User reviews

In Sonora, Mexico in 1880 , Rio (Marlon Brando , the character of Rio originally was based on Billy the Kid), his pal Dad Longworth (Karl Malden) and a third man, Doc (Hank Worden) are robbing a bank. As the bandits escape from the town with a loot . The bandits flee but the Mexican mounted police trail the bunch to the mountains . The mounted police follow and trap the bandits atop a desert hill (Death Valley that bears remarkable resemblance to Almeria desert where were filmed lots of Spaghetti) , with one of their horses shot . Their only option is for one of them to ride their single horse to a little post down the canyon and return with two fresh mounts . But Dad double-crosses him and flees . Rio is detained and locked in Sonora Prison but five years later he breaks out . Then Rio seeks vengeance against his former friend Dad who lives now as a sheriff married to a Mexican woman (Katy Jurado) and an adopted daughter (Pina Pellicer who sadly committed suicide a few years later) .

Riveting Western with psychological tones is stunningly performed , richly photographed and well directed , though overlong . Marlon Brando took over the reigns of filmmaking by first and only time . Very good performances from main duo : Brando as an obstinate revenger and Karl Malden who steals the show as his double-dealing former partner . Superb support interpretations from Ben Johnson , Timothy Carey , and Slim Pickens , Katy Jurado , both of whom a few years later played as an intimate couple in ¨Pat Garret and Billy the Kid¨. Lively and adequate musical score by Hugo Friedhofer . Striking cinematography by Charles Lang , being Paramount's last release in VistaVision and filmed on location in California , the following places : Cypress Point, Pebble Beach,Death Valley National Park, Monterey Peninsula,Pebble Beach, Pfeiffer Beach, Big Sur, Seventeen Mile Drive, Warner Ranch, Calabasas, California, USA.

Marlon Brando's inexperience behind the camera was obvious on set , he took the direction from Stanley Kubrick, who originally was slated to direct the film. He shot six times the amount of footage normally used for a film at the time , he was indecisive in his only filmmaking effort and ran extremely overlong in getting the film finished , in spite of the problems , the film resulted to be visually striking and with interesting character study . Marlon Brando's first cut of the film was allegedly five hours long. He was reportedly unhappy with the final product, despite its box-office success , Paramount eventually took the film away from him and re-cut it as Marlon Brando's original cut of the movie was over five hours long . Rating : Better than average despite troubles during filming and the result is a terrific outing in this Western genre .

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.

It is unusual to see a beach and ocean scene in a western but maybe it took a first time director to incorporate these elements in a western set in Monterey, California.

One-Eyed Jacks is Marlon Brando's only film as a director. He was reportedly unhappy with the production company trimming the film down in post production. In turn they were also not happy that the film went over budget.

Brando plays Rio who hangs out with 'Dad' Longworth (Karl Malden) in Mexico. When they are trapped in the desert, surrounded by the Mexican police, Dad makes off with his liberty and the gold while Rio ends up in prison.

Five years later Rio escapes and arrives in a Monterey town where Dad is the sheriff. He has settled down with a wife and step daughter. Rio is looking for revenge despite saying the past is the past.

Rio and his gang want to rob a bank and Rio takes the opportunity to seduce the stepdaughter. After Rio shoots a bully in a bar in self defence, Dad publicly whips Rio and breaks his shooting hand.

There is an Oedipal relationship between Rio and 'Dad.' However both go about at a leisurely pace in taking their revenge. Dad knows he has done wrong by not coming for Rio. He now has a lot to lose after making a respectable life for himself. Rio remains a rogue, constantly lying, always fibbing to the ladies. I could not for a moment believe in his relationship with the step daughter after his mendacity.

The film benefits from nice cinematography, it was one of the last movies made in Vista Vision, it captures the desert landscape really well. Given Brando's view of American history, he does not have a misty eyed view of a golden age of the west. His vision is of liars, cynics and cheaters.

Dad and Rio are rogues, it is just that Dad is hiding it underneath the veneer of respectability. When goaded by Rio, Dad shows his true face.

The problem is that the film is too long even after being cut down by the production company. The story meanders too much in a leisurely way. Brando was astute enough to have those familiar western faces such as Slim Pickens, Ben Johnson and Elisha Cook jr in the picture.

Although this movie probably suffered as a result of cost overruns/studio shenanigans, I would certainly put it in my top 20 westerns, probably knocking at the top 10. This is the only western I've ever seen that takes place in Monterey. I would *JUMP* at the chance to see Brando's 5 hour version. Ben Johnson and Slim Pickens were excellent as was the whole cast. When Brando gets fired up; watch out !

Brando's first effort as a director was excellent. Too bad he lost his taste for it; I don't think we got as much mileage out of his fine talent as we should have in later years.

