Q (The Winged Serpent) Movie Review

Q is a great movie to scream through in a huge revival theatre on a Saturday afternoon, but it would still be a hoot to see at home on video with your friends. Michael Moriarty isn't the first actor to come to mind as Jimmy Quinn, former addict, current petty criminal, and musician wannabe, but he's terrific in the role. Larry Cohen's direction and screenplay are pretty terrific, too, and the rest of the cast is top-notch: David Carradine (yes, David Carradine) and Richard Roundtree as detectives and Candy Clark as Jimmy's girlfriend. The plot revolves around the aforementioned winged serpent Q (for Quetzacoatl) who's nesting in New York's Chrysler Building. Except for priests who are skinning people as sacrifices (and construction workers, just before Q lops off their heads), only Jimmy knows where Q resides. Can he and detectives Carradine and Roundtree save Manhattan in time? Cohen's sharp storytelling skills reveal all. Catch it if you can! AKA: Q: The Winged Serpent.

1982 (R) 92m/C Michael Moriarty, Candy Clark, David Carradine, Richard Roundtree, Malachy McCourt; D: Larry Cohen; W: Larry Cohen; C: Fred Murphy; M: Robert O. Ragland. VHS, DVD