a liberal who doesn't believe in either. Brannigan also spends a great deal of the film dodging a hit man whom Larkin hired prior to his kidnapping.

What follows is an amusing, and low-key, caper that is culminated by a well-choreographed chase through the streets of London, a hilarious bar brawl, and several attacks by the hit man, including one in which Jenny is almost killed. Wayne is in fine form here, well-served by the change of locales and by his character who, unlike McQ, is closer to his own age and not as much of a Dirty Harry-clone. The film is also marked by a much lighter tone than his previous outing, and unlike his uncomfortable pairing with "McQ"'s Eddie Albert, he and Attenborough make a memorable team and have several terrific scenes together. A warning, however--compaired with today's myriad of over-the-top action films like "XXX" and every "Lethal Weapon" wannabe of the past fifteen years, "Brannigan" is pretty subdued and the action scenes will seem tame to today's thrill-seeking action audience. Unlike today's action dreck, the name-of-the-game in "Brannigan" is characterization and plot, as it was with most genre films of the '70's.

Also unlike today's action films, "Brannigan" has a memorable supporting cast, all of whom play characters who actually resemble real people. As I said earlier, Attenborough is terrific as Wayne's sparring partner, and Judy Geeson is a worthy partner for Wayne, although as was also standard for the era, she's mostly around to scream "Jim!" every time Brannigan is in danger and to be protected by her new friend. John Vernon (the dean in "Animal House") is a fine villain as Larkin, and Mel Ferrer scores points as Larkin's sleazy (and crooked) lawyer, who obviously knows more than he lets on. Daniel Pilon adds menace as the mostly silent hit man Gorman. And look fast for Lesley-Anne Down as a hoodlum's girlfriend.

John Wayne only made two more films after "Brannigan"--"Rooster Cogburn" and "The Shootist." And while "Brannigan" will probably be regarded as one of the lesser efforts of his legendary career, it was, and remains, an amusing and entertaining two hours, and a rare chance to see Wayne in a contemporary setting. It's a worthy effort. *** (out of *****)

John Wayne made better ones in his legendary career

[TheUnknown837-1 · 6/10 · 18 October 2008]

John Wayne plays the titular character in the 1975 cop film "Brannigan" and this film, unfortunately, is not one of the Duke's best. Now I do not detest "Brannigan". I do not hate it, I just don't think it's very good and it's not worth more than two or three views. John Wayne made a lot of great movies in his epic career--he made a lot of masterpieces and gave some incredible performances--but this movie does not rank with them. And Wayne himself said that he wasn't particularly fond of it either.

Brannigan is an American police officer who is sent overseas to London to bring back a fugitive from justice who fled the country. He arrives to discover that the fugitive, played by John Vernon, has been kidnapped and held for ransom. Brannigan and the London police force, led by Commander Swan (Richard Attenborough) must try to save him and dodge assassination attempts made by the enemy.

This is a fine plot in a film that just doesn't quite work. "Brannigan" has slow pacing, not much in the action category, and it's quite clear that it's trying desperately to top off with the classic action cop movies like "Dirty Harry" (1971) even down to the music score, which resembles Lalo Schifrin's score from the mentioned Clint Eastwood film. It has its moments, but not nearly enough to make it recommendable. It's not a depressing movie, but not an exhilarating one either. Wayne gives his usual good performance, but even an icon like him can't save the movie.

If you are a die-hard John Wayne fan, then you must naturally see "Brannigan" so that you can say you've seen all of your favorite actor's movies. If you're not, then you might as well skip it over, for it's really not that interesting to watch. See other, better Wayne movies such as "The Searchers" (1956), "True Grit" (1969), "El Dorado" (1966)", and "In Harm's Way" (1965).

Overlooked John Wayne gem.

[knight_hawk2002 · 7/10 · 29 November 2007]

Brannigan represented John Wayne's second and final movie in which he plays a contemporary streetwise detective.

The film involves him travelling to London to extradite a mob boss called Ben Larkin played by John Vernon, upon arriving in London Brannigan discovers that Larkin has been kidnapped whilst under surveillance from Scotland Yard. The remainder of the movie follows Brannigan in conjunction with Scotland Yard headed by Commander Swan and their attempts to locate Larkin and bring him to justice.

