Lone Wolf McQuade | | Cast : | Chuck Norris, David Carradine | | Director : | Steve Carver | | Studio : | Mgm/Ua Studios | | Format : | Color, Closed-captioned, Widescreen | | Released Date : | April 15, 1983 | | DVD Released Date : | November 20, 2001 | | Language : | Spanish (Dubbed), French (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled), English (Original Language), French (Original Language) | | Audience Rating : | PG (Parental Guidance Suggested) | | | BUY THIS DVD FROM AMAZON |
Customer Reviews
| Rating |  | | Date | June 12, 2005 | | Summary | Lone Wolf Bad A** | Content
 | This movie is as real as it gets. Being a 20 year veteran of the Texas Rangers I can tell you this is how we deal with scumbags. Take out the trash. Way to go Chuck! |
| Rating | | | Date | May 06, 2005 | | Summary | I thought it would never happen... | Content
| A good film... a GOOD film with Chuck Norris. It's completly epic and God bless the Kung Fu guy for being in it, it's a duel that was made in B-grade heaven. There's so much juicy material in this; a baptism of beer, a midget in a wheelchair, killer Ennio Morricone wannabe soundtrack... oh baby... This movie is an ultimate date classic. Must see on every level.
Watch it for... JUST WATCH IT. |
| Rating | | | Date | March 04, 2005 | | Summary | Chucko kills more baddies | Content
| He's mean, he's lean, and he's not about to do things by the book! Welcome to the world of the action star, that social loner who won't sit idly by when the scum of the earth prey on the human race. While the rest of us live our little lives playing by the rules like the dupes we are, these guys go out and make a difference. They actually like us despite our weaknesses, amazingly enough, and take care of us out of a sense of responsibility similar to what a lord used to feel for his peons. No matter what they do or whom they kill in the process their instincts never fail them. Even when their partner, significant other, child, or anyone else close to them dies horribly as a result of the threat the action star poses to the villains, they never swerve from their core principles. Their superiors recognize the action star's godlike powers and, while complaining publicly about their reckless behavior, put them right back out on the street to kill the bad guys. No investigative committee will stop these right-wing heroes from mopping up the riffraff. Who needs lawyers or a judicial system when we've got Charles Bronson, Sylvester Stallone, or Chuck Norris? Not me.
Enter "Lone Wolf McQuade," an archetype of the loner action star film starring none other than martial artist turned movie star Chuck Norris. In this grim thriller, Norris stars as J.J. McQuade, a loose cannon Texas Ranger with a penchant for getting himself into scrapes that result in extremely high body counts. Witness the introductory scenes where McQuade single handedly slaughters a group of Mexican horse thieves in order to save several fellow officers. He stands on a cliff and refuses to flinch even when the goons throw up a volley of fire. What a guy! Then it is off to a ceremony for Dakota (L.Q. Jones), a fellow tough guy who is retiring after years of civil rights' violations. THEN we see McQuade stand down his boss and refuse to partner up with one of the very same officers he just saved from the banditos, the impressionable Kayo (Robert Beltran). After a few scenes in which we see McQuade wow Kayo with his ability to blow holes in stationary targets, we meet Jim's family. Awwww, he's got an understanding ex-wife and a pretty young daughter who loves to spend time with him! But it isn't surprising McQuade's wife left him: the guy lives like a slob in a shack out in the desert, drinking beer all day and playing with his pet wolf. A pet wolf!
Trial and tribulation looms on the horizon with the emergence of Rawley Wilkes (David Carradine) and his diminutive business partner Falcone (David Frishman). Both men are gunrunners trying to make a buck during a time when selling weapons to third world despots and miscreants was a lucrative way to make a living. Wilkes, when he isn't double crossing clients, likes to appear in public martial arts exhibitions with his beautiful girlfriend Lola Richardson nearby (Barbara Carrera). Predictably, McQuade appears at one of these outings and quickly becomes enmeshed in a fight with several of Wilkes's goons. The two men stare at one another and then retreat to battle another day. It's not too long after this confrontation that McQuade decides to bring down Wilkes's operation, which he proceeds to do with the intermittent help of Kayo and a rat named Snow (William Sanderson). The feds decide to make an appearance too, sending in disgruntled agent Jackson (Leon Isaac Kennedy) to help McQuade bring down the baddies. Off they go to Mexico and a violent, explosion filled showdown with the smirking Rawley Wilkes. Did I mention that Carradine's character likes to wear sweaters out in the desert? Not only is he a bad guy, he was apparently born without sweat glands.
