One-Eyed Jacks (1961)

☆ ☆ ☆ ½

One-Eyed Jacks (1961) – M. Brando

Marlon Brando’s only directorial effort is a long-ish Western that holds up pretty well.  Brando mumbles his way through it as Rio, a bank robber, who is betrayed by partner Dad Longworth (Karl Malden) right at the start of the picture.  After five years in a Mexican jail, Rio makes his way up to Monterrey with a couple of dodgy outlaws to have a show-down with Longworth, who is now the sheriff there.  He falls in love with Longworth’s stepdaughter.  Apparently in Brando’s original five hour cut, things ended rather badly but a conventional Hollywood ending was forced upon him.  Slim Pickens is here in support.  One review I read wondered whether there was a competition among actors to see who could deliver the thickest drawl.  Brando’s is reminiscent of Elvis but you can’t deny Pickens.  The Monterrey vistas are very pretty as backdrop.  Again, the whole thing does hang together, pretty well, charting some classical Western themes in a leisurely laid back way.