One-Eyed Jacks (1961)

Directed by Marlon Brando. Starring Marlon Brando, Karl Malden, Pina Pellicer, Ben Johnson, Katy Jurado, Larry Duran, Slim Pickens, Sam Gilman, Timothy Carey, Hank Worden.

Betrayed bank robber Brando confronts old partner Malden (now a sheriff in a small California town) after escaping from prison, seduces Malden’s impressionable stepdaughter (Pellicer). Brooding, meditative Western full of captivating images and exciting bursts of action, but it’s more of a character study than traditional tale of retribution dressed in chaps and spurs. As expected, Brando peels back the layers with unorthodox relish and spontaneity—one moment, his simmering rage is ready to pop, and the next, he waxes philosophical while trying to come to terms with his lot in life. Underappreciated genre effort is not without its shortcomings—the pace flags during Brando’s scenes with Pellicer, the star’s mumbling can be hard to interpret, and there’s too little incident for a film that runs just short of two-and-a-half hours—but the unexpected depth, strong character work, subversive spirit, and contemplative conflict keep it feeling fresh today amid so many of the era’s dust-covered sagebrush relics. Adapted from a Charles Neider novel (“The Authentic Death of Hendry Jones”) by Guy Trosper and Calder Willingham, with contributions from Sam Peckinpah and Rod Serling going uncredited. Brando’s lone outing behind the camera (Stanley Kubrick was originally slated to direct, but left the project early on). Elisha Cook Jr. has a bit part as a bank teller.

81/100