"Lone Wolf McQuade" goes so far over the top and boasts so many clichés that it is easy to overlook the stylistic elements injected into what is essentially a run of the mill action movie. Director Steve Carver decided to turn this picture into a spaghetti western set in Texas during the modern day, so he hired a composer to mimic Ennio Morricone and shot a lot of scenes where we see extreme close-ups of the characters' faces. Sometimes this technique actually works, but far too often it doesn't. The movie treats us to tons of ridiculous scenes, including a "touching" sequence where McQuade mourns the killing of his pet wolf as well as an outrageously unbelievable scenario in which J.J. drives his rocket equipped truck (!) out of a giant grave. It sounds ridiculous, and it is, but "Lone Wolf McQuade" IS an enjoyable action flick. Lots of stuff blows up, car chases abound, and the body count climbs into the high double digits. Heck, even L.Q. Jones's massive coif inspires more interest than derision (although there is derision, no mistake about it). The film so aggressively indulges in its action sequences that it's relatively easy to ignore the wooden acting from Norris (bad) and from Leon Isaac Kennedy (worse). When I grow up I want to be just like J.J. McQuade.
MGM released "Lone Wolf McQuade" with an anamorphic widescreen transfer (yay!) but only a trailer as an extra. What's up with MGM and these barebones releases for old '80s action films? What, Chucko couldn't take a break from his infomercials to record a commentary track for this film? And what about Carradine? He's got some time on his hands after filming the two "Kill Bill" films, right? Anyway, give this one a shot if you like action films; it's cheesy, frantic, and imminently watchable.
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| Rating | | | Date | November 12, 2004 | | Summary | Sam Peckinpah meets Sergio Leone meets Quentin Tarantino | Content
| Fellini, Bergman, Trouffaut: if those names mean nothing to you, then, buddy, you are in the right place! Now that we are among friends, let me just say the Lone Wolf McQuade is one of the greatest movies ever made! If I were sitting in my '70 GTO convertible in a Drive-in, this would have to part of the double bill. My only criticism for it is-What? No sequel!?! Now, let me count the ways I love this movie:
1. The cast-Bold and brawling Norris vs. bad and nasty Carradine.
Outside of Kill Bill and The Long Riders, its Carradine's best cinematic work. Chuck Norris is inspired as the Lone Wolf whose workdesk is a shrine to sloppiness and whose hacienda is the ultimate machismo monument (not to mention his truck-a truly magnificent beast). Include Peckinpah favorites R.G.Armstrong and L.Q.Jones and you know they've scored a casting coup.
2. The music-Is that Ennio Morricone I hear? No? Well close enough. The soundtrack is a welcome return to the Spaghetti Western genre for this contemporary story. I wish I had gotten the album.
3.The over-all feeling one is left with-Satisfying violence (Peckinpah style), some good-lookin' fillies (Barbera Carerra at her finest), quirky bad guys (another nod to Spaghetti Westerns), a workin' class hero with extra-ordinary killing powers...dang, this is good stuff! And once again we are treated to the reoccurring theme of Chuck Norris movies: the "system" doesn't know it's a**hole from a hole in the ground and despite his utter disregard for the rules, our main man gets the job done and all is forgiven. This inherent truth is what connected Norris to millions of red-blooded Americans.
Now here's fodder for Q Tarentino: Take his Michael Parks character from Kill Bill back about 20 years and serve us up some more Texas Ranger hardcore chili. Maybe, just maybe, it could fill up that double billing at the drive-in with Lone Wolf McQuade! |
| Rating | | | Date | October 28, 2004 | | Summary | GARBAGE! BADNESS + WICKEDNESS ON GRAND SCALE!!!! WORTHLESS!! | Content
| Hello Folks!
I strongly advice you to not care about those overpraising reviews! I watched this movie a couple of days back and I am not even fully capable of telling and enlightening about you how awfully disappointed I was/still am.
Don't waste your holy time and money! Not to even rent this rubbish in case of getting it for less than 1 $.
The acting as well as all the dialoges is truly that bad, it makes you throw up!
In case of not believing me go watch it and be as I said: DISAPPOINTED and BEING BORED THE BEJESUS OUT OF YOU!!!!
Subtract that one star I gave just because I had to to write this review!
Have a nice time without this JUNK!!!!!
Your PAL (caring about your senses) |
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