Brannigan is rather a good movie in which John Wayne exercises his enormous charisma and charm on screen to great effect. The movie is somewhat more light-hearted than Dukes previous cop movie 'McQ', however it still manages to deliver some rather dramatic moments such as the kidnapping scene and Brannigan's ongoing battle with a persistent hit-man.

Brannigan is faced with the problem of being continually compared to Clint Eastwood's detective movies and most comparisons made usually look unfavourably upon Brannigan which is unjust. Whilst Eastwood's 'Dirty Harry' movie is undeniably a better movie than Brannigan a strong argument can be made that Brannigan is superior to all sequels to this movie as well as 'Coogans Bluff' and 'The Gauntlet'. Several of these movies are clearly lacking in ideas and some of them have a cheapness about them, 'The Enforcer' and 'The Dead Pool' spring to mind within this category. However they do have an undeniable appeal and are generally enjoyable movies they are certainly not cinematic masterpieces and many are living on the reputation of 'Dirty Harry'.

Brannigan also fares better than 'McQ' due to the cinematography being fresher and more fluent, better acting, directing and stronger characters, these factors all combine to create a better overall movie. However the movie does have its weaknesses such as an overdrawn money switchover that results in Duke pushing a young Tony Robinson into the Thames. The movie also suffers from some poor editing within it particularly prevalent during the opening sequences involving a police car tracking Brannigan while the opening credits are being screened; the scene becomes too long and ineffectual. However these weaknesses do not detract from the overall enjoyment of the movie.

One of the best aspects of movie is the culture clash between America and the UK, John Wayne and Richard Attenborough act as a microcosm of this clash, with each trying to impose their methods upon the other. Brannigan's insistence on using physical force during the investigation contrasts with Attenborough's analytical and methodical approach to detective work. In fact the on screen pairing of both Duke and Attenborough was a stroke of genius as the two men play of each other very well, their scenes are well written and there's an undeniable energy and excitement these scenes.

Brannigan will never be remembered as one of John Wayne's best movies which is perhaps accurate, however it is also not remembered as a good movie which is completely unfair, it has some great scenes, interesting characters and a good storyline, it certainly deserves a much better reputation than it currently has.

"It's too damn simple."

[utgard14 · 6/10 · 10 August 2015]

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.

Routine but Enjoyable Crime Thriller

[BJJManchester · 6/10 · 28 May 2007]

BRANNIGAN is a routinely plotted late vehicle for John Wayne,not in the saddle as you'd usually expect but in 1970's London.The location and the sight of Wayne in such unexpected surroundings is easily the strongest element of the film.The uninspired script and story (about pursuing gangster John Vernon) is somewhat compensated with some well handled action,some decent light relief,and the sheer spectacle of Wayne sharing scenes with familiar British character actors,a highly unusual and rather fascinating occurrence.Richard Attenborough is his main co-star here,along with Judy Geeson,who gives a good account of herself despite what is a basically underwritten and pointless role,but who would have thought that the Duke would ever share scenes with such actors as John Stride,Tony Booth,Del Henney and Tony Robinson? The best of these encounters is with that stalwart Yorkshire actor Brian Glover,a truly odd pairing of actors and styles,though the confrontation scene involved works rather well.

Director Douglas Hickox even manages to fit in a barroom brawl,in the mode of many previous Wayne westerns,which is well-staged with some amusing slapstick-style antics.This is the film's highlight,and the sub-plot about a hit-man(Daniel Pilon)also has some well-staged action.Another negative against the film is credibility;Wayne is obviously too old for the part,and is further hampered by an even more obvious hairpiece,but if you can remove this problem from your mind,the Duke is still just about acceptable as the action lead.

BRANNIGAN is a decent latter-day vehicle for John Wayne,though it is with relief that this film was not his last;THE SHOOTIST was a far more apposite,dignified,thoughtful and distinguished swan song to one of the most celebrated careers in movie history.

RATING:6 out of 10.

John Wayne swaps the open plains for downtown London - fairly routine but quite good fun.

[barnabyrudge · 5/10 · 7 August 2004]

After a spate of tired westerns, and unmemorable cop programmers like McQ, John Wayne was in need of something a little fresh. Brannigan doesn't have much in its plot that we haven't seen before, but it is freshened up by its unusual London setting. Nicely directed by Douglas Hickox, and complemented by lots of good supporting performances, it is also entertaining in patches.

