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The marker of what could have been a new direction for McQueen

posted 16 years ago by apban
16 replies | jump to latest

It's sad that this is the final film Steve McQueen ever made. Now that's not because I think it's a bad film, and I'll admit that it's not great, but I love it because it has humour and charm and I also love Steve McQueen's performance in it.

No what makes me said is that this films shows a change of pace and direction for Steve McQueen as an actor, he's not afraid to play with and make fun of his on screen persona. McQueen was ageing as an action star and in this film he's neither ashamed nor afraid to play that up or show it and to admit that he's "getting to old for this *beep* If Steve McQueen had still been with us for 10 more years, hell even to this day who knows what kind of films he'd have made or where he'd have gone with this change of pace in his acting career. While The Hunter is not an outstanding or earth shattering film, it does show what we could have had from a legendary actor if only he hadn't been taken from this world too soon.

[–] Doc-McCoy 16 years ago

Excellent points, apban. You might want to post this on McQueen's board, where it would get a lot more discussion.

"I worked my way up from nothing to a state of extreme poverty." - Groucho Marx

[–] HoBopkins 16 years ago

i think it's a pretty good movie except the dumb subplot with his corrupt buddy cop that was totally lame.

[–] slokes 15 years ago

"The Hunter" is a weakly plotted film, but McQueen keeps you watching. Like apban says, it was a first step in what seemed possibly a new direction for McQueen, and McQueen certainly seems game.

If McQueen had been around another ten years, what kind of films would he have made? Would they be films like this one, along with tougher character studies like "Tom Horn" (also flawed, but also a possible marker). In his 50s, I don't think he could have kept playing "the King of Cool", and I think he was looking to grow his comic and his more expressive sides. Obviously it was a shame that was not developed.

[–] BERSERKERpoetry 15 years ago

I think that Tom Horn is actually quite the good film. The pace is a little off, but it's totally involving. It's too bad McQueen spent so much of his later years without acting. I think he could have fit well into the independent scene of the 70s. I would have liked to see him in an early Scorsese film.

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A thousand things can keep you from speaking, but no one can ever put an end to your silence

[–] pedromonkey 14 years ago

McQueen made 9 films between 1970 and 1980, THE HUNTER being his last because he died. so your statement that he spent his later years not acting is completely wrong. The reason he didn't make more films is because he was apparently a bit of a dick when it cam to being cast or offered jobs.

[–] calishreveguy 12 years ago

"The reason he didn't make more films is because he was apparently a bit of a dick when it cam to being cast or offered jobs."

Wrong, he was increasingly becoming unsatisfied with his job offers. He had become one of the highest paid actors so decided to reject any projects he was not passionate about. Thats why he just disapeared for four years. Check out the blueray for Bullit, it has a sweet biography as a special feature and displayed a very complex and incredibly interesting man. I finally saw this movie over the weekend and loved it. Not his best but his best are hard to touch. Next I'm going to check out Tom Horn and hopefully An Enemy of the People. By the way has anyone Ever seen Soldier in the Rain, I can't find it anywhere.

Dr. Peter Venkman: NOBODY steps on a church in my town.

[–] bluesguy 13 years ago

TOM HORN RULES!

I TRULY MISS STEVIE RAY VAUGHAN!

[–] WarpedRecord 12 years ago

I love "Tom Horn," and I miss Stevie Ray Vaughan as well.

This is a very entertaining film that could have opened the door to an action career for Steve McQueen in the '80s. This film feels a bit cheap, rather like a TV movie or pilot for a series, but the stunts are very impressive and the cast is strong. 7/10 stars from me.

[–] hackraytex 11 years ago

I read that "The Bodyguard" was written with him in mind for the lead but the subject matter was too controversial at that time. Maybe he would have done it but maybe the financing was not there. I also read that "Quigley Down Under" was on his list of projects but time ran out. Tom Selleck was perfect as Quigley but I could see Steve McQueen in that part as good or maybe better.

[–] sinatrachairman 10 years ago

Yeah, The Bodyguard was originally for McQueen and Diana Ross but the powers that be decided that an inter-racial relationship wouldn't fly with audiences so it was shelved. I for one love the Costner movie but think that McQueen/Ross would have been way better.

The world belongs to the meat eaters, Miss Clara, and if you have to take it raw, take it raw.

