One-Eyed Jacks

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.

Prison escapee Brando (wearing only slightly less eye makeup than Liz Taylor in "Cleopatra") sets out to punish ex-friend Malden, but takes time out to romance Malden's step-daughter in this adult psychological western. The film was started by Stanley Kubrick, but when he took a hike, Brando stepped in to finish directing the film (his only effort behind the camera.) Several things about the film are striking. One is the dust/sand. This is a dusty, sandy movie! Even "Lawrence of Arabia" may not have had this much dust a' blowin'. Also unusual is the setting (oceanside.) Then there is the attention to the psyche. Rare for an early '60's western, the characters' thoughts and motivations are examined quite fully. Another striking feature is the parade of posed, extended shots of Brando merely staring. One might call these vanity shots.....especially if the subject of them is also directing the film! He also has a tendency to stick his behind and crotch in front of the camera. The story has a beginning, a middle and an end, but sometimes getting to them takes a while. The movie is just plain too long. It's not that it isn't compelling, but a few judicious cuts would have made it EXTREMELY compelling. Brando does a decent job (if one can understand all his patented mumbling), but Malden is the revelation. People familiar with him only from American Express commercials and "The Streets of San Francisco" will be amazed at the range he offers here. He is so much more menacing and sinister than most will remember him having been before. It's neat to see the two former costars of "A Streetcar Named Desire" square off. Another good performance comes by way of Pickens (who would later reunite with Malden in the deadly "Beyond the Poseidon Adventure".) He is a very effective redneck deputy. There's some nice work by relatively unknown actress Pellicer as Malden's step-daughter. Though her voice in her first scene seems inappropriately low, she improves throughout and does a fine job. Jurado has less to do as her mother, but still scores. Brando has a few sidekicks along for the ride. Johnson does well as a ruthless wanted man and Gilman (a costar in no less than five other Brando films) is okay. The film has some great scenery and some strong music. It's worst detriment is it's length which bogs down the sometimes slight story.

Ben Johnson is mesmerizing in this picture; his natural ease with

screen acting was well-honed by this time and he has a

confidence, a greasy smoothness, in the part of Bob Amory that he

hadn't displayed up to this point. Perhaps it was because he was

working with two stellar actors from the method school that

spurred him to give them a run for their money. Or perhaps he was

more relaxed due to his extensive experience working in westerns

(or because he was one of the only authentic cowboys on the set).

Nevertheless, his contribution is equal to the leads, and far above

everyone else. And that's so small feat. Before Kubrick had left the

production, he obviously installed several of his favorite players:

Slim Pickens, Tim Carey, Elisha Cook Jr in supporting roles. Each

same part makes a significant contribution to the complexity and

charm of the story. But Johnson rises above them all. His snake- rattling Amory is just as pathetic as he is creepy. The scene in

which he chickens out of a gun duel with Brando is electrifying,

mostly due to the ambiguity in Johnson's close-ups. Watching it,

you're not quite sure if the character is too stupid to back down or

just plain chilled to the bone with fear.

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.