One-Eyed Jacks

Revenge and payback are the central theme in this film and is what keeps a cowboy going in his obsession to track down a former partner in crime. Marlon Brando stars and directs this fine drama as the flawed Rio searches for his erstwhile pal who sold him out to a posse several years earlier. Most of the film's characters are unsavory types and the peace officers aren't much better. This picture has the great natural beauty of the Monterrey peninsula and Death Valley, and Karl Malden and Ben Johnson, among others, do superb work. Brando looks a tad overweight in his tight-fitting Mexican cowboy outfits. The film has plenty of drama and excitement and is accompanied by a wonderful music score by Hugo Friedhofer. Although some critics panned this film, it has legions of devotees.

I found this film quite remarkable on many levels. For one, it was the debut for Brando as director (and his only film direction since). Reportedly, it was taken after Kubrick left due to altercations. Well, this time, Brando has one foot in front of the camera, as well as one behind it. He does a great, solid job. In fact, this film never looked awkward or misguided -- it felt like an intelligent western helmed by an Anthony Mann or Raoul Walsh. To further boost the professional polish of the film, there is cinematographer Charles Lang (Magnificent Seven, How the West Was Won).

Within this polished piece of work, the muscle of the film is found in the wonderful character study. Here, the characters, like in many great stories, are complex, dark, tempermental. Although the film is about the hero's(or anti-hero's) thirst for revenge on a man who done him wrong, there's a romance in the film that is truly tender and fateful.

The magnet in this film would have to be Brando. (Karl Malden is great too). Brando's understated performance is of the subtle type, using his famous darting eyes to penetrate the characters and the viewer. He's one of my favorite all-time actors.

As with all great films, One-Eyed Jacks is a quiet masterpiece, displaying what every good film needs: great script, powerful acting, layered characterization, and be technically-sound.

For years I have been waiting for a good print of this very fine western. Mandacy DVD has a version that is terrible. Then the other day I'm at Best Buy, and I see One-eyed Jacks in a widescreen version from Diamond Video on DVD. For $7.99!!! I figure, what-the-hell. I can always get my money back. It is a great transfer. It is the best money I have ever spent on a DVD. This is one of my favorite westerns. A real brooding film about revenge. Marlon Brando made this his only directing effort. To Bad. This is one of his best performances. If you've never seen it, treat yourself. You won't be sorry.

This movie gets better with every viewing. Another poster said that Karl Malden plays sinister very well--also check out "Nevada Smith" for the same type of performance. Although Brando is "Brando" so to speak, I think that his direction of the movie ie underrated. It is a much better western, or movie for that matter, than it is credited for.

From IMDb trivia:

Marlon Brando's first cut of the film was allegedly 5 hours long. He was reportedely unhappy with the final product, despite its box-office success. "Now, it's a good picture for them [Paramount]," he said upon its release, "but it's not the picture I made... now the characters in the film are black-and-white, not gray-and-human as I planned them."

Hand it to Brando to be dissatisfied with a film because he didn't manage to make it as long as he wanted to. Regardless of what Brando thought, this is a really fine Western and a unique one, too - it seems fresh and "new," like a Cool Man's West or something. Having Brando (when he was still looking fairly trim) in the lead role certainly gives it a certain glamor and the story itself - and execution - is great.

Overall I wish Brando had made another film after this but to the best of my knowledge this is really the only true film he ever made. If he was just trying to prove he could direct, he did - even if the film has its flaws, it's far from bad. In fact, it's very, very good - and extremely entertaining.

4.5/5