[–] wmlopez 9 years ago

Paul Newman and McQueen came up around the same time and Newman lasted in the 80s'.

[–] amish_wiseguy 10 years ago

I often do not respond to the posts of others but hot damn...That was an excellent and insightful remark,apban I bet if he were alive this day he would still be in the biz. Can you imagine Steve McQueen taking on a smaller role in "The Expendables"? "Cop Land"? or "Goodfellas"? If Clint Eastwood and Chuck Norris could do it the so could Steve McQueen I bet. That would have really perfected an already stellar ensemble cast.

[–] bear022013-588-696101 8 years ago

no appropriate adjectives could do justice to Steve McQueen's screen presence.

[–] roger1 (2277) 10 months ago

By the way has anyone Ever seen Soldier in the Rain, I can't find it anywhere.

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I saw it years ago on some sort of TV (broadcast? cable?) Its a "buddy movie" with McQueen very interestingly buddied up with...Jackie Gleason! As two stateside military guys. Gleason had recently worked with Paul Newman on The Hustler, here was McQueen's chance with him.

What was interesting to me about the movie was that an overall comedy tone played out to climactic barroom brawl scene in which McQueen was quite savage and realistic in his fighting off of other opponents..and the comedy turned to tragedy.

Worth seeing, but oddball.

[–] roger1 (2277) 10 months ago

McQueen made 9 films between 1970 and 1980, THE HUNTER being his last because he died. so your statement that he spent his later years not acting is completely wrong.

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Well, at the time, it FELT like he was gone for quite awhile. Recall that both Tom Horn and The Hunter were released in 1980, so officially, McQueen only made 7 films in the 70's.

Moreover, after hitting a big payday with The Towering Inferno in 1974, McQueen stayed at his beach house in Malibu most of the time, tended to his marriage to Ali MacGraw(which would end in divorce) and very much tried to parent his two kids as he had never been parented.

So: there was no McQueen movie in 1975.
there was no McQueen movie in 1976.
there was ALMOST no McQueen movie in 1977. (He made the art film "An Enemy of the People" from a very wordy and intellectual historic play, which got little distribution and featured McQueen in long hair, heavy beard and glasses. But nobody SAW it.)
there was no McQueen movie in 1978.
there was no McQueen movie in 1979.

A lot of us McQueen fans despaired. We thought he was NEVER coming back.

And then he did, all of a sudden. With a Western first(Tom Horn), a action picture second(The Hunter) ...and his shocking death at the end of the year.

Noteable: another star was "gone" for much of the 70's, came back in 1980(with a new album) and promptly died(by gunfire.) John Lennon. It was kind of weird for TWO major artists to hide out for some years, come back...and die. We were all shook up.

CONT

[–] roger1 (2277) 10 months ago

McQueen ALMOST ended up in the Robert Redford cameo in A Bridge Too Far(1977.) The movie had an all-star cast in place, but distributors demanded that one of two stars -- Redford or McQueen -- appear. Director Richard Attenborogh had worked as an actor and a friend with McQueen in The Great Escape and The Sand Pebbles -- so McQueen listened seriously to his offer. The negotiations continued with agents for Redford AND for McQueen -- and Redford won. He's in "A Bridge Too Far."

McQueen also turned down Close Encounters of the Third Kind and Apocalypse Now during this period. Tai-Pan fell apart and wasn't made, if I recall correctly. Katherine Hepburn came to his Malibu house to pitch him on "The Ultimate Solution of Grace Quigley" (to play a hit man Hepburn blackmails into killing off her sick elderly friends) but Nick Nolte took that role after McQueen said no.

Given that he died in 1980, its too bad that McQueen didn't make more movies in the 70s, but he chose to be with his family. Maybe he felt something coming on.

Meanwhile, McQueen's friendly rival and "Towering Inferno" co-star Paul Newman spent the 70's after that 1974 movie making:

1975: The Drowning Pool
1976: Buffalo Bill and the Indians, Silent Movie
1977: Slap Shot
1979: Quintet

not all THAT major , really. New male stars had arrived and THEY were in a LOT of seventies movies: Clint Eastwood, Burt Reynolds, Jack Nicholson, Al Pacino, Charles Bronson..

Burt Reynolds claimed that McQueen came up to him at the Fox studio one day and said "I'm done. Its all yours." A bit premature, but on target, after all.