If you don't like this, we can't be friends.

Disapointment

A waste of 90 minutes of my life

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

This is another cop film from the 70's, (probably the best decade for this genre). If you've seen Brannigan and enjoyed that, then you'll know what to expect. The plot is surprisingly cleverly worked out, the clues casually planted along the way and never given too much attention until they fall into place even if one of the villains among the boys in blue seems rather obvious. John Wayne plays McQ, a Seattle cop. When his friend, also a cop, gets killed McQ sets out to find his killers, and has no ethics about how he does it. As the plot leads him into the seedy underworld, (what 70's cop film doesn't) he quits the police force and becomes a private eye in order to catch and bring the killers to justice.This is by no means a great John Wayne action picture. It does, however, hold its own and hold interest. Wayne, as usual, take the high moral ground and refuses to compromise on what he believes to be right. Lettieri is a terrific villain, underplaying the menace, and there's a decent funky Elmer Bernstein score, but it's a solid film rather than an inspired one. Director Sturges creates an uncomplicated sense of flow, keeping the story moving along, using the backdrop of Seattle very well. Some parts that would normally seem slow (character development) are kept afloat by better than average performances by Watkins, Muldaur and Dewhurst, who, incidentally, doesn't do any skag. I liked the hot pursuit car chase sequences (there were three) not because they were car chase sequences, but thoughtfully done, well-planned, professionally shot, highly exciting car chase sequences. It may not have all the CGI special effects and fancy stuff newer movies have, but some of the best movies ever made were made before computers.Overall rating: 8 out of 10.

When John Wayne's law enforcement partner is brutally murdered, he comes out of semi-retirement to find the people responsible. Along the way, he finds more than he bargained for, including corruption in his police department and a possible personal connection that is never confirmed. Having spent the first half of the 1970's in westerns, Wayne took on a modern setting for this and one other film ("Brannigan") in the last years of his career. The role he plays is typical of what the slightly younger Robert Mitchum or Burt Lancaster were playing at the time, and an obvious attempt to duplicate the success of the much younger Clint Eastwood's "Dirty Harry".Wayne is likable as always, and shows a sentimental family side when he goes to visit his beautiful ex-wife (the stunning Julie Adams), her extremely rich husband (Richard Eastham), and his teenage daughter (Kim Sanford) for a loan. Diana Muldaur is featured as the widow of the murdered partner who may not have been as devoted to her husband as it initially appeared. In a Thelma Ritter "Pickup on South Street" type role, the always amazing Colleen Dewhurst is excellent as the sad older woman Wayne utilizes to force out the culprits. Dewhurst's character is one of those heartbreaking creatures whose tough exterior is hiding many wounds. Her few scenes make you long for more of her. Eddie Albert is also featured in an important role, dependable as always.The chase sequence at the end was obviously influenced by "Bullett" and "The French Connection" and builds into an explosive action sequence at the conclusion where Wayne singlehandedly takes on the bad guys while Muldaur hides nearby trying to avoid being shot. The film barely succeeds with its moments more memorable than the films ultimate lack of structure.

Sure, he maybe over the hill, and he maybe miscast in a role that was tailor made for Steve McQueen or Clint Eastwood, but the Duke is still good as a crusader police detective, fighting the department and the crooks at the same time, and, as in any good crime picture, he wins on both fronts. McQ is no better or worse than most of 70's cop movies, and it's crafty pace and looks have a lot to do with two veteran professionals, John Sturges directing, and John Wayne's portrayal of action roles, that he does strictly by the numbers.If you're a fan of police & thieves genre crime movies of the 70's, you won't be disappointed with this showcase for the Duke, and may even enjoy it. Be sure to give it a look.

He's tough, and compassionate! He's Lon McQ, lieutenant for the Seattle Police Dept. His partner and best friend is murdered, and Lon sets out to avenge his death. McQ has his sights on a drug dealer, but everything isn't as it seems...This is actually a fun movie, but a little dated. I thought John Wayne was just a little too old for this role -- I didn't know if his hair was a wig or dyed, but either way it didn't look natural. Aside from that, all the acting in this film was very good, and the action sequences were also pretty good.The car "chase" after the heist really wasn't much of a chase, because the bad guys weren't really driving very fast. And the big "heist" wasn't really all that thrilling, either. It wasn't as complex as other "heists" in other films.But the car chase at the end of the film was pretty cool. I knew this film was going to be goofy when we first meet McQ. A "professional hit-man" shoots at McQ but misses (of course). The guy is running away, down the wharf (toward the water?), and McQ nails him with one shot. For a professional hit-man, he wasn't too good.I also loved McQ's theme by Elmer Bernstein -- a little overused, but every hero has his own theme, right? I also liked Rosey the informant. He reminded me of Rollo from the TV show Sanford and Son. Very stereotypical pimp for the times. What a hoot.This film isn't "art", but it is fun, and a good way to kill a Saturday night.