For decades, John Wayne refused to shoot people in the back in his movies, but he finally broke this rule forMcQ. Many actors passed onDirty Harry, including Paul Newman, Frank Sinatra and John Wayne himself.Wayne passed onDirty Harrypartly because Sinatra had already said noand he didn’t want to feel like the backup choice. The star came to regret that decision, feeling “Dirty” Harry was similiar to many other characters he had played.
That’s why a couple ofJohn Wayne-frontedDirty Harryripoffshappened. These were 1974’sMcQand 1975’sBrannigan, where he played tough cops armed with magnums who weren’t afraid to bend a few rules.Eastwood himself had passed onMcQ, which was a serviceable of not very memorable thriller.While not nearly as violent or scuzzy asDirty Harry,McQwas a darker movie for Wayneand one that even saw him shoot a character in the back.
John Wayne Broke His Rule About Never Shooting People In The Back In McQ
In Wayne’s defense, the other guy started it
Wayne broke some rules of his own when he became a star, such as making his characters “fight dirty,” as he didn’t see a need for his protagonists to be polite when punching opponents. Wayne also wanted his characters to adhere to certain moral codes, such as always helping somebody in need and never shooting an unarmed man.Another of Wayne’s rules included never shooting an attacker in the back, since he felt this was a cowardly act; that’s why it’s so surprising to see Wayne break his no back shooting rule inMcQ.
… nobody would blink an eye if it were Clint Eastwood or Charles Bronson behind the trigger, but when it’s John “Duke” Wayne, that gives the scene a different vibe.
The thriller features a scene where a hitman opens fire on Detective Lieutenant “McQ” McHugh, before fleeing. Wayne’s titular cop then aims his revolver at a man and fires, killing him in one shot. Such a moment would be unthinkable in the likes oftheRio Bravotrilogy, but it doesn’t feel so out of place in a gritty 1970s cop thriller. Nobody would blink an eye if it were Clint Eastwood or Charles Bronson behind the trigger, but when it’s John “Duke” Wayne, that gives the scene a whole different vibe.
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Even Wayne’s toughest Western protagonists would refrain from shooting a man from behind, whether they “deserved” it or not. Of course,McQisn’t set in the Old West, and a scene like this underlines that it was a new kind of character for its veteran star. It’s also unusual to see Wayne wielding a machine gun, which he uses to great effect in the movie’s finale.
McQ Was John Wayne’s Attempt To Reinvent His Screen Image
Dirty Duke doesn’t have the same ring to it
In hindsight,John Wayne would have been a terribleDirty Harry. He also would have insisted that the profanity, bloodshed and other spicy elements be dialed way back had he signed on. This would have dulled the 1971’s thriller harsh edge, and it wouldn’t have lasted the test of time the way it has. Still, the film’s success likely made Wayne jealous of his younger rival Eastwood, and with the Western genre waning in popularity,Wayne must have seen films likeMcQ andBranniganas a way to connect with younger audiences.
That’s what makes them such intriguing curios in Wayne’s filmography, especially considering they were among his final films. Wayne’s charisma is undeniable and helps make both movies enjoyable, butthey’re ultimately generic cop movies where Wayne feels at least five years too old to play the lead. Still, it’s fun to see Wayne take a swing at something different and portray a less morally rigid character.
Wayne Refused To Break This Rule Again In His Final Movie The Shootist
“I don’t shoot ‘em in the back!”
Wayne later worked withDirty Harryhelmer Don Siegel on what proved to be the star’s final acting role.The Shootistcast Wayne as a gunfighter dying of cancer, who plans to die in a glorious shootout with some old enemies. In both the source novel and the screenplay, Wayne’s Books shoots one of his foes in the back during the finale. Clint Eastwood later recounted this story onInside the Actor’s Studio, after Siegel told him what happened.
After Wayne stated “I don’t shoot people in the back,” Siegel argued that Books has other killers to deal with and didn’t have time to be so morally upstanding. Wayne still insisted he wasn’t filming the scene that way, leading Siegel to retort that Eastwood would do it that way. Apparently, Wayne then went “blue,” and yelled at the director “I don’t care what that kid woulda done, I don’t shoot ‘em in the back!“Wayne got his way, and in the final cut ofThe Shootist, he doesn’t sneakily kill anyone from behind.
It’s interesting Wayne was so adamant that Books wouldn’t shoot anyone this way, as he had already broken that rule forMcQ.Perhaps sensingThe Shootistcould be his final Western, perhaps Wayne felt it could sully his image to perform such a “cowardly” deed, no matter the circumstances. It’s also amusing that Siegel evoked Eastwood’s name to get a rise out of Wayne, knowing that Clint’s Westerns had overtaken Wayne’s in terms of popularity - and that he was smart enough to acceptDirty Harryafter Wayne passed.
Two Of John Wayne’s Characters Died From Being Shot In The Back
Wayne rarely died onscreen, so when it did happen, it hit audiences all the harder. Arguably his most heartbreaking demise came with 1972’sThe Cowboys, where, after a vicious brawl with Bruce Dern’s villain, Wayne’s character is shot as he walks away. When he dies the next day, the boys who had been helping his cattle drive seek vengeance. As mentioned previously,Wayne’s final onscreen death came withThe Shootist,where Books is blasted with a shotgunas he walks out of the bar.
In bothThe CowboysandThe Shootist, Wayne’s characters are shown to be a tough but fair figures with a code, whereas the bad guys take the cowardly way and shoot him when his back is turned. Wayne saw this as the ultimate dishonorable act, which just makes it curious that he was ok with doing it inMcQ. Maybe Wayne felt the modern-day setting made it more acceptable, but it still feels like a distinctly un-John Wayne thing to do.
Clint Eastwood was approached about appearing alongside John Wayne in 1969’sTrue Grit, but he disliked the role and passed.
That said, consideringMcQwas written with Eastwood in mind, perhaps Wayne decided to perform the scene as written to see how such a moment would play with his own audience.NeitherMcQnorBrannigandid great business, thoughThe Shootistwas a strong note for Wayne to close out his 50-year career on; and of course, he played a character who couldonlybe taken down by a coward who lacked the guts to face him head on.
