Search - One Eyed Jacks on DVD

One of the Great Westerns

Jason Robey | Silver Spring, MD USA | 11/18/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"If you like slow-burning westerns with phenomenal acting, this is one to see. Marlon Brando, who starred and directed, is magnificent as a brooding outlaw named Rio. After five years in a Mexican prison, Rio is on the prowl for his former partner, Dad Longworth, who betrayed him after a bank holdup. He discovers that Longworth has become a wealthy sheriff in a small coastal town. Rio makes his presence known, biding his time and allowing his former buddy to believe that the past is forgotten. But he runs into some trouble while in town. Longworth takes the opportunity to smash Rio's gun hand in a public display, then has him thrown in prison to be hanged. We're left wondering how Rio will ever get his revenge.Martin Scorcese has described this as his favorite western. Rod Serling ("Twilight Zone") worked on the first draft of the script, then Sam Peckinpah ("The Wild Bunch") was hired to rewrite it. Stanley Kubrick was the director, but was later replaced by star Marlon Brando. This is Brando's first and only stint as a director, and though it isn't perfect, it's darn good. He does tend to let scenes drag on a little long, and there were some tedious parts that probably should have been left out, but I'd say about 75-80 percent of this film hits the mark.As an actor, Brando dominates virtually every scene, drawing you in, making you feel what he's feeling. His character is a real son-of-a-b*tch, a liar and a scoundrel, but you come to empathize and root for him by the end. Pina Pellicer, who plays Rio's love interest Louisa, is a very fine actress who holds her own opposite Brando. She looks like a Mexican Audrey Hepburn. There really were no weak actors. Karl Malden, who played Longworth, is appropriately two-faced, a real "one-eyed jack".The dialogue is very authentic. I've seen westerns where they talk like modern day folks, but in "One-Eyed Jacks" the dialect is pure 19th century outlaw. It's great to hear Brando call some guy a "scum-sucking pig" or a "big tub of guts".I like westerns, and this is one of the best that I've seen. It's slow-paced, but it's so good that I didn't mind. It's very character-driven, which I like. It's great to see Brando in his prime. Released in 1961, this film had a significant influence on the revisionist westerns (Sergio Leone, etc.), which started around the mid-1960s. Thumbs up for "One-Eyed Jacks"!(There are numerous versions of this movie floating around, but from what I've read Unicorn Studio's is the one to get.)"