Chicago cop, and all-round hard man Jim Brannigan (John Wayne) is ordered to fly out to London, England, to bring back bail-skipping gangster Ben Larkin (John Vernon). But just as Brannigan arrives, Larkin is abducted by a bunch of British crooks who plan to hold him for a hefty ransom. Aided by stiff-lipped Scotland Yard detective Charles Swann (Richard Attenborough), Brannigan attempts to track down the kidnappers so that he can get hold of his man.

Wayne looks pretty old for this kind of energetic action stuff, but he has a certain rugged charisma that allows him to more-or-less get away with it. The supporting cast is generally very good - Attenborough registers well as the Scotland Yard detective; Judy Geeson looks lovely and has a good role as the lady assigned to look after Brannigan during his stay; Vernon adds another unpleasant bad guy to his villains' gallery; and little-known Daniel Pilon has the best scenes in the film as a genuinely evil hit-man assigned to erase Brannigan. The music, scored by Dominic Frontiere, is hilariously '70s and is poured over the action with little consideration. There are also some unnecessary comic moments, such as the needlessly farcical bar-room brawl sequence which is out of tune with the rest of the film (Maltin, preposterously, called the bar-room brawl the high spot of the film but if anything it's the low point). At its worst, Brannigan stoops pretty low, but these low moments are gladly quite sporadic. For most of the way, it's an entertaining - if never truly excellent - star vehicle, and a genuinely "different" role for The Duke.

Grand Entertainment

[pts2001-1 · 7/10 · 12 March 2006]

This pure over the top 70's film will delight the fans of not only John Wayne but also those who love the "only in the 70's style" Pure class entertainment.

See if you can guess the motorcycle courier who later stared in a very funny UK TV comedy series.

Fans of the Citroen SM will find one of the rare Mazarati V6 powered vehicles 30 secs after the first scene with the two guys in the windows overlooking the mailbox. The work of art on wheels is blue :)

The film was made 4 years before the Duke's death.

Like all John Wayne films it involves guns, so i would recommend it as a 15+ movie.

Wayne heads Eastwood...

[bambinokoresh · 4/10 · 19 June 2008]

i'm just watching this on the TV and apart from 'Dirty Harry' and 'Magnum force' it seems to be seriously influenced by 'Coogan's Bluff'(also Clint Eastwood)which was later turned into the 'McLoud' series for TV. It's the culture shock theme that's well explored in many films.Normally i would n't have made the connection ,but for the similarities between MCQ and Dirty Harry ,The Enforcer and Magnum force.The fact that they were all made within 5-6 years of each other is pretty telling as well. Wayne is well past his physical peak in this film and as i have stated before seems to be chasing Eastwoods tail./(tale)

Pure entertainment

[mysteriesfan · 10/10 · 26 March 2007]

From the time I saw Brannigan in the theaters as a kid, through a number of chances to watch it again over the years, it has been one of my favorite movies. I grew up with the crime dramas of the 1970s, had little patience for Westerns, and am sorry John Wayne had so little time left to make detective movies. His other police drama, McQ, was trying so hard to imitate other "gritty" characters and films, was so formulaic, artificial, confusing, dreary, stiff, heavy-handed, and cliché, that these elements crowded out Wayne. Not so Brannigan.

Wayne shined. He was natural and utterly comfortable and convincing in the role. He was likable, frank, good-natured, decent, down-to-earth, and tough -- "so damn solid," as Geeson's character put it (to which he replied, "Fat, you mean") in a nice, genuine scene where Brannigan talked about wanting to catch the hood responsible for killing his rookie partner because it was his duty to protect the kid even though, no matter how "nice a story" it would make if the kid had been like a son to him, he had not even liked the "smart-aleck" kid. Wayne had terrific, commanding screen presence. He looked as fit and acted as vigorous as called for by the role. Suggestions in other reviews that he was "too old" or "too fat" are nonsense. The mature cast is a pleasant contrast to today's rampant superficiality.

All of the supporting actors -- Attenborough, Geeson, Ferrer, Vernon, Pilon -- were real professionals who similarly brought substance to their roles and played them smoothly and effectively. The characters were nicely sketched. For example, Attenborough's titled Scotland Yard official was not a caricatured fop or dandy; he was polished but also appreciated rough, direct action to get the job done, which created a nice grudging rapport between him and Brannigan. One review's dismissal of Pilon's hit-man as "Inspector Clouseau" is absurd; both the policeman and the hit-man were portrayed effectively in this movie, with the policeman actually outsmarting and outmaneuvering the hit-man in believable ways. The story had action, energy, purpose, and humor. The dialogue was smart, and the plot interesting, with some clever touches. The photography and music made it all the more enjoyable.

