Q
Tags: cult, violence

Plot synopsis:
The Aztec god Quetzalcoatl, a winged, dragon-like, female lizard, decides to take up residence in the art-deco spire of the Chrysler Building, taking frequent jaunts in the midday sun to devour various hapless New Yorkers. The resulting bloody mess confounds detectives Dt. Shepard (David Carradine) and Sgt. Powell (Richard Roundtree), who are already occupied with a case involving a series of bizarre ritual murders linked to a secret Aztec cult. Meanwhile, Jimmy Quinn (Michael Moriarty), a cheap, paranoid crook who wishes to be a jazz pianist, takes part in a botched diamond heist that leads him to the creature's lair atop the building. This causes Quinn's attempts to settle down and turn over a new leaf from crime to be in vain as he decides to extort from the city an enormous amount of money in exchange for directions to the creature's nest, which houses a colossal egg.
The details of the location fall into Shepard's hands, and he leads a paramilitary assault on the Chrysler Building. First, they shoot the egg, the baby attacks and is killed. Later, the creature comes to the tower. After the showdown, the creature, riddled with bullets, falls onto the streets of Manhattan. Finally, Shepard also apprehends and shoots the Plumed Serpent's crazed priest as he prepares to ritually murder Quinn to resurrect his "god". In the final scene, an egg hatches at a different location as the screen fades to black.

Review: Micheal Moriarty (from  "Law and Order" and Cohen's The Stuff) plays a loser who finds the nest of the beast, and Richard Roundtree (Shaft) and David Carradine (Death Race 2000 and Kung Fu: The Legend Continues) have excellent roles as two detectives trying to locate it before it devours more construction workers.The plot has some great twists and turns and there's some great obligatory B -movie gore in this one, too.
The zipper up the back of the necks don't show as often that way, and besides, the movie was about more than the monster, right?There are no less than 3 separate story lines in this Larry Cohen blue plate special.
Any one of them would be enough for a half dozen current wannabe filmmakers, but Cohen weaves them all together, makes his point, and delivers up an amusing little cheezy entertainment.If only more current horror films were as entertaining.Watching Michael Moriarity and David Carradine is fun, too..
Maybe there is simply a giant bird on the loose; or maybe those ritualistic killings have reincarnated an Aztec god known as Quetzalcoatl (or just 'Q' for short), which is currently nesting in one of New York City's high buildings The special effects in 'Q' are definitely the film's main talking point.
Thanks help a delinquent (Michael Moriarty) who encounters the monster's hidden nest on the Chrisler building , detective Sheperd discovers that several murders committed in violent manner have been executed as bloody sacrifices to Aztec God named Quetzalcóatl , a feathered serpent whose two halves are a serpent and a bird .This is a rough-edged chiller and results to be an entertaining return to monster movies from the 50s .
Good cast as an overacting Michael Moriarty and David Carradine , Richard Roundtree as Police Inspectors ; and nice support casting as Eddie Jones and Candy Clark as crooks'fiancée .
As if the NYPD haven't enough on their plate, there's a bank robbery in which a put-upon small-time crook loses the money and then finds a giant egg on top of a skyscraper.What sets this film apart from the hundreds of other monster movies is its genuinely tense atmosphere, its characters, its haunting scenes which really do stay with you, its well-written and witty script, its great views of New York and its monster which really does have a life and character all of its own..
The story has the Aztec flying serpent god Quetzalcoatl coming to modern-day New York and biting off heads and such.
It's a pretty creative film, effectively written and directed by Cohen, with a good cast and shot on location in New York City.
A small time crook Jimmy happens to stumble upon the winged serpent's nest, and after being caught for a bungled robbery he uses this information to his advantage.What an extremely nifty and charming little film by the inventive b-film maestro Larry Cohen!
While Michael Moriarty isn't known for anything in particular, we have Candy Clark (Debbie in "American Graffiti"), David Carradine (Bill in "Kill Bill"), Richard Roundtree (Shaft in "Shaft"), Mary Louise Weller (Mandy in "Animal House") and Malachy McCourt* (the brother of "Angela's Ashes" author Frank McCourt).
