BootDigest Such a frustrating disappointment

Pluskylang Great Film overall

Kaydan Christian A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

Ginger Very good movie overall, highly recommended. Most of the negative reviews don't have any merit and are all pollitically based. Give this movie a chance at least, and it might give you a different perspective.

edwagreen The problem with any John Wayne film is that he always comes across as if he is in a western. There was never an attempt made by the Duke to change this situation in non-western roles. Therefore, he must have been right at home with that British bar-room brawl.That being said, we have an interesting film here dealing with the Duke as a Chicago cop sent to London to get a known criminal back in the states. The latter is soon kidnapped, or is he?The car chase scenes, bar-room brawl and the ending are a joy to watch. If nothing else, you get a great tour of London. There is a lot of comedy here as well.

classicsoncall In deference to John Wayne's legendary film career in Westerns, Turner Classic Movies moderator Ben Mankiewicz stated that you could move "Brannigan" out West and it would work. Having seen a ton of Wayne's films, I think it's pretty safe to say that this more closely resembled his Lone Star flicks from the Thirties like "Texas Terror" or "The Lawless Frontier" rather than say, "Rio Bravo" or "True Grit".I think a lot of it boils down to the writing; there's a lot here that doesn't make sense. For starters, how is it that Jim Brannigan's boss Moretti (Ralph Meeker) in Chicago hands him a passport among other things to go to London. You have to apply for a passport yourself and have your picture taken along with supplying a ton of identification. Then in London, when he becomes aware that assassin Drexel is on the street below the apartment he's investigating, he shouts out to him to stop!! Really? They teach you that in detective school? And how about the continuity lapse when Commander Swann (Richard Attenborough) tells Brannigan he's got a phone call, Swann calls him 'Joe'.At least part of the story line was interesting though. The Larkin (John Vernon) kidnapping plot kept you guessing as to what was going to happen next, and the hit-man hired by the American mobster started out as a fairly creative fellow in his attempts to take out Wayne's character. But there again, the final face off between Brannigan and Gorman (Daniel Pilon) was written far too clumsily. I can't imagine a professional assassin would be so reckless to put an end to his target that he'd pull out all the stops and try to run him over with his car, giving Brannigan plenty enough time to just shoot him through the windshield. It felt like the writers just needed a quick way to get this thing over with.Through it all, Brannigan's English partner Jennifer Thatcher (Judy Geeson) is easy on the eyes and gets in that cool line about Americans being 'overworked, over-sexed and over here'. After that quick peck on the cheek she gave Brannigan I groaned a bit thinking the film makers were heading in the wrong direction, but unlike Wayne's early Westerns, this is one film that ended where the Duke didn't get the girl. If that had happened, the film makers would have really pulled a Murphy.

Theo Robertson A lot of comments here consider that BRANNIGAN would have been a better film if Clint Eastwood had been cast instead of John Wayne . You can see the thinking behind this as the opening scene has Big John kick a door open while grinning " knock knock " lulling the audience in to thinking they're going to be watching anti-heroism in action rather than good guys versus bad guys . As the story pans out we're treated to a trans-Atlantic tale of a street wise American cop trying to solve the problems of stiff upper lip British cops and one can't help thinking John Thaw might have better cast You see this movie has a feel very much like an episode of THE SWEENEY . It has a contrast between light hearted comic scenes and bleak violence seen in the legendary British show , but where as BRANNIGAN plays up to the comic scenes such as the punch up in the pub THE SWEENEY would have had slightly more sophisticated dialogue driven humour to it . But there's more to the film than this and THE SWEENEY aspects has extends to the likes of walk on parts of familiar British TV faces such as Glover . Henney and Booth , the sort of journeymen actors you'd expect to see in this type of media so much so that every time Wayne appears in a scene you're almost taken out of the film That said however BRANNIGAN is entertaining enough . It's certainly not a great movie but at the same time doesn't play up the the sometimes nasty and bitchy rivalry Britain and America has . If you love Regan and Carter beating up slags doing a blag then you will like this film if you don't take it too seriously

toonnnnn A story of a cop from the USA who is on a case that takes him to London,not just a cop but Brannigan played by John Wayne.The film is tailored to suit the John Wayne image,no one filled the screen like the Duke ,when he's on screen its him you watch.This is 1970s John Wayne where the image is played up to,some good dialogue,the pub fight scene and no love interest.The love interest is replaced by a fatherly attitude towards Judy Geeson a young police woman.Fans of blackadder will spot Tony Robinson getting thrown in the thames.The Duke has a double for the fight scene in the pub which might have gone un noticed at the time but shows on DVD.The film is not classic John Wayne bot passes the time entertainingly.Richard Attenborough,John Vernon and James Booth play their parts well.A film that celebrates the image of John Wayne,he had turned down Dirty Harry,as too violent for him,here the violence is non graphic appealing to the family audiences who flocked to his movies.Please put the kettle on,a few biscuits sit back and enjoy a star in the twilight of his career.Duke we miss you.God bless America.