peiper-26660 If you are under 16 years old, you will probably like this movie this is for the teeny boppers cliche after cliche after cliche

utgard14 Chuck Norris does a spaghetti western....sort of. Chuck plays a Texas Ranger (not named Walker) who plays by his own rules. He's a lone wolf and likes it that way. I felt more manly just watching him. Anyway, Chuck is annoyed by quite a few things in this film, including the new partner forced upon him and his new girlfriend who cleans his house without asking. But those minor annoyances don't matter compared to the trouble bad guy David Carradine causes for him. The two eventually square off in a fight scene that ranks among the best of Chuck's long career. Lone Wolf McQuade is a fun movie that any Chuck Norris fan will enjoy. It has some elements of the earlier Chuck-Fu years but it's definitely moving into the Cannon era, with Chuck shooting as much (if not more) than he kicks in this one. This would be the last film he did before he signed with Cannon and went on to make many great '80s actioners. Chuck's good in the role, which obviously requires very little. David Carradine is fun as the villain. The supporting cast is fine, with Barbara Carrera as Chuck's girlfriend with a tie to the villain, Dana Kimmell as Chuck's annoyingly perky daughter, and vet L.Q. Jones as Chuck's buddy. The action scenes are well-done and the direction is solid. As for my opening statement about this being "sort of" a spaghetti western. Well, that's because of Francesco De Masi's score, which is heavily influenced by Ennio Morricone. Take away that music and you wouldn't think there was anything remotely like a spaghetti western here. But the score is a large part of the film's style and really helps make this work. Not my favorite Chuck movie from his glory days but it's one of his best pre-Cannon efforts.

Scott LeBrun In one of his very best vehicles, Chuck Norris plays Texas Ranger J.J. McQuade, a solitary man with his own way of doing things. In this tale he must do battle with a nefarious arms dealer, Rawley Wilkes (David Carradine). His boss tries to saddle him with a partner, nicknamed "Kayo" (Robert Beltran). J.J. is naturally resistant to this arrangement, but Kayo is determined to prove himself worthy. J.J. also finds himself another ally when F.B.I. agent Jackson (Leon Isaac Kennedy) shows his own willingness to not do things strictly by the book.The decision by director Steve Carver (who'd previously worked with Chuck on the formulaic but fun "An Eye for an Eye") and his filmmaking company to play this like a Spaghetti Western is an inspired choice. Carver directs with a real flair, the rural scenery is breathtaking to behold, the action scenes are extremely well executed, and the Chuck vs. Carradine title fight is an irresistible hook. Certainly one man who understands the tone of the whole thing is composer Francesco De Masi, whose score is just perfect.What's nice to see is that Carradine, who often slummed in B fare and basically phoned in his performances, makes for a truly effective villain here. He actually looks like he's enjoying playing this over confident, egomaniacal creep. Much eye candy is supplied by the luscious Barbara Carrera, who has the role of Wilkes's uneasy "partner". Chuck and Carrera do have some sexy scenes together. Beltran is fine as the eager beaver young cop who is initially something of a nuisance but who will prove his worth by the end. Much praise goes to the uniformly solid supporting cast, including such luminaries as L.Q. Jones, R.G. Armstrong, Sharon Farrell, and William Sanderson. The lovely Dana Kimmell of "Friday the 13th Part III" fame plays Chucks' frequently imperiled daughter. Daniel Frishman has the most delicious role in the picture as the diminutive crook Falcon; this is another guy who looks like he's having a good time.Rough, tough, and rousing, "Lone Wolf McQuade" makes for completely agreeable entertainment, delivering to us a finale that we can savour. Chuck and Carradine performed the stunts themselves, to the chagrin of the producers.This would make a fine double bill with "Code of Silence", another of Chucks' best features.Eight out of 10.

Enoch Sneed This was my first Chuck Norris film so I came to it with an open mind, although I knew pretty well what to expect: lots of macho action and don't worry about credibility (why don't the horse thieves just blow McQuade away five minutes in, instead of messing around spraying a cliff with a machine gun?).So how did it measure up? Well, the action is there with plenty of gun-play and some martial arts thrown in (which look far more realistic than Jackie Chan's gravity defying gymnastics - these guys really hurt each other, although they should kill each other in minutes). We have very satisfactory eye-candy from Barbara Carrera (pity she had to get killed but there has to be a way for Chuck to get back with his estranged wife and daughter). There is also the old mentor who gets killed and has to be avenged, the rookie who learns how to get down and dirty and do some *real* crime fighting, the by-the-book guy who finally joins McQuade's crusade (and he's black), and the exasperated superior. I could go on but you can fill the blanks in yourself. Just to remind us the film is *really* a Western, we have an Ennio Morricone-type score as well (and very good it is).We also have affirmation that the USA has the right to invade another country and impose its will on the inhabitants - and the Mexicans here really are a dirty, helpless bunch, a nasty bit of stereotyping.I found myself comparing this film, featuring a maverick Texas Ranger on the Mexican border, with Extreme Prejudice, the Walter Hill film from 1987 which is much better directed and acted, has just as good a level of action, and shares some plot elements (old mentor, unofficial invasion of Mexico) - perhaps because John Milius made an uncredited contribution to the McQuade screenplay. Lone Wolf McQuade pales in comparison to the later film It is a good enough time-passer but no classic.