Q: The Winged Serpent (1982)
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63% of critics liked it
(19 reviews) -
45% of users liked it
(2,554 ratings)
Genre pioneer Larry Cohen, who broke new horror ground with the killer-baby hit It's Alive!, takes a stab at the giant-monster scenario with this enjoyable low-budget exercise. The title refers to the winged Aztec god Quetzalcoatl, represented here as a dragon-like flying lizard (thanks to some… More Genre pioneer Larry Cohen, who broke new horror ground with the killer-baby hit It's Alive!, takes a stab at the giant-monster scenario with this enjoyable low-budget exercise. The title refers to the winged Aztec god Quetzalcoatl, represented here as a dragon-like flying lizard (thanks to some quaint but amusing stop-motion animation from David Allen), who decides to take up residence in the art-deco spire of the Chrysler Building, taking frequent jaunts in the midday sun to nip the heads off various hapless New Yorkers. The resulting bloody mess confounds detectives Shepard (David Carradine) and Powell (Richard Roundtree), who are already scratching their heads over a series of bizarre ritual murders linked to a secret Aztec cult. Into the picture comes the film's protagonist -- neurotic, sweaty, paranoid crook Jimmy Quinn (Michael Moriarty, in a tour-de-force performance), a two-bit wheel-man with aspirations of becoming a jazz pianist. After a botched diamond heist leads Quinn to Q's lair, his attempts to go straight take a side-turn as he decides to extort from the city an enormous sum in exchange for directions to the monster's nest. A few sneaky deals later, the location falls into Shepard's hands, and he leads a paramilitary assault on the Chrysler Building, where the creature's humongous egg is about to hatch. Rude, edgy, fast-paced, and peppered with witty dialogue (most of which can't be repeated here), Cohen's script retains the spirit of classic monster movies like The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms, injecting it with tough, gangster-movie moxie. Moriarty's unbelievable performance -- one of three collaborations with Cohen -- finds him chewing acres of scenery as a contemptible, loud-mouthed goon who's too funny to hate; Moriarty also composed and performed two schizophrenic piano numbers for the film. ~ Cavett Binion, Rovi
- Directed By
- Larry Cohen
- Written By
- Larry Cohen
- Genres
- Drama, Horror
- In Theaters
- Sep 8, 1982 Limited
Critic Reviews
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Pat Graham, Chicago Reader
Cohen's obviously having fun with the cheesy clay animation, and Michael Moriarty delivers an inspired, whacked-out performance as a small-time operater who tries to turn the monster into his own private bonanza, but the rest... is disengaged and sloppy.
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, Time Out
We have no hesitation in awarding Oscars all round.
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Janet Maslin, New York Times
The only movie in which you may ever see a gnawed, bloody skeleton wearing a gold charm bracelet.
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Sarah Boslaugh, Playback:stl
...an inspired bit of madness from exploitation writer/director Larry Cohen...
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Ian Berriman, SFX Magazine
Q works because Larry Cohen plays it pretty straight. Guerrilla filming on the streets of NYC helps create a sense of verisimilitude, and the characterisation is both unusual and strong.
See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)
Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)
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Cast
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Michael Moriarty
as Jimmy Quinn
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David Carradine
as Detective Shepard
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Candy Clark
as Joan
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Richard Roundtree
as Sgt. Powell
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Malachy McCourt
as Police Commissioner
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Lee Louis
as Banyon
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John Capodice
as Doyle
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Bruce Carradine
as Victim
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Ron Cey
as Detective Hoberman
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Shelly Desai
as Kahea
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Richard Duggan
as Construction Worker
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Larkin Ford
as Curator
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Jennifer Howard
as Newscaster
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Eddie Jones
as Watchman
- Fred Morsell
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Tony Page
as Webb
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Larry Pine
as Professor
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Fred J. Scollay
as Capt. Fletcher
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Mary Louise Weller
as Mrs. Pauley
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James Dixon
as Lt. Murray
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Peter Hock
as Detective Clifford
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Nancy Stafford
as Eyewitness
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Bobbi Burns
as Sunbather
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Ed Kovens
as Robbers