This is a fun, smart, well-paced, well-produced detective story with a good plot, well-drawn and well-cast characters, and good locations. The movie is excellent entertainment. As such, I could not recommend it more highly. Reviewers who apparently failed to watch the film on its own merits and have nothing to offer but pseudo-sophisticated, overly general, cheap-shot criticisms do not do it justice.

The Extradition Process

[Uriah43 · 6/10 · 25 March 2015]

When a local mobster named "Ben Larken" (John Vernon) skips bail and flies to London, "Lt. James Brannigan" (John Wayne) is sent from Chicago to bring him back. Unfortunately, during the extradition process Larken is kidnapped which results in both Lt. Brannigan and "Sir Charles Swann" (Richard Attenbourough) of Scotland Yard having to pool their resources to locate him. What neither of them realize is that a top assassin named "Gorman" (Daniel Pilon) has been hired to kill Lt. Brannigan and he is extremely tenacious in his work. He just doesn't quit. Now rather than risk ruining this movie for those who haven't seen it I will just say that this was essentially an average movie made better by the presence of John Wayne. That's not to say that the supporting cast was lackluster by any means--as they certainly performed in an adequate manner--it's just that the Duke clearly dominated this picture. Having said that I should probably add that the story itself wasn't exactly novel and this was hardly the best movie he has ever made. That being the case I rate this movie as slightly above average.

Strictly for the younger adult!

[davyd-02237 · 5/10 · 18 December 2019]

Having watched this again for the 1st time in over 30 years its more fun than anything serious. perhaps copied in part from other movies, other than its London for the main setting, yet villains are yanks and Londoners. Hasn't aged well and lacks in any form of decent dialogue and believability. strictly if you just want to be entertained

Routine thriller with good supporting cast and locations

[chrisdl_heath · 27 March 2004]

'Brannigan' is a fairly routine thriller which doubles up as an advertising feature for American tourists wishing to visit London. In both cases, it does the job pretty well. What gives it a boost is the strong supporting cast headed by leading British 'luvvie', Richard "Dickie" Attenborough and the good use of London locations including Tower Bridge which is utilised in an above average car chase. Also there is a large-scale brawl in a city pub ( in Leadenhall Market) which is a direct transfer from a saloon of one of the Duke's innumerable westerns.

Tough Chicago cop, Jim Brannigan, is sent to London to extradite notorious American gangster, Ben Larkin, but before he can collect him, Larkin is kidnapped and Brannigan spends the rest of his time chasing around London in search of his quarry. Whilst struggling to adapt to the British way of life and the restrained style of policing, he employs techniques not usually seen outside Chicago. In the meantime, a contract has been put out on Brannigan's life by Larkin to prevent him from being extradited.

Though menouvring his way around London like a big vintage Cadillac, John Wayne lends his unique blend of charm and charisma and inevitably, he is given most of the best lines in what is a lively screenplay. For instance, there is nothing he likes better than to smash down villains' front doors and bellow defiantly: "Knock! Knock!". This is vintage John Wayne and there is no harm in this as he was very good at what he did and as a consequence he has a devoted following of movie fans around the world.

Richard Attenborough gives sterling support as the (on the surface)stuffy, upper-class Metroplitan Police Commander not afraid to get his hands dirty . Though with characters as different as chalk and cheese on and off the screen, there is clearly a good rapport between Wayne and Attenborough. There is continual conflict on screen about Brannigans retention and use of his handgun. One of the best moments is when an increasingly hysterical Attenborough demands: "I've asked you politely, now I'm asking you impolitely, HAND OVER THE GUN!"

Of the rest of the cast, pretty Judy Geeson is good decoration though underused. Her main purpose appears to be to ferry Brannigan around London and to scream "Look out, Jim!" everytime the contract killer draws close. John Vernon as Larkin demonstrates why he was the 'heavy' of choice throughout the 1970's and Mel Ferrer is suitably slimy as his lawyer. James Booth, Brian Glover and Don Henderson are all good as London thugs. Tony Robinson has a small comedic role as an innocent dupe of a dispatch rider thrown into the Thames by Brannigan long before he became Baldric in the long-running British tv series of Blackadder. Look out too for an appearance by Tony Blair's father-in-law, Tony Booth, as a small time con given the 'good cop-bad cop' treatment.

