Big Jim McLain (1952)

53% of users liked it
(211 ratings)

Of all the "kill the commies" cold war films of the 1950s, John Wayne's Big Jim McLain may well be the worst. Certainly it's the hardest one to sit through today. The Duke and his partner Jim Arness (Wayne's real-life protege) head to Hawaii to investigate a subversive pro-Red organization. Feigning… More Of all the "kill the commies" cold war films of the 1950s, John Wayne's Big Jim McLain may well be the worst. Certainly it's the hardest one to sit through today. The Duke and his partner Jim Arness (Wayne's real-life protege) head to Hawaii to investigate a subversive pro-Red organization. Feigning love for suspect Nancy Olson, Wayne ferrets out the name of the Big Cheese, played by Gayne Whitman. After a long wild-goose chase, peopled by such oddball types as Hans Conried and Alan Napier, Wayne catches up with his quarry, who has--egad!--already murdered Arness. Wayne exacts vengeance, paving the way for a final clinch with Nancy Olson, who turns out to be true-blue and not red after all. To quote Spike Jones: "Peeeeee.....yewwwww." ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 30 min.
Directed By: Edward Ludwig
Genres: Western, Drama, Action & Adventure, Mystery & Suspense, Classics

In Theaters: Aug 30, 1952 Wide
On DVD: May 22, 2007

Critic Reviews

Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
Pathetic anti-Communist propaganda film with a snarling John Wayne at his ugliest as a macho windbag special agent for HUAC.
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com
The name of Wayne's special agent for the HUAAC had the same initials as those of Senator Joseph McCarthy, which was not a coincidence, and Wayne himself believed that his popular propagandistic film helped McCarthy's reelection campaign.

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Featured Audience Ratings

Dean M

<i>Big Jim McLain</i> features one of John Wayne's best walk-through; he looks a little sheepish, but he's so amiable you forget he's really not in character. The drama at hand is tidied up rather quickly, yet the film is directed with a steady hand and has… More
<i>Big Jim McLain</i> features one of John Wayne's best walk-through; he looks a little sheepish, but he's so amiable you forget he's really not in character. The drama at hand is tidied up rather quickly, yet the film is directed with a steady hand and has an easy-going pace. The black-and-white cinematography is quite beautiful, with silvery shots of the tropics in all their '50s splendor.
jay n

Seeks to glorify the loathsome Joe McCarthy and his venal lot. Wayne was a well known ultra conservative so his presence here is no surprise but that this thing exists at all is a shame.