Though i like BRANNIGAN,i prefer McQ,BECAUSE of watchability !
Great soundtrack,cast,locations,nice jaded and crusty lead actor,good story,suspenseful,great director,terrif weapon,etc.etc.etc
I view this gem frequently for a "shot in the ole arm!"
ps whatta 'bout that ending on the beach !
I'm glad you mentioned this,with Ch 5 showing these 2 films on in quick succession,and them being at the same time in the 70's...I much preferred Brannigan myself.The direction,soundtrack,the obviousley more endearing character of Branny then the very serious McQ.And the added factor it was shot in london was much more interesting.McQ as a story was a little plodding and dare I say a little boring and thin.
Brannagen was more tongue in check,funny in places and didn't take it self to seriously,the way I like to see Mr Wayne in his films.McQ.....5/10,Branny...8/10.
You are correct in pointing out the humor,location of "Brannigan" and i like Judy Geeson & Sir Attenborough both in the film. Mel Ferrer & John Vernon ain't bad either;
However i do like the hard core McQ just a tad better and find i can watch it often for fun & thrills >>>
...and the music....
Brannigan has a more original plot and Brannigan is a more nuanced character. McQ is after teh guys who killed his partner but still comes across as one-sided. And despite the fine co-stars in Brannigan, McQ does a better job with the supporting characters.
They both have their joys though. I wish Wayne had done a few more "old cop-detective" films and skipped a few things The Train Robbers....
I have not seen either of these films from start to finish I’ve seen large part of Brannigan when it was shown on T.V. but I have only seen a bit of McQ.
I often get the two confused as they are similar in scenario, i.e. Wayne as a cop.
Also, because they were made so close together. I originally thought that Wayne was playing the same character in both of them, i.e. that Brannigan was a sequel.
As was pointed out by some critic somewhere (can’t remember where I read it) these films where Wayne’s attempt at being Dirty Harry.
Wayne allegedly turned down the role of Dirty Harry, but then later, when he saw the success of the film he wanted to do something similar to it, albeit with a more mild mannered script, that he approved of.
However, director Don Siegel later said that Wayne would have been too old to play Dirty Harry and that these films (McQ and Brannigan) proved this, as he was too old to play those characters also.
Wayne was obviously too old to be entirely convincing in these films but I like them both. Brannigan is more light-hearted and obviously having fun with the Wayne persona whereas McQ is more of a gritty thriller so the Duke's age is more of an issue but he still dominates the screen.
If I had to choose between the two I'd pick Brannigan but I've seen them both several times and look forward to seeing them again.
Thankfully both movies are different spins on the lone cop genre and don't have too much in common. I enjoyed both, but prefer Brannigan.
shareIf you like the ending on the beach, check out Hickey and Boggs!!!! Only with a BAR instead of a Mac 10
shareIf you like the ending on the beach, check out Hickey and Boggs!!!! Only with a BAR instead of a Mac 10
If you like the ending on the beach, check out Hickey and Boggs!!!! Only with a BAR instead of a Mac 10
Yes,oh,yeah !-wish his Dukeness would have done more cop(detective)pics !
I always preferred Brannigan. Filming in England was welcome change of Scenery for the duke. McQ comes aross as a cheap dirty harry imitation.
Conspiracy therories are cleverly thought out to evade the real truth
Jay
I definitely prefer McQ. I like the serious tone. It's annoying when people call it an imitation of Dirty Harry, because that's BS. Wayne turned down the role of Dirty Harry because he thought the violence was glorified. That just wasn't his style. Don't believe me, check the IMDB trivia for Dirty Harry. It says the writers specifically wrote the part for Wayne. At any rate, McQ was the cop role and the script that Wayne could deal with.
Brannigan was good, except for the cornball fight scene in the bar. But the serious tone, car chase, car rollover, Mac-10, plus John Wayne simply being as tough as they come, make McQ the better movie.
Having only seen each film once or twice and not in the last seven years, I will currently go with McQ. Brannigan offers a vintage seventies jazz-funk score by Dominic Frontiere, and having Wayne lumbering around London makes for an amusing cross-cultural scenario, but the setup may be a little too 'rich' or self-consciously iconic and ironic, almost akin to a farce. McQ seems more authentic and thus credible, and there's something about that slightly ominous yet lulling Seattle waterfront.
shareI like the reasons you mentioned which makes McQ better;
...I like the tone, seriousness, the grittiness...
McQ! BRANNIGAN was just a little to camp for me. I enjoy them both but much prefer McQ. Agree with the OP and his reasons.
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