McQ

Starring:John Wayne, Eddie Albert, Diana Muldaur, Colleen Dewhurst, Clu Gulager, David Huddleston, Jim Watkins, Al Lettieri, Julie Adams, Roger E. Mosley, William Bryant, Richard Kelton, Chuck Roberson, Joe Tornatore, Richard Eastham, Fred M. Waugh, Dick Friel, Kim Sanford
Director: John Sturges
Studio: Warner Home Video
Product Type: DVD

Amazon.com

After turning down the role of Dirty Harry, John Wayne made up for lost time by starring in this pretty-good 1974 police drama. Shot on location in a gritty pre-Microsoft Seattle, McQ finds John Wayne butting heads with fellow cops and local crime elements as he investigates the murder of a fellow cop and friend. Wayne is obviously a bit long-in-tooth to be taking on this kind of role, but the script allows for some decent character development, including Colleen Dewhurst in a brief but memorable role as a washed-up barmaid, and the action sequences by veteran director John Sturges still hold up well. For anyone who cares, a key drug-heist sequence was shot in the hospital that now houses Amazon.com's Seattle headquarters. --Kristian St. Clair

Description

Police lieutenant resigns from the force to track down some big dope dealers involved in killing a couple of police officers. John Wayne is a force to be reckoned with when he stars as a cop who quits the force to seek revenge for his murdered partner in this high action, suspenseful drama.

Customer Reviews:

McQ is at it again.......2007-06-13

McQ is not going to let Eddie Albert tell him what to do. McQ is going to find out what is going on and he is going to get all of them. That also includes Diana Muldaur, and Colleen Dewhurst. McQ should also get John Sturges for those extended scenes where they drag it out to get their 111 minute run time.

1 Year before I was in Seattle.......2006-10-07

1974 McQ was shot in Seattle...mabe late 1973....but I just had to see all the locations where it was shot locally after the movie came out. I forced my parents to find that exellent freeway street run-off scene, and I have a picture from 30 years ago standing at the very scene location.

I really only liked it for it's music originally before I discovered it was filmed in my new town. I became even a bigger fan of the movie after I got my drivers license...drining along the docs looking for a visual scene from the movie. But my best scene was the beach scene where the run along the beach at high speeds.

Damn if 5 years later I re-created my own high spped chase at 70 miles an hour up the same beach!! It was so cool!! But '65 Impalas not equipped for runs in the sea are quick to choke....belive me...I had a whole lotta explaining to do! But I'm damn glad I did it.

Maybe next time someone could help me film it?...lol.

I'm an amature videographer now. But at least i have film now!!.

It's an excellent movie and John Wayne cannot compare to Bullitt McQueen, or any other film at that time. John Wayne is John Wayne, no one will ever fit his shoes again. Oh, you can compare the styles of movies at the time...sure. They were all alike. Revengefull cops forced out of the police department seeking vendgance.

But theirs only one John Wayne and one Clint Eastwood battleing for good vengenge cops during this time frame.

Each have exculded very excellent performances (from excellent directors).

But I go for McQ more for the soundtrack quality and editing for storyline. I absolutly think that if I only had to see any movie once in my lifetime...it would be McQ. It's not vengence so much as it is about justice.

I'm in favor of getting the bad guy. Columbo comes in a close 2nd. Oh...and Yes...CSI LV is my best current TV show.

Really fun to watch John Wayne plays 'Dirty Harry'!.......2006-08-02

I recently watched the reruns of two action movies, McQ & Brannigan, both starring John Wayne, on cable TV. I had watched both of them in the theatres during the mid 70's or so.

As a young boy, I have always enjoyed watching John Wayne in so many westerns (Stage-coach, Rio Bravo, True Grit...) & in so many war movies (Green Berets, Sands of Iwo Jima, The Longest Day...).

I believe that John Wayne was almost in his late 60's/early 70's when he starred in the above two movies. I also believe that these were the only two movies in which he had played a street-wise no-nonsense cop. That's 'Dirty Harry' style!

In the first movie, McQ, he was Police Detective-Lieutenant Lon McQ in Seattle. He investigated the death of his partner & along the way uncovered some corrupt elements in his police department with shady connections to the mob. The signature mobster in the movie, Manny Santiago, was played by Al Lettieri.

In the second movie, Brannigan, he was Police Detective-Lieutenant Jim Brannigan in Chicago. He was sent to London to bring back an American mobster on the run, Ben Larkin, (played by John Vernon) & along the way he got entangled with the conservative work-style of Scotland Yard.