Humorous, though a little bloody, 'Brannigan' is good entertainment and if you are a fan of the Duke, it is well worth adding the DVD to your collection. My only gripe is that the movie was the inpsiration behind the god-awful 1980's tv seires, 'Dempsey and Makepeace'. Forget this and you will enjoy it.

This Town Ain't Big Enough....

[rmax304823 · 6/10 · 1 February 2018]

Sent to London to bring back an American fugitive, tough Lt. John Wayne constantly runs afoul of municipal sensibilities. Scotland Yard, in the person of Richard Attenborough, takes him to breakfast at a fancy men's club.

Wayne: I'll have a couple of strips of fried bacon, two eggs over easy, and a short stack.

Sir Dickie: I think what the lieutenant means is that he'll have three rashers of bacon, two eggs fried equally on both sides, and a few pancakes.

The narrative is a bit tortuous and I won't go into the difficulty Wayne has in recapuring the now-at-large fugitive except to say that none of the expected action scenes are missing and that, in the course of being executed, they take us on a grand tour -- the changing of the guards, a high speed pursuit across Tower Bridge, a barroom brawl, and a suspenseful episode on Picadilly Circus.

Wayne is his cheerful and sarcastic self throughout, even when the goons try to blow him up on the toilet. There's nothing very original about it, but it's an entertaining and diverting flick.

Hardboiled cop thriller of the 1970s

[Leofwine_draca · 7/10 · 5 November 2017]

BRANNIGAN is an engaging fish-out-of-water cop thriller clearly modelled on DIRTY HARRY. A larger-than-life John Wayne plays the jaded American cop sent to London to bring down a crime lord, and an ensemble cast of familiar faces from the era either help or hinder him along the way. I thought this was a great little thriller, with plenty of action and suspense along the way, including shootings, assassination attempts, and even a car chase for good measure. It was directed by Douglas Hickox, of THEATRE OF BLOOD fame, and has a similarly gritty look. Judy Geeson plays Wayne's partner while the likes of John Vernon and Mel Ferrer are the bads. Watch out for Tony Robinson in a youthful comic cameo.

The Duke comes o London

[toonnnnn · 7/10 · 27 May 2010]

A story of a cop from the USA who is on a case that takes him to London,not just a cop but Brannigan played by John Wayne.The film is tailored to suit the John Wayne image,no one filled the screen like the Duke ,when he's on screen its him you watch.This is 1970s John Wayne where the image is played up to,some good dialogue,the pub fight scene and no love interest.The love interest is replaced by a fatherly attitude towards Judy Geeson a young police woman.Fans of blackadder will spot Tony Robinson getting thrown in the thames.The Duke has a double for the fight scene in the pub which might have gone un noticed at the time but shows on DVD.The film is not classic John Wayne bot passes the time entertainingly.Richard Attenborough,John Vernon and James Booth play their parts well.A film that celebrates the image of John Wayne,he had turned down Dirty Harry,as too violent for him,here the violence is non graphic appealing to the family audiences who flocked to his movies.Please put the kettle on,a few biscuits sit back and enjoy a star in the twilight of his career.Duke we miss you.God bless America.

Big John Wayne as a Chicago police detective who goes in search of a dangerous gangster , John Vernon .

[ma-cortes · 7/10 · 6 February 2017]

This thrilling movie is a genuine ripping yarn with intrigue , mystery , tension , shotguns , car crashes , and outstanding plot twists . An enjoyable all action seventies nostalgia trip , being fast paced and rightly developed . The picture is packed with a stuffed ragbag of stash , special arms , cash and cars . Here Big John Wayne/Jim Brannigan takes on London in Chicago Style . As Chicago police lieutenant Jim Brannigan is sent to the UK , as he travels across the Atlantic to London . His mission : to arrest and to escort organized crime boss Ben Larkin (John Vernon) back to the USA but Larkin's hit-men (Daniel Pilon , James Booth) prepare an ambush for Brannigan . Along the way , Branningan is helped by two British Police Inspectors : Cmdr. Swann (Richard Attenborough) and Jennifer (Judy Geeson) .

