Bullet Points: McQ
John Wayne with a MAC-10? Yes, please! John Wayne with a suppressed MAC-10? Yes, please and twice on Sunday. The Duke might be better known for Westerns but you can take those and the horse they rode in on because I will take John Wayne with a submachine gun any day especially because this John Wayne rides a 1973 Pontiac Trans Am SD-455. Giddyup! McQ might not be the movie you think of when it comes to John Wayne, but I think I just gave three compelling reasons to watch so let’s take a look.
- John McWayne – McQ opens in Seattle, WA with a man killing uniformed police officers. Five minutes later we learn the killer is Sgt. Stan Boyle of the Seattle PD. I am intrigued. Two minutes later Boyle is killed and now I am hooked. Boyle was good friends with fellow cop Lon McHugh (John Wayne), shortened to McQ because… it is three letters shorter. McQ, like many good movie cops, lives on a boat and likes to play by his own rules. Which includes trying to solve the case of his friend’s murder.
- Super McDuty – We get our first look at McQ’s 1973 Brewster Green Trans Am when an attempt was made on his life the same day he finds out about Boyle. The Trans Am SD-455 in any movie without John Wane and a MAC-10 would be the star of the show. Brewster Green was only available in 1973 making the car a rare (fire)bird and makes what happens later in the movie a little hard to watch. McQ does his best to do a Bullitt in Seattle with some splendid car scenes in a car affectionately known as the green hornet in the movie.
- Defund McQ – McQ believes that local drug kingpin Santiago (Al Lettieri, Mr. Majestyk) is behind Boyle’s murder, but the police, and specifically Capt. Kosterman (Eddie Albert) wants him off the case. Instead of listening to his superiors, McQ decides to quit the force so he can play by his own rules. Is it suspicious that Kosterman doesn’t want McQ involved? Maybe, but not any more suspicious than field deputy Frank Toms (Clu Gulager) always agreeing with McQ or Boyle’s widow Lois (Diana Muldaur) wanting McQ to take her away. McQ is able to team up with his private eye friend Pinky Farrell (David Huddleston) to give himself a base of operations to track Boyle’s killer.
- MAC-10 Mc9mm – With his police issued sidearm taken away, McQ heads to the local gun store to pick up a new pistol. He gets taken to the back room where we meet our third star, the Military Armament Corporation Model 10 or MAC-10 for those in the know. The MAC-10 in any movie without John Wayne and a 1973 Trans Am SD-455 would be the star of the show. McQ just takes the MAC-10 without paying, telling the gun store he is just borrowing it, and goddammit if McQ isn’t one old salty badass.
- Movie McTwist – McQ does a good job of keeping the true bad guy, or more accurately bad guys, or even more accurately bad persons a surprise. There are some twists and several red herrings, but enough action to keep the audience interested. I mentioned the Trans Am chase, but the finale on the beach might even be better (with the first car stunt using a black powder cannon, dontcha know), and the MAC-10 plays a bigger role. McQ gets into the old man action by beating up Santiago in the men’s room. Of course, Santiago gets a little revenge on McQ. Props to John Wayne for taking a beating on screen. I am still waiting for The Rock to show it is ok to lose a fight in a movie.
McQ is not your typical John Wayne movie if you are used to his westerns. John Wayne reportedly passed on the role of Dirty Harry and McQ seems like a direct result of that misstep. John Wayne might have been too old to properly play the tough cop McQ, a cop that uses a MAC-10 and drives a muscle car that would be difficult for an older gentleman to get in and out of and even sleeps with snitches. We may be spared that actual love making scene, but not McQ making her coffee the next morning, and that leads to the one big issue with McQ. It doesn’t need to be just shy of two hours. With stars like John Wayne, the Super Duty 455, and the MAC-10, I can’t stay upset for too long. I also can’t leave you without any McQ Bonus Bullet Points.
- Familiar Face – Roger E. Mosely, probably most famous for Magnum, P.I. but I loved in Pentathlon, nearly steals the show as the pimp/snitch Rosey.
- Soundtrack – Composer Elmer Bernstein’s work in McQ gave the movie the soundtrack that suits the film to a McT.
- Favorite Quote – “I’m up to my butt in gas.”
- Did You Know? – The new national sport is grabbing… at least in 1974.
