On February 6, 1974 McQ was released.
McQ stands out among the modern cop dramas crafted by John Wayne during the 1970s. Wayne portrays McQ, an upright Seattle police officer committed to rooting out corruption and drug-dealing elements within his own department. His approach mirrors the iconic Dirty Harry style, a role Wayne had declined a few years prior.
In the film, John Wayne introduced American audiences to the MAC 10 submachine gun, complete with a formidable suppressor. His character McQ resides on a boat, with John Wayne's own boat used to film several scenes.
McQ boasts a pair of remarkable car chases executed by the uncredited Hal Needham. Notably, Needham risked his life during the filming of the climactic stunt, driving a car equipped with a black powder cannon to achieve a flip without the use of ramps.
The movie's screenplay was co-authored by Lawrence Roman, known for his work on the western samurai film Red Sun (1971), also featuring Charles Bronson; and the Japanese samurai film Toshirô Mifune, sometimes dubbed the Japanese counterpart of John Wayne.