What a collection for a movie about a winged Aztec serpent god terrorizing New York!*A few hours after watching this, I watched "The Brink's Job", which it turned out also featured Malachy McCourt in a supporting role.
The first was a Science Fiction epic about two NYC detectives charged with stopping a modern day Aztec cult and the monsterous winged deity they have brought to life.The second concerns the exploits of a small time hood trying to rise above his station in life.
Brought to life with the aid of some niffy bits of stop motion animation, the elephant sized beastie wings its way over the Manhattan skyline out performing the human actors as it goes.The best thing Cohen could have done is to drop Moriarty's entire segment and replace it with something more in keeping with the films Sci-fi nature.
Having Aboulela cut their hearts out and then skinning them, all this without the benefit of anesthetics, which brought the ancient winged serpent Quetzalcoatl back to life.The fate of the winged serpent and petty New York criminal Jimmy Quinn, Michael Moriarty, crossed paths when he was stuck with a $77,000.00 heist of a Manahttan jewelry store with his two co-robbers Doyle & Webb, John Capodice & Tony Page, nowhere in sight.
It's then where Quinn takes the cops to the Chrysler Buildng and they find a number of skeletal remains, including those of Quinn's former partners in crime Doyle & Webb.The last fifteen or so minutes of the movie is a lot like that of "King Kong" with the NYPD stationed in the Chrysler Building fighting off the deadly winged serpent and suffering heavy losses in the process.
Even though it's one of the goriest film that you'll ever see "Q" comes across almost as a tongue and cheek satire instead of a bloodcurdling horror movie thanks to Larry Cohen's writing and direction.
An out-of-work, ex-con piano player (Michael Moriarty) is the only person who knows the location of the monster's nest and is determined to turn the knowledge to his advantage, but will his gamble pay off or will he end up as lizard food?The biggest issue with this movie is the implausibility that no one is able to see the monster.
Good story, good characters, good acting, good cast (Moriarty, Richard Roundtree, Candy Clark and David Carradine)...
A Mexican Aztec winged serpent god is brought to life through ritual killings by an Aztec high priest, but the death count rises as people in New York City start getting decapitated, & are swept up in thin air.
No one knows why, except Michael Moriarty, a small time con man who has seen the serpents nest & extorts NYC for $1,000,000 for it's hiding place, at the top of one of NYC's tallest buildings.
He stumbles upon the creature and its nest (complete with giant egg) in the needle of the Chrystler building.The majority of the movie deals with finding the serpent and the reason why it has shown up in New York.
There are also way too many fly-by shots.This is not a good movie and could have been a lot better if it focused more on the serpent and its mythology, than the police crime aspect.
I rented it in order to see David Carradine's performance as a homicide detective who finds himself on the trail of a serial killer who happens to be a resurrected God -- a big, flying one that can swoop around New York City in broad daylight snatching up victims like an owl scarfing down field mice.
It's startling when a helicopter flies right between the two towers of the World Trade Center and you see the tops of buildings that are lost forever--and you recall a Real Life Horror Story that unfolded at that spot.Look for an appearance by Malachy McCourt, brother of Frank McCourt (ANGELA'S ASHES and 'TIS)as the Chief of Police who signs a million dollar deal with the informant who turns in the gigantic killer, Q, who has somehow eluded the entire City while eating its way across Manhattan..
Anyone familiar with the films of Larry Cohen will be aware that this is a man who acts like he owns the city of New York.
Apparently a museum employee had literally prayed for the creature to come back to life while he was committing these Aztec sacrifices   There's also a subplot involving a junkie named Quinn (Michael Moriaty) who knows where the creature is hiding (at the top of the Chrysler Building) and demands $1 million dollars from the city for revealing the information to the police.
Larry Cohen is an endlessly talented filmmaker with many original ideas and "Q", which may even be his most ambitious project to date, revolves on a unique movie-monster that lives atop the Chrysler Building and feeds itself with ordinary New Yorkers.
Larry Cohen is in his best shape ever here and, unlike most monster-movies, this film doesn't waste any time on pointless talking or dull speculating but totally focuses on action!
