McBain

• Written and Directed by James Glickenhaus
• September 20, 1991

A Vietnam vet brings together his old team in to help a revolutionary’s sister overthrow a ruthless dictator.

Christopher Walken and Michael Ironside in a movie together? That combo alone drew me to the low budget actioner McBain. It is for me a very intriguing combo based on their careers now that one can look back. I can definitely see the great Michael Ironside doing an action movie like this but Walken? What we got was an action film along the lines of those guilty pleasures that once populated overnight cable to fill time or fill the shelves of video stores.

The story revolves around former POW Lieutenant Bobby McBain (Walken) setting out to avenge the death of his friend Roberto Santos (Chick Vennera) who was killed trying to overthrow the dictatorship of Colombia. They couldn’t make up a country or use one that was a dictatorship?

I’m not sure how I feel about them using a real country rather than a fictitious one. McBane as fiction works fine, but when you start thinking about this using a real country that may be dysfunctional yet is not a dictatorship it gets weird. But I digress…

Unlike many action films that connected to Vietnam, McBain was not about winning the war after the fact. The story is about a bunch of Vietnam veterans lead by McBain going to avenge one of their own. During that time they take out a few drug dealers in New York with one bearing a striking resemblance to John Gotti named John Gambotti (Dick Boccelli). That was one of many thinly veiled references to very topical bits of the early 90s.

From a camaraderie aspect, the entire cast works well together. They pull off the illusion of being old friends though like many action films this is more of a fun adventure than serious business. I get why the military unit is close but why is everybody so tight with McBain? Everybody BUT him were part of a unit. He was a POW that they saved under pressure from Santos. Their dialogue indicates a deeper history than what we ever see on the screen. They did not meet until hostilities stopped after which they presumably went their separate ways so now bond forged in battle.

What baffles me is that this is called ‘McBain’. It’s a title that screams rule breaking cop or one-man army. This is an ensemble piece with multiple contributing characters! McBain may get the ball rolling but everyone from Roberto’s sister Christina (María Conchita Alonso) to arms merchant Frank Bruce (Michael Ironside) to a random jet pilot and more help save the day. Walken as always is great, but his McBain is not the source of all success.

I do like Frank’s motivation for getting involved. McBain points out that the guy while he has everything as an arms dealer with three Ferraris and a yacht and a mansion that overlooks the water he is not enjoying it. He is sitting at a table reading his newspaper. That’s something that says a lot about a character and I’m glad they used it. He has no passion or purpose like he had when in the army.

The story itself is a little careening. It moves along like a drunk man from one point to the next with little to no logic yet conversely does make some sense when you look back, but in the moment, not so much. There is the veneer of deeper themes in McBain from time to time but at its core it is a mindless wish fulfillment action movie. These old bros take on mobsters and drug dealers and liberate a country with one even having a chance at getting the girl.

Even though it’s on the cheaper side, it manages to feel rousing. You’re not gonna stand up and salute America or anything since this is not a projection of American might upon the world like a Schwarzenegger movie might. It’s just a fun adventure with some likable characters that with a mixture of explosions and just fun is a thrill ride. Your adrenaline gets pumping.

But it is dumb. There is no escaping that. It is kind of mindless and writer/director James Glickenhaus does is try to inundate the viewers’ senses to trick the mind into going “Wow!” On a budget the best he can get is “Cool explosions” punctuated with gunplay that appeals to somebody seeking a fun adventure vibe.

McBain is not the greatest action movie but it’s fun and entertaining even if it is a little ridiculous. It is dumb and beneath me but reminiscent of the trash I rented or watched in my youth.