John Wayne, to this day, produces a reactionary response. I understand why. He is like an action hero version of Donald Trump. A homophobic, racist, egotistical guff bag that was anything but what he presented onscreen. However I love his screen persona. I love his tough, brash swagger. I love his tar dripping (from too many cigarettes) drawl and his transformation from rapid lean action guy, to donut munching old man. In BRANNIGAN he is veteran Chicago detective Jim Brannigan. Sent to London in order to bring back a notorious gangster called Ben Larkin (John Vernon). Larkin has an escape plan in mind and sees about executing it. Well executing Brannigan thanks to a highly skilled hitman. Branningan might survive though, in the Met’s Commander Swann (Richard Attenborough). The question is, can London survive?

I do get what Wayne still cuts both ways for some people. He can be very much like Marmite and I believe this is actually a very beneficial thing. If you loathe him, watch him. You might be surprised. You may well wonder how such a natural actor he was. Conversely, as a fan, you could do no better then digging under that reverence and seeing that yes he was a brawling tough guy, but he was never in the army (not for want of trying in some respect). This might wise you up to his screen persona’s strength and how much he wasn’t anyone he played. BRANNINGAN is a great example of this. Though he is older, he still gives us everything. He plays someone he is utterly unlike in realty and the film works if you avoid taking it more seriously than it needs (my way of saying this film should be watched and avoid being ‘read’).

The best or should I say most comprehensive feature in the set about Wayne is A Duke Out of Water feature. This covers enough of his work making the film, from his issues with his health, to his manner and style, to be rewarding for the fan. The film looks ok, its never going to sing on a Standard Definition version but its an improvement on that terrible Wayne box set DVD version. Steve Mitchell and critic Nathaniel Thompson commentary is as you expect. We get the ins and outs of London. Wayne in London. Conversation on the places then and now. The film in genre terms. All nice. But for me BRANNINGAN is most rewarding as a delightful little snapshot of London from the mid 1970s. What I love about the set is that it celebrates London. I loved the glimpses of the bridge, which shows how the docks engulfed it. The policeman films, that though not London centred, do capture pieces of the city and the force that police us.

• Presented in High Definition
• Audio commentary by Steve Mitchell and critic Nathaniel Thompson (2017)
• A Duke Out of Water (2023, 37 mins): reminiscences from the people who made Brannigan
• Frank Henson on Brannigan (2021, 4 mins): the veteran stuntman looks back on doubling the Duke
• Take It to the Bridge (1905-1956, 23 mins): historical glimpses of the Thames, Tower Bridge and other Brannigan locations
• A Policeman’s Lot (1896-1973, 35 mins): a copper’s clutch of films concerning crimefighters and crooks, proceeding from the very earliest days of cinema towards the Brannigan era
• The Guardian Interview: Richard Attenborough (1983, 89 mins, audio only): the award-winning actor and director, and John Wayne’s Brannigan co-star, reflects upon his illustrious career
• An extensive selection of location photographs, featuring cast and crew
• Original trailer
• **FIRST PRESSING ONLY** Illustrated booklet with new essays by Johnny Mains and John Oliver, notes on the special features and credits