BRANNIGAN (1975, UK/USA, 111m, 12) ***
Action, Crime, Drama
dist. United Artists; pr co. Wellborn; d. Douglas Hickox; w. Christopher Trumbo, Michael Butler, William P. McGivern, William W. Norton (based on a story by Christopher Trumbo and Michael Butler); pr. Arthur Gardner, Jules V. Levy; ph. Gerry Fisher (Colour | 2.39:1); m. Dominic Frontiere; ed. Malcolm Cooke; ad. Edward Marshall.
cast: John Wayne (Lt. Brannigan), Richard Attenborough (Cmdr. Swann), Judy Geeson (Jennifer), Mel Ferrer (Fields), John Vernon (Larkin), Daniel Pilon (Gorman), John Stride (Insp. Traven), James Booth (Charlie-the-Handle), Arthur Batanides (Angell), Ralph Meeker (Capt. Moretti), Barry Dennen (Julian), Lesley-Anne Down (Luana), Pauline Delaney (Mrs Cooper), Del Henney (Drexel), Brian Glover (Jimmy-the-Bet), Stewart Bevan (Alex), Janette Legge (Miss Rooke), Anthony Booth (Freddy), Tony Robinson (Motorcycle Courier), Don Henderson (Geef).
Wayne plays Chicago Police Detective Jim Brannigan (Wayne) who is sent from Chicago to London to extradite a wanted American criminal, Ben Larkin (Vernon). However, Larkin is kidnapped before Brannigan can apprehend him, igniting a manhunt throughout the city. Jennifer (Geeson), a British police officer, is appointed to help Brannigan, who is frequently bewildered by English customs. Brannigan’s harsh policing techniques also lead to constant clashes with Cmdr. Swann (Attenborough). This is a nice twist on the fish-out-of-water formula with Wayne coasting on his charisma and screen presence. Attenborough adds a sprightly performance and establishes a strong chemistry with Wayne, making their scenes together the standouts in this otherwise routine crime action thriller. Hickox directs with some flair although his shooting in London often resembles a tourist film capturing as many iconic shots as possible.
