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One-Eyed Jacks -
Bank robbing partners Rio (Marlon Brando) and Dad (Karl Malden) go their separate ways and end up on different sides of the law in this Western that is, if anything, curious. For one, the story is not only typical Western fare, but also not the stuff that epics are made of. Still, with its Oscar-nominated cinematography, sweeping musical score and considerable length, it certainly looks and feels like an epic. Also, even if you skipped the end credits, it's obvious that Marlon Brando is in the director’s seat. It goes without saying that the man had an ego, and while his unique screen presence has a lot to do with this, the way he portrays Rio and films himself recalls how Mr. Burns did the same in The Simpsons episode "A Star is Burns."
While a tad pretentious, the movie's eyebrow-raising aspects are not so much drawbacks as they are oddities. If anything, they make the movie stand out from other Westerns of its era. I do not, however, think they make the movie on par with what the likes of John Ford and Sergio Leone were doing - then again, what is - at the time. There's still a lot to like, the highlights being the moral dilemma of whether Red or Dad is the bad guy, which the movie keeps interesting from start to finish, as well as how it depicts how toxic and petty revenge can be. As for Brando, he's as compelling to watch as you'd expect, not to mention terrifying since Red could be described as a man with a short temper. Malden and Slim Pickens, who plays Dad's right-hand man Lon, are no slouches either, especially for how they ground Brando's flourishes and seeming otherworldliness. Oh, and if it’s action that draws you to this genre, there’s plenty of it and it’s all exciting. Again, I wouldn't mention this movie in the same sentence as ones like The Good, The Bad and the Ugly, but it's still bound to make you wish that Brando had directed more.
Bank robbing partners Rio (Marlon Brando) and Dad (Karl Malden) go their separate ways and end up on different sides of the law in this Western that is, if anything, curious. For one, the story is not only typical Western fare, but also not the stuff that epics are made of. Still, with its Oscar-nominated cinematography, sweeping musical score and considerable length, it certainly looks and feels like an epic. Also, even if you skipped the end credits, it's obvious that Marlon Brando is in the director’s seat. It goes without saying that the man had an ego, and while his unique screen presence has a lot to do with this, the way he portrays Rio and films himself recalls how Mr. Burns did the same in The Simpsons episode "A Star is Burns."
While a tad pretentious, the movie's eyebrow-raising aspects are not so much drawbacks as they are oddities. If anything, they make the movie stand out from other Westerns of its era. I do not, however, think they make the movie on par with what the likes of John Ford and Sergio Leone were doing - then again, what is - at the time. There's still a lot to like, the highlights being the moral dilemma of whether Red or Dad is the bad guy, which the movie keeps interesting from start to finish, as well as how it depicts how toxic and petty revenge can be. As for Brando, he's as compelling to watch as you'd expect, not to mention terrifying since Red could be described as a man with a short temper. Malden and Slim Pickens, who plays Dad's right-hand man Lon, are no slouches either, especially for how they ground Brando's flourishes and seeming otherworldliness. Oh, and if it’s action that draws you to this genre, there’s plenty of it and it’s all exciting. Again, I wouldn't mention this movie in the same sentence as ones like The Good, The Bad and the Ugly, but it's still bound to make you wish that Brando had directed more.