Malden betrays fellow bank robber Brando who escapes from prison, looking for revenge, but when he finds him, things are not that straight forward.

Sweeping, impressive western ostensibly just about revenge, but, bringing in sub plots and myriad support characters who hold their own, this is much more than that.

Brando is very Brando, all mumbling and supressed rage, but a solid lead nonetheless. It is though the other characters such as Pickens and Johnson who hold you attention, with particularly impressive performances from Malden and Pellicer.

I've seen this a couple of times and the picture quality is not great which it is a shame - often very good looking. Definitely one for restoration.

One-Eyed Jacks not only is a superb Western, one of my all-time favorites, it is also an excellent Oedipal drama that moves beyond the bounds of genre into the mytho-poetic. Brando and Karl Malden both turn in outstanding performances, and the supporting cast, featuring Slim Pickens, Ben Johnson and Katy Jurado, is wonderful.

Incidentally, the featured user comment "The Lost Eye, The Lost Ear" by tedg is erroneous: Stanley Kubrick was fired from the picture, tentatively titled "A Burst of Vermillion," BEFORE he was called on by Kirk Douglas, who had an option on his services as part of the contract for "Paths of Glory," to replace the fired Anthony Mann on "Spartacus." Kubrick, who had increasingly become fed up with the snail-pace progress on developing the script due to Marlon Brando's eccentric work methods, had wanted to cast Spencer Tracy in the role of Dad Longworth, but Brando was adamant about Karl Malden filling the role. According to one account, a frustrated Kubrick has asked Brando: "Marlon, I don't know what this picture is about."

"It's about the $400,000 I've paid Karl Malden."

Kubrick, according to the account, said he could not work under those conditions and quit the picture. (Another account holds that Brando overheard Kubrick tell one of the producers that they'd have to keep Brando away from the script if they were ever to make the shooting date. Brando then fired him.) Officially, the press release said that Kubrick had resigned in order to work on "Lolita," the then infamous Nabokov novel he and his producer partner James Harris (also under contract to Kirk Douglas) had recently acquired.

"One-Eyed Jacks" began shooting in late 1958 (whereas "Spartacus" began shooting in early 1959) and went months over schedule and millions over budget, being shot in the expensive VistaVision process that cost 50 cents a foot in late 1950s prices. Brando reportedly shot hundreds of thousands of feet of footage as he sought inspiration for both himself and his actors, particularly the emotionally fragile Pina Pellicer, the young Mexican actress who had just set out on her tragically abbreviated career. It is said that Karl Malden always calls his beautiful Los Angeles home "The House That 'One-Eyed Jacks' Built" due to the small fortune in over-time he made from the film.

Incidentally, Sam Peckinpah wrote the first draft of the screenplay, based on the novel "The Authentic Death of Hendry Jones," a fictionalized retelling of the life of Billy the Kid. Later, Peckinpah would incorporate similar material such as the jailhouse scenes into his retelling of the Billy the Kid legend, "Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid." In a PLAYBOY interview, Peckinpah explained that he was fired by Brando as Peckinpah had written Rio, the protagonist, as a killer as Billy the Kid was a killer in real-life and Brando would not play such a character.

The film took over a year to edit after principal photography ended in 1959. Eventually, the studio took the film away from Brando and recut it to their own tastes. Brando reportedly did not object, becoming fed-up with editing after spending so much time trying to perfect his film. He did complain, after the fact, that the studio cut took away the moral ambiguity he sought for his character. Brando said that all the characters in the film but Dad Longworth, the ostensible heavy, are two faced -- "one-eyed jacks," with one face on top, the public face, and another face that is hidden. Although Rio accuses Dad of being a "one-eyed jack," to Brando, Dad was the only one who was honest in the film.

In Brando's cut, Dad's last shot meant for Rio hits his step-daughter Louisa instead, killing her and thus leaving Rio with nothing in the end. The studio used the alternative ending where Rio and Louisa have an emotional parting at the beach, and Rio promises to return to her.

In a development that seemingly foreshadows his future personal life, Brando had an affair on-set with Pina Pellicer, who later committed suicide. Their scenes together are quite affecting as they are emotionally true.

Superior Western offers a psychologically complex revenge story with great performances and beautiful cinematography, but is not always coherent in its characterizations, and the romance is not quite convincing.

A straight forward Vendetta tale that is captured in beautifully vivid colour with memorable cinematography (pay particular attention to the wave scene). Brando gives a solid performance as the lead character looking for vengeance against an erstwhile friend "Dad" Longworth, an unctuous and amoral character played by Karl Malden. Katy Jurado gives a good performance as the Matriarch. Along the way there is some romancing (albeit a bit underhand) some shooting, drinking, partying, beatings and betrayal.

