kapelusznik18 ***SPOILERS*** John Wayne as Chicago cop Lt. James Brannigan is sent off to the UK to expedite Chigago hood Ben Larkin, John Vernon, who among his other crimes was responsible for the death of Bargginan's partner who he was trying to brake in. Now with Larkin about to be cuffed and sent back to Chicago with Brannigan escorting him back there he's kidnapped by a number of British hoods and held for as much as 1.3 million in ransom. The normal thing to do is let the hoods whack Larkin and save the state of Illinois the money to try him but instead the British police Scotland Yard as well as Let. Brannigan go all out to rescue Larkin from his captors which doesn't, in regards to Let. Brannigan, make no sense at all! The film gives Let. Brannigan this 25 year old partner British police Sergent Jennifer-no relation to the future British PM- Tatcher,Judy Greeson, to help the almost 70 year old Brannigan out who in fact risks his life throughout the film saving hers. There also Brannigan's boss in the London PD Commander Swann played by Richard Attenborough in a rare tough guy role where he's later involved is a massive bar brawl where he does, in working over the drunken bad guys, an even better job then the almost one foot taller and 50 pound heavier Let. Brannigan. As for the kidnapped Larkin his release is being negotiated by his crooked shyster lawyer Mel Fields, Mel Ferrer, who's about as slimy as they, shysters, get. whom you as well as his client Ben Larkin don't know until the very last minute who's side, the kidnappers or the kidnapped victim, he's really on.***SPPOILER*** Despite his advanced age and being way out of shape John Wayne is very effective in his role and even shows he still has it with the ladies with Jennifer falling heads over heels over him as well as a number of other young and sexy ladies in the cast. Wayne is also very effective in the fights he's in especially the aforementioned bar brawl as well as a sizzling car chase all through London that's one of the best, without the use computer enhancement, ever put on film.The fact that John Wayne not Clint Eastwood was offered the part of Inspector "Dirty Harry" Calahan and turned it down must have gotten to him in jut how successful the "Dirty Harry" series was to become. In fact in the movie "Brannigan" Wayne copies off the "Dirty Harry" sequel "Magnam Force" in its opening credits having Let. Brannigan's .38 Colt Diamondback police special compete with his name in the credits on the screen like Eastwood's .44 Magnam did with his in "Magnam Force". There's also the villain in the film John Vernon as Ben Larkin who in fact played Eastwood's rival the wimpy and totally gutless San Francisco mayor in the original "Dirty Harry".

utgard14 Tough Chicago cop Brannigan (John Wayne) goes to London to extradite an American criminal named Larkin (John Vernon) but the bad guy is seemingly kidnapped before Brannigan can get to him. That's not enough to deter our hero, though. He's determined to get his man, no matter how many British toes he has to step on to do so, including those of a stuffy police commander (Richard Attenborough).A fun 'fish out of water' movie for John Wayne; his second attempt to duplicate Clint Eastwood's success at moving from westerns to police thrillers. It's a better movie than Wayne's previous attempt at a Dirty Harry-style cop flick the year before, the underwhelming McQ. It moves quicker and there are some funny lines here and there. Plus everyone in the cast seems like they want to make this work, unlike McQ where nobody seemed that into it. Duke is clearly having a good time and appears more at ease with this mostly British cast than he did with many of his later films. Vets Attenborough, Vernon, and Mel Ferrer deliver as they usually do. Judy Geeson has a nice chemistry with Duke. Thankfully (given their age difference) the film never goes "there" beyond mild flirting. Lesley Anne Down plays a prostitute and Daniel Pilon is the hit man hired to kill Duke. It's not an exceptional film in any way but it is enjoyable, especially for Wayne fans who might like to see him in different surroundings than the western plateau or the battlefield.

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

kosmasp The movie does really try hard to walk a really thin line. It tries to be a an action movie, a comedy, a thriller, a cop movie. And it also tried to establish "Branningan" as a brand name. Like Callahan, but softer and "funnier".Well I can tell you that it doesn't work. I really tried to love the movie, but it's not possible. The effort is there and John Wayne tries, but he is never really as smooth as the character should be. Still the movie can be fun, although not as much as it would like to. While other movies did create cool characters without effort, this is just a decent try, to do the same, without the same result. Nice movie, but nothing that you need to buy (unless you're a huge John Wayne fan).