Despite his age, John Wayne was really remarkable in both roles. Having seen him in so many westerns & war movies, it was refreshing to see him acting in contemporary settings. The hot-pursuit action sequences (car chases & shoot-outs) were really good, considering that era. In McQ, the car chase along the beach, with sea gulls fluttering away for cover, was magnificantly choreographed. In Brannigan, the car chase segment ending at the Tower Bridge was great, too. There was even a large-scale brawl at a London pub...reminiscent of John Wayne's innumerable westerns. The storyline in both movies was quite intriguing. In McQ, he even got to show off his physical prowess with an unlicensed sub-machine gun. That was cool! The dialogue in both movies was witty, too.

In Brannigan, one could see how big & tall John Wayne was, when he was in London among the crowd. He really stood out like a sore thumb. His opposite was Commander Sir Charles Swann of Scotland Yard, played by a very fine British actor, Richard Attenborough. John Wayne even got a beautiful side-kick in the movie, Detective Sergeant Jennifer Thatcher, played by Judy Geeson.

In McQ, I was very surprised to see John Wayne in a relatively intimate scene involving a junkie informer played by a fine actress (Colleen Dewhurst) in an understated role. This was something which had never happened in any of his other movies, as far as I know!

On the whole, both movies had a good mix of action, drama & comedy, coupled with witty dialogue throughout. I have enjoyed very much watching both of them again after so many years.

Look for Tom Valentine's old buddy Eddie Albert and future Magnum, p.i. star Roger E. Mosely in here, too.......2006-05-10

John Wayne was so busy pumping out
Westerns with his crew/family in
'71 that he had to turn Dirty Harry,
which ended up being done superbly
by a (then) novice named Clinton
Eastwood, Jr. (age 30). By '74, w/
Westerns going the way of the Buffalo,
Wayne was talked into this fine film
role by a very underrated Director
named John Sturgis. Moves a bit slow-
er than we would like, and 'The Duke'
was a bit slow by then as well. But
this film and his next (see my review
of Branigan) were two of his best made
movies in his remarkable 50 yrs. in
film. Wayne was born in 1907 in Iowa
and his birth house is still there
for visitors to see.

wayne trades in his horse for a trans am and his six shooter for a machine gun in "mcq".......2006-04-28

by 1974 wayne saw that westerns were in their death thros and he though that is dirty harry was a hit he could do a police thriller also.
what we got is "mcQ" and even if wayne is a little slower than he used to be he makes this police thriller work. after his partner is killed and he almost is mcq starts to look for answers. what he finds is police coruption and cops stealing dope and selling it themselves. i like this movie and wayne makes it work even when it shouldn't sometimes

John Wayne Legendary Heroes Collection (Blood Alley / McQ / The Sea Chase / Tall in the Saddle / The Train Robbers)

Average customer rating:

McQ
John Wayne Legnndary Collection
It's good, but not great.
TALL IN THE SADDLE Stands Out
Problems with Blood Alley

John Wayne Legendary Heroes Collection (Blood Alley / McQ / The Sea Chase / Tall in the Saddle / The Train Robbers)
Starring: John Wayne
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0007P0XDC
Release Date: 2005-05-03

Description

The John Wayne Legendary Heroes Collection features five classic films from the larger-than-life American hero, including Blood Alley, McQ, The Sea Chase, Tall in the Saddle and The Train Robbers, all available on DVD for the first time.

Born Marion Robert Morrison in Winterset, Iowa, John Wayne first worked in the film business as a laborer on the Fox lot during summer vacations from U.S.C., which he attended on a football scholarship. He met and was befriended by John Ford, a young director who was beginning to make a name for himself in action films, comedies and dramas. It was Ford who recommended Wayne to director Raoul Walsh for the male lead in the 1930 epic Western The Big Trail, and, although it was a box office failure, the movie showed Wayne's potential. For the next nine years, Wayne worked in a multitude of B-Westerns and serials in between bit parts in larger features. Wayne's big break came in 1939, when Ford cast him as the Ringo Kid in the adventure Stagecoach. Wayne nearly stole the picture from his more seasoned co-stars, and his career as a box-office superstar began. During his 50 year film career, Wayne played the lead in 142 movies, an as yet unsurpassed record, and was nominated for three Academy Awards., winning the Best Actor award in 1970 for his performance in True Grit. Blood Alley (1955) - An American seafarer patrolling the South Seas is asked by the daughter of a missionary doctor killed by the Communists to help transport the citizens of a small Chinese town to freedom in Hong Kong. This action-adventure based on A. S. Fleischman's novel, marks the first on-screen pairing of movie legends John Wayne and Lauren Bacall. DVD special features include: Newsreel footage (The Hollywood Foreign Press Honors John Wayne, Crusade for Freedom, John Wayne and The Legion Poppy Sale (silent clip), Air Force Honors the Cast of Blood Alley), 1955 Promos on Blood Alley (Wayne discusses how he made it into the movies; "the monster" of movie land; the Mitchell BNC camera and his use of his home movie camera to capture scenes while on Blood Alley), John Wayne trailer gallery

McQ (1974) - John Wayne forcefully enforces the law in this high-velocity thriller that's a revenge western set in the big city. Police Lieutenant Lon McQ (Wayne) investigates the killing of his best friend and uncovers corrupt elements of the police department dealing in confiscated drugs. Directed by John Sturges (Ice Station Zebra, The Magnificent Seven), McQ also stars Eddie Albert (Roman Holiday) and Colleen Dewhurst (Annie Hall, Dying Young).