To give an example: police detective Shepard (played by the great David Carradine from "Kill Bill) immediately acknowledges that he's dealing with a huge monster whereas, in similar productions, half of the city usually gets eaten before the cops accept what they're up against.
First it does not try to be anything more than what it is, a B horror film with good character actor characterizations, some witty dialogue, cheesy special effects, an outlandish story, and lots of gore.
He makes great choices of films though, as that type always works for him.The monster effects were hardly Saviniesque, but Cohen made up for it by showing quick glimpses only.And he seemed to love filming from high places.
Cohen semi-regular Michael Moriarty steals every scene he's in as the small time loser ex-con with "issues", and David Carradine is perfect as the veteran cop with an open mind.
Q: THE WINGED SERPENT is Director, Larry Cohen's (GOD TOLD ME TO, IT'S ALIVE 1-3, THE STUFF) monster movie about the title creature, and its hunger for bipedal snacks in NYC.
and a strong cast; Michael Moriarty, Richard Roundtree, and David Carradine!!Not to mention the title monster, Quetzalcoatl!
It's not a film you're going to watch over and over, but it makes a pretty good "beer-and-laughs" flick.The concept of a giant-winged serpent flapping laboriously through the New York skies in broad daylight is somewhat comical, though.
It plays like a cop thriller, cleverly blending the "monster movie" theme with conventional police drama, but spiced up particularly by Moriarty's manic impression of the petty loser baying for his seven minutes of stardom at any cost.
Q (1982) is about a giant flying serpent like creature that lives a top an old high rise in New York City.
If you like gory monster movies with bad special effects, you'll love this film.
Although it is gory at times, it is an outstanding monster flick, about a giant flying reptile killing people while it flies through the city of New York.
Correct me if I'm wrong but weren't they able to do better stuff in 1982 than stop-motion and bad montages?The good things about this movie is that it's nice to see David Carradine once again, he seems to be the only decent actor in there...
If that is the sort of thing you enjoy than you will love this movie, if you don't then I think you should avoid this like the plague.The film begins when people are mysteriously killed and no one can fathom out how or why.
As if New York doesn't have enough problems already, a flying serpent is on the loose picking people off as a feed.Jimmy (Michael Moriarty) is a thief, and one day he discovers a giant bird's nest at the top of the Chrysler building.
When Jimmy gets caught, he uses the information he has to spring a deal with the cops.Unlikely story that a giant serpent can roam New York city and not get detected by thousands of people, but that's the plot.
Michael Moriarty plays a snivelling ex-junkie Jimmy Quinn,who hides in the Chrysler Building after a robbery and finds a giant egg in the rafters.A series of ritualistic murders that look like human sacrifice takes place in New York City.It seems that a fanatical cult has resurrected the ancient Aztec bird-god Quetzalcoatl,a huge winged serpent which demands human blood."Q" is a pretty clever horror film with effective monster effects by Dave Allen and decent acting.The aerial shots are impressive,unfortunately there is not enough gory monster mayhem.The film is talky and the action drags during its second half.However if you are a fan of eccentric Larry Cohen's horror movies like "God Told Me To" or "It's Alive" give "Q" a chance.6 out of 10..
"Q: The Winged Serpent" is a rather decent creature feature that is pretty entertaining.**SPOILERS**After a series of strange occurrences, Detective Shepard, (David Carradine) and Sergeant Powell, (Richard Roundtree) are shocked to find it part of a series of incidents over New York.
This is really only for those enjoy cheesy monster flicks or like the way it intertwines the two stories together, but those looking for a little more action-packed film will find this one tough to sit through at times.Rated R: Graphic Language, Violence and Brief Nudity.
Just last week I saw a film called "The Flying Serpent," a fairly lame movie from 1946 starring George Zucco, about a professor who uses the Aztec bird god Quetzalcoatl to perform various homicides for him in modern-day New Mexico.
In this consistently amusing picture, Michael Moriarty stars as another Q, Quinn, a small-time crook, ex-junkie, two-time ex-con and aspiring musician, who discovers the serpent bird's nesting lair way up in the tower of the Chrysler Building and uses his exclusive knowledge to hold NYC to ransom when the bird monster starts to use the city's residents as hors d'oeuvres.