It's overly sentimental, I think that it could have been improved by being more hard edged and probably would be should it be made today. I read that Stanley Kubrick had been wanted as director. Having seen some of his early work I think that he would have brought the hard edge that is lacking however Brando succeeds in directing improvised scenes that play credibly.

I have seen the film recently on Blu-ray. Its a fantastic restoration and worth a watch.

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.

The only movie directed by Marlon Brando. I'm a big fan of the guy, yet it took me until now to see it. It had a pretty troubled production history, with Stanley Kubrick and Sam Peckinpah once attached to writing and directing duties. It's a very interesting film, part classic Hollywood oater, part revisionist western ( almost a decade before Wild Bunch).

Karl Malden and Brando are always good together, with Malden being particularly impressive as the heavy (well, they're all heavies) Dad.

Brando had a good eye for catching impressive shots. I loved how it's a western taking place at the coast of Monterey, California. So instead of the usual dusty towns, we get a lot of impressive coastal shots and dramatic waves crashing to the shore.

The movie does run a little long. I read the original ciuit ran for about 4 hours and it's clear that even in the final cut of 2.5 hours some of the pacing problems still remain. There's a 120 minute masterpiece locked up in teher somewhere. As it is, it's a flawed, but a very good western. A pity Brando never directed another thing, it would have been interesting to see what else he came up with.

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

This is not great but it has great moments and a very unusual feel to it. Peckinpah and Kubrick had apparently been slated as director before the project was taken over by Brando and it seems unlikely that neither of the other directors would have had such a sentimental section in the middle. Not any three directors would have wanted the cop-out ending imposed by the studio either but we have what we have. Firstly, the look of the film is extraordinary and I can't think of any other western with ocean views and certainly nothing as spectacular as these. The skies, also and some of the longer takes of distant passes, rocks and hills are especially stunning. Brando's own performance is exemplary and the care he has taken with his own close-ups and key scenes, such as that in the jail, on the beach and particularly in the truly scary whipping scene is certainly rewarding. Some focus is lost in other parts and the central romance, established after little more than a glance, is hard to take, particularly after another near the start only lasted a minute or so, with the proffered ring being quickly seized back. Bit of a curates egg then but worth seeing for those landscape shots and the Marlon Brando performance.

Originally a project for Stanley Kubrick and then went into the hands of Brando, this is not your everyday Cowboy yarn. It's very surprising that the direction so well crafted and flawless for a first time director. The film is a kind of "Old friends turns true enemies" (obvious that this film was the inspiration for Sam Peckinpah western "Pat Garret and Billy the kid" but Brando's is much much better.) with Brando as the Betrayed Rio and Karl Malden in his most nasty. Also film features the lovely actress Pina Pellicer as Brando love interest. The scenery is a real eye candy and the score is wonderful. It's unacceptable that such a classic known by so few people these days. Watch this underrated classic - you won't be disappointed. I rate this a 10/10.Recommended

The best parts of the film are the acting from Karl Malden and Ben Johnson. Marlon is interesting to watch in most of his scenes although there were only a couple of stand out ones - him squaring off with Ben during the poker game, and earlier when Marlon is talking with Karl for the first time after five years.

The love interest not going with Marlon at the end didn't seem correct given her professing love and trying to help him escape.

Lots of strange edits with mismatching action/shots, perhaps a casualty of cutting a 5 hour version down to just over 2 hours.

Staging of most scenes was conventional, I wonder what it would have been like if Kubrick had stayed on as director.

Shame there wasn't a scene using the deck of cards with a pair of one-eyed Jacks as a losing hand in a poker game - one the Jack of Hearts (Brando) and the other the Jack of Spades (Karl)

It's 1880 in Sonara, Mexico. Rio (Marlon Brando) is a bank robber on the run from the authorities. His partner Dad Longworth (Karl Malden) double-crosses him and escapes leaving Rio behind. Rio is captured but he escapes from Sonora prison 5 years later. He hunts down Dad who is now a sheriff in California.

This is most notable for being Marlon Brando's one and only directing effort. It's a simple western with some competent scenes. However there are a lot of amateurish camera work too. There's a reason Brando never became a director. Eventually he lost his overly long movie to be recut by the studio.

The movie as it is cut by the studio is a slow disjointed western. It's not anything original or special. Karl Malden and Marlon Brando are both great actors in their prime. Neither characters are simple and the movie is compelling enough to watch. Mostly just to see what these great actors are going to do. There is a couple of nice performances from Pina Pellicer and Katy Jurado.