Nice and agreeable thriller with a great cast and a sensational John Wayne against his nemesis magnificently played by John Vernon in one of his meatiest roles as a villain who has fled the States rather than face a grand jury indictment . Humor , noisy action , thrills and suspense abound in this fun film . One of Duke's last movies with a more work modern day assignment than most , here he stars in the somewhat unfamiliar character of a two-fisted and violent Chicago police officer in ¨Dirty Harry¨ style . Stepping out of his ordinary Westerns and into the character of a tough police man , Big Duke goes in search of revenge on the mobster who killed his rookie colleague . John Wayne starred in this film , along with ¨McQ¨ , because he missed out on starring in Dirty Harry (1971) . Although , it was originally intended as a vehicle for Steve McQueen , it was heavily rewritten for John Wayne . Here Wayne fits perfectly to this peculiar role , giving a top-notch and sympathetic acting , as usual . Wayne's image still remained impervious during the seventies surviving through an overlong career . Wayne unmistakeably a legendary figure of the West and by that time he would go playing good Westerns , as he triumphantly survived his own era with titles as ¨True grit¨ in which he won an Academy Award ,¨Big Jake¨, ¨Train robbers¨ , ¨The cowboys¨ , ¨Rooster Cogburn¨ , his last film ¨The Shootist¨, and , of course , his two final thrillers : ¨McQ¨ and ¨Brannigan¨ . Even more old-fashioned that Wayne's former police drama ¨McQ¨(here playing a Chigago Police cop) , ¨Brannigan is also more amusing and entertaining . It rambles a bit , but then it does have full of suspense , intrigue and action . In ¨Brannigan¨ there are also brawls and punches at a typical London pub . Along with spectacular car races , bounds and leaps across Tower Bridge . Stirring film in which there are nail-biting action scenes , intrigue , blasts , suspenseful set pieces and a big star as well as an excellent plethora of secondaries such as : Judy Geeson , Richard Attenborough , Mel Ferrer , Ralph Meeker , Daniel Pilon , James Booth , Bruce Glover and brief acting by Lesley Anne Down as a prostitute . It packs a colorful cinematography by Gerry Fisher , showing splendidly the habitual London sightseeing : Big Ben , Parliament , Trafalgar Square , Regency Street , Buckingham Palace , Piccadilly Circus , Tower Bridge , among others . Besides, a moving as well as exciting musical score by Dominic Frontiere .

This tough crime drama was well directed by Douglas Hickock who was quoted at the time as saying that he just wanted to make a John Wayne film . Hickock was an expert at blazing action scenes and realizing acceptable films until his early death at 59 , being his film debut : ¨It's All Over Town¨ and his final ¨Dirty Dozen: The Series¨, TV series . Being Father of directors Anthony Hickox and James D.R. Hickox . Douglas began as an assistant director and second unit director in the 1950's . Before working on feature films , he also directed hundreds of commercials . As part of a bequest , the Douglas Hickox Award is given to a British director on their debut feature . Douglas made all kinds of genres and playing them known actors , such as Drama : ¨Sins¨ with Joan Collins , ¨Mistral's daughter¨ with Stacy Keach ; Black comedy : ¨Entertaining Mr Sloane¨ with Harry Andrews ; Monster movie : ¨Behemoth , the sea monster¨ co-directed by Eugene Lorie with Gene Evans ; Action : ¨Sky riders¨ with James Coburn ; Thriller : ¨blackout¨ with Richard Widmark , ¨Sitting Target¨ with Oliver Reed ; Warlike : ¨Zulu dawn¨ with Peter O'Toole ; a Sherlock movie : ¨The Hound of Baskervilles¨ with Ian Richardson and his best film was ¨Theatre of blood¨ an ironical terror/comedy with Vincent Price .

Lighthearted 70's cop movie crosses the pond into Character Actor Utopia

[Aylmer · 5/10 · 25 August 2017]

Rogue cop who is "out of control" (in a now-cliché'd Dirty Harry sort of way) John Wayne goes to England to retrieve the Sheriff from KILLER KLOWNS FROM OUTER SPACE. Once there, the chief/old guy from JURASSIC PARK assigns him to the possessed alien mom from INSEMINOID as his flirty tease of a partner. While on the case, they shake down the warden from ALIEN 3 while spied on by the cowardly soldier "Hookie" from ZULU, here teamed up with one of the Death Star generals from STAR WARS. However his only real lead comes in the form of a shifty lawyer, the guy who married Audrey Hepburn before going blind and trying to poison Caesar in THE FALL OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

As you can see, the cast of this movie is just marvelous and features a lot of "that guy"s from other movies you've seen. The chemistry between Wayne and the guy who directed GANDHI works really well as they have to team up from such opposite viewpoints to solve the mystery. Unfortunately for those seeking lots of action (Wayne enters the movie by kicking down a door and hitting a guy in the head with a 2x4), there's not much here. Wayne merely gets in one mediocre car chase and has a few close calls with a creepy hit man who tries to sneak up on people with the most conspicuous car possible and who would be a better shot if he hadn't hacked his broom handle Mauser pistol to fire full-auto.

