Brannigan (1975)

“This isn’t Chicago!” – Cmdr. Charles Swann

You’re right, you can’t get a decent burger anywhere in this town.” – Brannigan

Number of Times Seen – 1 (28 Jul 2020)

Brief Synopsis – A gruff Chicago police detective is sent to England in order to retrieve a prisoner, yet when the prisoner is kidnapped, he must now find him before it’s too late.

My Take on it – This is another film that I knew nothing about before coming across it in my quest to watch more films with Richard Attenborough in them.

The added bonus with this one is that it also features John Wayne.

The premise is one that has been used before but the performance of Wayne definitely makes this movie more intriguing to watch.

Love the sharp contrast between the way he does his policing and the way that Attenborough does as his stuffy British counterpart.

Wayne’s character might be slightly too old in this film, but he is still effective in all that he does.

John Vernon will always be Dean Wormer in Animal House (1978) for me, but he does a great job here as the villain who is quite ruthless in all that he does.

Mel Ferrer is also great here as a suave lawyer who works for Vernon.

The film has some great twists and turns along the way that help keep things quite suspenseful and thrilling throughout.

Bottom Line – Interesting premise that works due to Wayne’s performance. The character might be slightly too old, yet he still carries himself quite well here. Attenborough plays the stuffy British detective pretty effectively and we get to see the sharp contrast between policing in the US and in England. Vernon is quite good as the villain and we can feel his ruthlessness throughout. Ferrer is also great as Vernon’s suave lawyer. The story has some nice twists and turns along the way that help make things even more enjoyable to watch unfold because they are able to allow the the suspense level to constantly be on the rise. Recommended!

MovieRob’s Favorite Trivia – This movie contains a unique piece of footage of the inside of the Garrick Club (known as the actors’ club) which traditionally does not allow cameras, and only agreed to let this movie in because Sir Richard Attenborough was a long-term member. In the scene in which Brannigan and Commander Swann are at the bar in the Garrick Club, on the wall behind them are portraits of Sir Laurence Olivier and Sir John Gielgud, both in Garrick Club ties. (From IMDB)

Rating – Globe Worthy (7/10)