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To fully apprehend “Lone Wolf McQuade” one must first consider the original spaghetti Westerns that catapulted Clint Eastwood into the limelight. Although not regarded as quality films by some critics, many would argue that they singlehandedly changed the classic interpretation of Westerns. The films, although not truly great, possessed a unique charisma, passion, and strangely perfect hero in the form of Clint Eastwood.
Because of his anger fueled violence, he was labeled as The Man With No Name. He stood at the eye of the storm and emerged unscathed. In his own way, he was exceptionally powerful and charming. Along with his director Sergio Leone, Eastwood produced a unique style of Western films that were simplistic and bare. They perfectly captured the components of men, guns, deserts, rats, sweat, and horses.
Here comes Chuck Norris, who for the better part of the 80s and 90s was doing the rounds as an actor in kung fu and karate movies that were never exceptional, but always an improvement over the average. (His very best is “Eye For An Eye,” which was directed by Steve Carver, who also did “McQuade.”) You couldn’t say much about a Chuck Norris film, other than the fact that it did not treat its action audience with complete disdain; it certainly attempted to do better than the generic chop-socky films from Hong Kong, and Norris was certainly an energetic, likeable star.”
What Norris was really looking for in all those pictures, I guess, was the right character. Just like Eastwood portraying the “Man With No Name”, he needed a character that would encapsulate his Kung Fu abilities while providing him other channels of expression besides flying fists and devastating elbows. And that is exactly what he got in “Lone Wolf McQuade.” This is an action movie, and it makes no apologies for that. But it’s an action movie with style.
In the movie, Norris portrays J. J. McQuade, an unorthodox Texas Ranger with a preference for working alone who utilizes machine guns, serves instant justice, and is not very talkative. Surrounding him is a gallery of stars providing interesting characters with David Carradine as evil local criminal and karate practitioner Rawley, Barbara Carrera as Carradine’s wife and Norris’ mistress, Robert Beltran as Norris’ Mexican American sidekick Kayo Ramas, Leon Isaac Kennedy as the federal officer, and L. Q. Jones who throws in a few scenes and Sharon Farrell as Norris’ ex-wife.
This group of entities is fused together in a storyline that is, naturally, fundamentally pointless. But this particular movie does not disregard the storyline, so Norris carries the right amount of enthusiasm, which provides a lot of thrills. If the film succeeds in attracting audiences (and if the advertising system buzzes, then it shall), it may mark the start of another series for Norris.
I think that series characters share that one archetypal scene. With Eastwood it was that time he killed three men with one bullet. Lone Wolf McQuade has one. He gets shot. Everyone assumes he is dead. He is buried in his overly powered pickup truck. Then he wakes up. He pours beer on his head. Slams the accelerator to the floor, and drives that mother out of the grave. You get the idea.
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