Brannigan (1975)

User Rating:

5.8/10   

Director:

Douglas Hickox

Writers:

Christopher Trumbo (story) and
Michael Butler (story) ...

Release Date:

26 March 1975 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Crime | Drama

Tagline:

Big Jim Brannigan takes on London - Chicago Style !

Plot:

Jim Brannigan is sent to London to bring back an American mobster who is being held for extradition...

Plot Keywords:

London | Chicago Illinois | Police | American Abroad | Sergeant

Cast

John Wayne	...	Lt. Jim Brannigan
Richard Attenborough	...	Cmdr. Charles Swann
Judy Geeson	...	DS Jennifer Thatcher
Mel Ferrer	...	Mel Fields
John Vernon	...	Ben Larkin
Daniel Pilon	...	John Gorman
John Stride	...	Insp. Michael Traven
James Booth	...	Charlie Caine
Arthur Batanides	...	Angell
Ralph Meeker	...	Capt. Moretti
Barry Dennen	...	Julian
Lesley-Anne Down	...	Luana (as Lesley Anne Down)
Pauline Delaney	...	Mrs. Cooper (as Pauline Delany)
Del Henney	...	Drexel
Brian Glover	...	Jimmy the Bet

Also Known As:

Joe Battle

Runtime:

111 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

USA:PG (certificate #24041) | Iceland:16 | West Germany:16 (nf) | Australia:M | Finland:K-16 | Ireland:15 | Netherlands:12 | Norway:16 | Sweden:15 | UK:15

Filming Locations:

Battersea, London, England, UK

Company:

Levy-Gardner-Laven

Trivia:

This film would be the second, and final, time that John Wayne would play a cop. The other time being in McQ (1974).

Goofs:

Audio/visual unsynchronized: Late in the film, one of the villains says "your big...fat...rear!" But his lips are clearly saying "arse".

Quotes:

[Brannigan has used a revolver wrapped in a plastic bag to coerce Angell into revealing the whereabouts of Ben Larkin. Brannigan then puts the weapon on the table and telephones police headquarters]
Brannigan: You must be getting old, Angell, trying to push second-rate paper like this.
[Brannigan reaches the desk sergeant and doesn't notice that Angell has taken the gun in the plastic bag]
Angell: Turn around, big man!
Brannigan: Angell, you're a real bush-leaguer.
Angell: Oh yeah?
[Angell squeezes the gun's trigger, but it clicks empty]
Brannigan: Oh, you know something, I don't think it's loaded.
Angell: [flying into a rage] Why you dirty lousy mick! You got no rules! You got no...!
[Brannigan grabs a piece of wood and clobbers Angell, who falls unconscious onto the table. Brannigan ties him up while the desk sergeant on the phone yells for him]
[...]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Hot Fuzz (2007)

Soundtrack:

Let the Sunshine In

Routine thriller with good supporting cast and locations

'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.