Big Jim McLain

directed by Edward Ludwig
Category: "Drama"
Year of Release:1952
Date Added:07/20/2026
Date Watched:07/20/2026
Description:Jim McLain (John Wayne) and Mal Baxter (James Arness) of the House Unamerican Activities Council are sent to Hawaii to root out communists. Jim meets Nancy (Nancy Olson) and, at the end of the movie, marries her. As they follow leads, they discover a plot to work with the unions to stop all shipping. Mal is waylaid and given truth serum, which kills him. McLain and the Hawaiian police are able to stop the plot, arrest Mal's killer, and bring the communists before the committee, but they all plead the 5th and walk free.
My Rating:6

Reviews for Big Jim McLain

Review - Big Jim McLain

Documentary-style movie about rooting out communists. It was mildly entertaining until the end when all the bad guys get off free (which, as John Wayne explains, is because the constitution protects the innocent), but it makes for a anticlimactic movie. The love story angle was just window dressing and had nothing to do with the plot.
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