The Sea Chase (1955) -John Wayne and Lana Turner are a formidable romantic team in this harrowing adventure directed by Academy Award-nominee John Farrow (Wake Island). Sea captain Kal Erhlich (Wayne) is an anti-Nazi German freighter captain at the outset of World War II attempting to sail his ship from Australia to the North Sea rather than risk internment. Both Allied and German ships follow in pursuit, while Erhlich battles storms, sharks, and romances.

Tall in the Saddle (1944) - In this fast-paced entertaining western, John Wayne stars as Rocklin, a cowboy who upon arriving at a ranch to work as a cowhand finds his employer was just murdered. Although he has no friends, and no money, Rocklin stays in town, intent on tracking the killers and uncovering a plan to inherit the dead employer's riches.

The Train Robbers (1973) - The action never stops in this western starring John Wayne, Ann-Margret and Ricardo Montalban. A gunhand named Lane (Wayne) is hired by a widow, Mrs. Lowe (Ann-Margret), to find gold stolen by her husband so that she may return it and start fresh. However, once they cross the border into Mexico to recover the loot, they discover two very different pursuers: a large group of bandidos and a lone horseman (Montalban), both of whom know their every move. DVD special features include: Two featurettes (Working with a Western Legend - an inside look at Wayne with stuntmen Jerry Gatlin, Dean Smith and Terry Leonard; The Wayne Train), John Wayne trailer gallery

Customer Reviews:

McQ.......2005-08-18

Excuse me but I don't speak english and I buy yours DVD only , when are subtitles in french. For this reason,I talk about McQ in french. C'est un excellent film policier réalisé par un director de talent, John Sturges dont j'apprécie toujours les films (The Magnificent Seven, Bad Day at Black Rock, Backlash, Gunfight at the OK Corral etc.) Il est aussi brillant dans les westerns que dans ses autres films d'action comme celui-ci. John Wayne qui a démissionné de la police, est embauché par un ami détective privé. Il va se lancer dans une passionnante enquête sur un trafic de drogue dont les commanditaires ne sont pas ceux que l'on croyait Malgrè l'âge et la maladie, John Wayne a beaucoup de présence dans ce film qui comporte une scène de poursuite très réussie

John Wayne Legnndary Collection.......2005-07-20

What can you say about movies with the Duke?
I love the Duke's movies.
I now have more than 75 Titeles in my DVD collection, Plus some colerized copies taken from TCM And AMC. I have edited the commercials out and burned them to DVD. I also have many of these on VHS tape.

It's good, but not great. .......2005-06-30

John Wayne, a legendary hero. This box set has some good movies, I really liked the Westerns, but the rest of the movies I didn't care for. Unless you're really into John Wayne this might be one Box Set you may want to rent rather than buy.

TALL IN THE SADDLE Stands Out.......2005-06-01

After "Stagecoach", it seems Duke finally started getting some decent scripts. "Tall in the Saddle" was written by his friend, Paul Fix who appeared in a lot of Westerns but is probably best remembered for TV's "The Rifleman" in the 50s and early 60s. "Tall in the Saddle" is a stand-out movie for the 1940s or for today. There is a real plot and lots of atmosphere with an eye-catching performance by Ella Raines. The other movies are only for John Wayne fans who will watch anything he is in. Of the others, I saw them all (except "The Sea Chase") when they were first released; I was always underwhelmed and remain so these years later. "Tall in the Saddle" is often on cable and can be taped; if you can manage to do that, you can save buying these other mediocre films.

Problems with Blood Alley.......2005-05-23

This is a great set. However, I've gone through four sets which were purchased/returned at Sam's Club!! Blood Alley is defective as it keeps on freezing or skipping. I've tried all four on three different machines. Has anybody had this problem? If the set from Amazon is alright, I'll buy it here.
Thanks!

Average customer rating:

McQ is at it again
1 Year before I was in Seattle
Really fun to watch John Wayne plays 'Dirty Harry'!
Look for Tom Valentine's old buddy Eddie Albert and future Magnum, p.i. star Roger E. Mosely in here, too
wayne trades in his horse for a trans am and his six shooter for a machine gun in "mcq"

McQ
Starring: John Wayne , Eddie Albert , Diana Muldaur , Colleen Dewhurst , and Clu Gulager
Director: John Sturges
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Crime | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video