Brannigan--The Duke in London

My wife and I have remarkably similar tastes in films and television. That will happen when two television production majors spend 33 years watching movies and TV series together. However, our tastes in cinema still show the influence of our pre-marriage years. Hence, I found myself recenly watching Brannigan alone. My sweetheart's lack of interest in viewing John Wayne's 1975 cop picture is based solely on the fact that it's not very good. My desire to see it was driven by nostalgia and curiosity as much as anything. I think the last time I saw it was at the movie theatre during its original release.

The plot follows police Lieutenant Jim Brannigan's pursuit of a Chicago mobster named Larkin (John Vernon). When Brannigan (John Wayne) learns that Scotland Yard has arrested Larkin, he heads to London to bring the gangster back to the States. Unfortunately, the Brits allow Larkin to be kidnapped and held for ransom. Meanwhile, a professional hitman, hired by Larkin for $25,000, has set his sights on eliminating pesky Brannigan.

An uncomfortable Richard Attenborough
in a supporting role.

Brannigan was John Wayne's second contemporary urban crime picture of the 1970s. The first, McQ, had been a modest boxoffice hit in 1974. Both films took aim at replicating the success of Clint Eastwood's Dirty Harry movies and its clones such as Charles Bronson's The Stone Killer. Like Harry Callahan, Brannigan carries a big gun, tosses off wisecracks, and challenges authority figures. Even the opening credits sequence of Brannigan, which features Jim's .38 caliber Colt Diamondback prominently, borrows liberally from Magnum Force.

Alas, from the outset, Brannigan has several factors working against it. At age 68, Wayne still convinces us he's a tough guy, but he lacks the rough edges that Eastwood and Bronson brought to their urban "heroes." The script doesn't help him either. The film's big twist is blatantly obvious from the beginning. It's also the kind of movie where the professional killer tries to run down Brannigan in a car instead of just shooting him and collecting a paycheck. 

Judy Geeson.

Furthermore, the whole "fish out of water" angle--a tough Chicago cop paired with those well-mannered British detectives--just doesn't work as executed by the cast. Richard Attenborough looks downright uncomfortable as Brannigan's Scotland Yard superior, playing the part with one of those "what am I doing doing here?" expressions. Judy Geeson, who sparkled in To Sir With Love, has little do as Brannigan's temporary partner. Her scenes are pretty much limited to admiring Brannigan (in  a fatherly way) and waiting to be rescued when the hitman finally makes his move.

Yet, despite its many flaws, I think Brannigan had the potential to be a mindless, entertaining urban thriller. One would just have to beef up the plot, recast Eastwood in the lead and Tyne Daly as his partner, and get Don Siegel to direct it. It'd probably need a different title, too--something like Dirty Harry Goes to London.

To Sir, With Love: The Feel-Good Side of the Sixties

During my formative teenage years, I developed a fondness for the British cinema of the mid-to-late 1960s. These films spanned several genres: the serious spy film (The Deadly Affair); social satire (Nothing But the Best); quirky thriller (Bunny Lake Is Missing); and pop culture comedy (Georgy Girl). The only thing they shared was a healthy dose of cynicism and impeccable British casts. So, it seems ironic that one of my favorite films of this period is an upbeat, almost sentimental, tale starring a mainstream American actor: To Sir, With Love.

Sidney Poitier as Mr. Thackeray.

In a role seemingly tailored for him, Sidney Poitier plays Mark Thackeray, a young engineer looking for a job. Unable to find one in his chosen profession, he accepts temporary employment as a teacher in an inner-city London school. It’s a bleak situation—the students are out of control, most of the teachers are burned out, and the school reflects the poverty of the surrounding neighborhood. Thackeray’s initial attempts to reach his students fail miserably. He finally concludes that the teens act childish because they’re treated as children. He starts showing them respect and demands the same of them. He tosses out the curriculum and teaches his students about life. In the end, Thackeray becomes a teacher and his students become adults.

Judy Geeson as Pamela Dare.

Cynics will no doubt criticize To Sir, With Love as simple-minded and obvious. Perhaps, it is, but the story is put across with such conviction and professionalism that it’s impossible to ignore its many charms. In particular, a subplot involving an attractive student (Judy Geeson) who develops a crush on Thackeray is handled impeccably. Its only flaw is that Poitier and Geeson have such a natural chemistry that one almost wishes a romance could work out between them (but then, To Sir, With Love would have been a very different film).

Lulu--she was once married to Bee Gee
Maurice Gibb.

The film’s theme, sung by Lulu (who plays one of the students), became a huge hit. Director James Clavell must have recognized the song’s potential—it’s heard multiple times throughout the picture. In one scene, it’s played over a montage of Thackeray taking his students to a museum. The scene looks very much like one of the world’s first music videos.

Sidney Poitier stands out as one of my favorite actors of the 1960s, with memorable performances in A Patch of Blue, Lilies of the Field, and In the Heat of the Night. Judy Geeson went on to play a major role in the vastly entertaining British miniseries Poldark and Poldark II. When my wife and I were in London in 1987, we saw Lulu in a production of the stage musical Peter Pan. She played Peter and still sounded great.


Sidney Poitier reprised his role as Mark Thackeray in the 1996 made-for-TV movie To Sir With Love II, directed by Peter Bogdanovich. The plot has Mr. Thackeray retiring from teaching in England, only to start anew at a Chicago inner-city school. It's pleasant enough, thanks to Poitier, but my recommendation is to stick with the original.