David "Kung Fu" Carradine and Richard "Shaft" Roundtree also make for a fun team as squabbling detectives on the case, and Q himself (or perhaps I should say "herself," as Q seems to be an egg layer?), I am happy to say, looks mighty fine; some very impressive FX work for a film with a typically limited Larry Cohen budget.
The film's finale, during which the swooping monster attacks the armed cops at the summit of the Chrysler Building, plays out like the ending of "King Kong," only with the positions reversed.
Schlockmeister filmmaker Larry Cohen's tongue-through-cheek skewering valentine to those giant beasties run amok horror cheapies during the 1950s transplants an immense flying serpent, a Mexican god (!) no less, in seen-it-all Manhattan and in a stroke of genius (and homage to 'King Kong') places the monster's lair in the art deco Chrysler Building.Moriarty is the epitome of scenery chewing in his eyes agog mugging as an ex-con loser out to bilk a buck at The Big Apple's expense when he discovers the thing's nest.
one funny set piece after another with a great funny performance from the underrated michael moriarty and good support from david carradine and richard roundtree.funniest bit would have to be when he lures his co robbers up to the serpents nest.**** out of 5.
Cohen directs very well getting good performances out of a strong cast, Moriarty, Carradine, Roundtree, and Candy Clarke who plays Quinn's girlfriend are all impressive.
Cohen's script is entertaining, trying to blend sub plots together that almost seem from a different film at times, a standard monster film with the winged serpent snatching and eating people from roof tops, a crime film with Quinn's failed robbery and the crooks who think he double crossed them, and a murder mystery with Shepard and Powell hunting down a murderer responsible for the mutilated bodies turning up.
Meanwhile, an Aztec cult is leaving sacrificed victims in its wake as Detective Shepard (David Carradine, Death Race 2000) and Sgt. Powell (Richard Roundtree, Shaft) try to keep up.The film cuts to a failed diamond heist that leads Jimmy Quinn (Michael Moriarty, who owns this film with a manic Method performance) to the title monster's nest.
Instead, it focuses on its human characters, who turn out to be an interesting and quirky bunch.Michael Moriarty stars as Jimmy Quinn, a small time crook and full time loser who, after a jewelry robbery goes awry, runs and hides in the top of the Chrysler Building, where he comes upon valuable knowledge: this is now the nesting area for the enormous ancient Aztec "god" Quetzlcoatl (or just Q, if you prefer) that has been "prayed back into existence".The monster scenes, with special effects courtesy of David Allen, Randall William Cook, and Peter Kuran, are fun in the classic tradition, and there are some nice bits with a rooftop sunbather getting nabbed, a window washer getting decapitated, etc.
However, I really enjoyed the movie, not to mention some great performances from Michael Moriarty, David Carridine, and even some hard-nosed cop action from Richard Roundtree.Larry Cohen is not particularly one of my favourite directors, though I'm always interested in what he's doing for one reason or another.
I wish he did more stuff like Q- an odd mix of a story about a cult reviving an ancient, flying monster (from the Mesoamerican legend of Quetzalcoatl), and a criminal (played extremely well by Moriarty) who stumbles upon the creature's nest, as well as its little baby in a big ol' egg.
To me this movie is Larry Cohen's damn opus, I've always mainly loved it for the awesome monster which looks like a combination of both a dragon and a bird.
I find a lot of the humour to be on the low-key mean-spirited side, and most of it comes from Michael Moriarty who really is the heart of the movie and steals every scene he's in with his excellent portrayal of the loser Jimmy Quinn, a self-centred conniving little man who wants to capitalise on the monster by selling his knowledge of its hiding place for the hefty sum of a million dollars because the city of New York owes him one!!!
Soon Moriarty and Carradine are squaring off, Moriarty the only one who knows where the creature is, and wants to make sure if he makes a deal he will get something in return.A seemingly silly idea for a film, but no less silly than Godzilla, King Kong, and many other monster movies.
Cohen gives some good camera-work over the city, meaning we never know when Q is going to attack, or from where, and the relationship between Carradine and Moriarty is interesting.
Michael Moriarty (who stars in most of the films I named above) stars in this film as a thief who knows where the serpent god's nest is: the Chrysler building.