More often than not, the film decides to protract what would be smaller scenes in an American movie into 20 minute episodes. For instance, did we really need to witness every darn detail with the first money drop sequence? Or would our time have been better spend seeing Wayne (who looks quite tired) beating up a few more henchmen and spouting one-liners?

All in all it's only made watchable by the cast and director Douglas Hickox's assured ability to enliven a lot of scenes that would otherwise have dragged far worse. There's a few nice surprises and some suspense, but you'd be better off just watching an full-blown Euro-crime movie than this tame and watered-down cross-pond excursion.

Undistinguished but OK crime film

[gridoon · 6/10 · 4 December 2001]

"Brannigan" is a latter-day John Wayne vehicle of no particular distinction, but it does have a competent cast (the villains are John Vernon and Mel Ferrer) and some well-executed action sequences. Although it's obviously influenced by the "Dirty Harry" films, it's a more lighthearted, less brutal entertainment; it doesn't pummel you with violence and self-righteousness like those films do. But perhaps that's also the reason that it doesn't make an equally strong impression. (**)

Clunk, clunk, clunkety clunk

[TheLittleSongbird · 3/10 · 6 February 2011]

Is it John Wayne's best movie? Far from it. Is it is his worst? Again, no. But in regard to the latter it is down there. I didn't like Brannigan at all, I tried to but it didn't work. The cinematography and location shooting are good but little else works. A big problem I regret to say is John Wayne himself. He is very miscast here, and I have only seen one other movie(The Conqueror) of where he is so out of place and disconnected. Another big problem is the story, as others have noted it tries to follow in the footsteps of (the much better) Dirty Harry, but it comes across as convoluted and dull. The script is very clunky, the action is unexciting, the film is overlong and drags and the direction is sloppy. The remainder of the cast don't make much amends either, Richard Attenborough especially comes across as too earnest and overwhelmed. So all in all, in most respects it is a clunky mess. 3/10 Bethany Cox

good old-fashioned no-brainer fun

[planktonrules · 8/10 · 24 January 2006]

This movie has less depth than Paris Hilton. It's basically a very old John Wayne going to Britain and kicking butt just the same way he's done it in dozens of previous films. BUT, on that level, it is a very good and enjoyable film. In particular, the film had wonderful "Dirty Harry-like" lines and a dark sense of humor. In fact, I half expected him to say "make my day"--it was so much like an Eastwood film. And, the film was much better than Wayne's previous attempt to knock off Dirty Harry in MCQ. So, provided you can also turn off all sense of disbelief (after all, Wayne was WAY TOO OLD FOR THE PART), you can enjoy it much the same way you'd enjoy one of his older flicks such as THE FLYING TIGERS or THE FIGHTING SEA BEES. In other words, this is a 70s version of an old Republic Pictures action film--with a few updates to reflect the times (such as Wayne being saddled with a "dame" for a partner). Overall, if you hate John Wayne films then I'm sure you'll hate this one and if you like him, this film won't disappoint. It's just good old-fashioned fun!

By the way, according to Robert Osborne on Turner Classic Movies, John Wayne was offered the role of Dirty Harry BEFORE it was given to Eastwood! You could tell Wayne wished he had taken the part since he soon went on to make his own variations on the genre.

'McQ' invades London

[cordaro9418 · 6/10 · 11 September 2008]

The Queen had best be prepared because the man who settled the wild west and had such a hand in winning WWII is touching down on her little isle.

Nearly a sequel to the Duke's 'McQ' (not to say he didn't have acting range), the story didn't stretch the character, while it did actually make for a rather good whodunnit story.

Typical of the 'cop' vehicles of the time, a good mix of action, drama and a bit of the blood.

A little lengthly, but definitely a popcorn movie.

Only Wayne's second 'policeman' film, and great genre film like 'Dirty Harry hits England'.

Trying hard

[kosmasp · 5/10 · 27 September 2009]

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).