Whatever the problems were in making this Movie, certainly they didn't interfere with the out-come, One Eyed Jacks is a great Western. During it's production there seemed to be some running over budget, and others( notably Marlon Brando ) running out of patience, with percieved ideas about where the Movie was heading, particularly in the film's early stages. But the end result is the one we are interested in, and we're not let down by all who took part in it, in particular Brando, who along with many other chores gives us a fine portrayal of Johnny Rio, the betrayed and vengeful bank robber. Karl Malden as always presents us with an equally fine performance as Dad Longworth, who as Rio's friend betrays him then spends the next five years looking over his shoulder. Along with some spectacular cinematography by Charles Lang, the film has it's fair share of action also, as we see Rio's short fuse explode losing his cool with Bob Amory, played by the ever reliable Ben Johnson, and Lon Dedrick, played brilliantly by Slim Pickens. I particularly like the scene when Rio breaks out of his cell after bluffing Dedrick with an empty Derringer. The interaction between them is fantastic, and they didn't hold anything back either with Dedrick getting a smart kick up the backside after he was jammed in the back by Rio forcing him on his knees. The film bogs down a little in the middle stages when the relationship between Rio and Louisa, played by Pina Pellicer, begins to blossom. There seems to be too many shots of Brando giving us dialogue that could have been condensed into something a touch sharper and perhaps a little shorter also. Notwithstanding that however, One Eyed Jacks is a great Western, decorated with the presence of stars Brando and Malden, and one also where we could be forgiven for asking.......just who was the Director?...........Who cares.

Charles Lang received a well deserved Oscar nomination for his cinematography, best remembered for the incomparable Big Sur. It was especially impressive when seen in Paramount's VistaVision, considered by most to be the best of all the original wide screen processes. This was the final film made in VistaVIsion, which was replaced by a less expensive, albeit not as good process. Hugo Friedhofer contributed a wonderful score that complimented the cinematography and the story. Otherwise, I originally wrote that it is a decent enough film, worth seeing one time. Since then I have watched it several more times, and my admiration has grown each time I've watched it. Although Paramount cut Brando's version considerably, but at 2:41, it is still too long. As a result, the pace of the film drags at times. Brando deserves credit for his direction, the only film that he ever directed. It's a good cast with solid performances. The casting of the unknown (in the U. S.) Mexican actress Pina Pelicer was an "inspired" choice. Sadly, her death by suicide three years after this film was released deprived theater-goers of seeing her in other roles. Perhaps the most overlooked acting performance was that by Ben Johnson, who is very convincing as a really, really bad guy.

Standard revenge oater with a double-crossed Rio (Marlon Brando) hunting down his betrayer Dad Longworth (Karl Malden), who has now gone straight and is the sheriff of Monterey. The story is formulaic but the script and acting are fine and there are some good action scenes and nice desert and coastal scenery. Pretty much all of the male leads in the film are miserable b**tards (although not surprisingly Brando's character 'repents'). Longworth is a liar who abandoned his best friend to the pursuing Rurales after knocking over a Mexican bank, and even the usually affable character actors Ben Johnson and Slim Pickens play mean-spirited low-lifes. On the distaff side, Pina Pellicer is excellent as Longworth's stepdaughter who falls for Rio (this was the first time I saw this lovely Mexican actress and I was saddened when I read of her early death). The film has a harsh edge and is one of the earlier 'hard' Westerns that would eventually lead to brutal films such as 'The Wild Bunch' (1969) and 'Ulzana's Raid' (1972) as well as the flood of European 'anti-hero' Westerns that followed Sergio Leone's ground breaking 'Fistful of Dollars' (1964). "0ne-Eyed Jacks' was directed by Brando (who replaced Kubrick) and there are numerous anecdotes concerning cost overruns and the eccentric actor's behaviour on the set.

One-Eyed Jacks (1961): A 36-year-old Brando plays Rio, a bank robber who after a Mexican robbery turned sideways is betrayed by his partner Dad Longworth, played by Karl Malden. After five years in a Sonoran Desert, Rio breaks out and looks for revenge on Dad. He connects with a few other gun hands who tell him the whereabouts of Longworth - he's the Sheriff of Monterey. They head up there to rob the bank in his town and for Rio to get revenge. This near 2.5 hour film, directed by Marlon Brando (his own only directorial feature), tries to fit in a lot of character development and romantic entanglements between this swift opening act and what we all know is eventually coming. Unfortunately, this attempt at showing the depth and greys of gunfighters doesn't engage, it mostly drags. Karl Malden's Longworth does get a couple of moments to really stand out, presaging the kind of character we'd find in someone like Gene Hackman's Little Bill. The ultimate shootout is a bit underwhelming and the quick ending afterwards feels like studio interference to shorten the film. A notable film, but a miss.