One-Eyed Jacks

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One-Eyed Jacks

Released Mar 30, 1961

2h 21m

Western

Drama

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61%

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18 Reviews

72%

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2,500+ Ratings

After pulling a bank heist in Mexico, the outlaw Rio (Marlon Brando) and his partner, Dad Longworth (Karl Malden), make a run for it, but Dad has bigger plans than freedom. He betrays Rio and absconds with the loot, and Rio ends up in prison. Years pass before Rio finally breaks free to enact his long-plotted revenge. Tracking Dad to California, Rio learns he's become a sheriff -- which is no deterrent -- but when Rio falls for Dad's stepdaughter, Louisa (Pina Pellicer), he has second thoughts.

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Penelope Houston

Sight & Sound

The satisfactions of One Eyed Jacks lie in watching an artist of this calibre at work, the display of that quintessential actor's egotism which admits of no limits to what the player, merely through his presence, can communicate.

Feb 11, 2020

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Melissa Anderson

Village Voice

A strange, tumid, engrossing western ...

Oct 13, 2016

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Peter Sobczynski

The Spool

[It's] either an enormously ambitious but uneven work at worst, or one of the greatest Westerns ever filmed, as well as one of the most fascinating one-and-done directorial efforts in Hollywood history.

Mar 31, 2021

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Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

Brando brings Method moodiness to the standard Western protagonist.

Rated: 3.5/4

Jan 20, 2021

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Dwight MacDonald

Esquire Magazine

One-Eyed Jacks has some very handsome photography and some competent performances, but it isn't even a very good Western.

Jul 30, 2019

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Tim Brayton

Antagony & Ecstasy

Lumbering and bloated, often compelling, always gorgeous, and at times astonishingly bizarre.

Rated: 6/10

Jul 26, 2014

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Steve D

Nothing stands out here and a number of actors are wasted,

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

09/24/24

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Wayne K

The only film Marlon Brando directed throughout his illustrious career, and the catalyst for his worst ever career downturn, One-Eyed Jacks is a far better film that’s its reputation would suggest. The backstory involves a lot of studio meddling and post production interference, so it’s a miracle it turned out as well as it did. A steadily paced, thoughtful rumination on revenge, where the extra runtime gives the emotions longer to develop and the hatred to fester. It’s not concerned with big blowout action sequences or gunfights that result in a pile of faceless corpses, it’s a character study, with a lead who’s about as morally grey as you can get. I don’t think anyone will claim this is anywhere near Brando’s finest performance, but the stoicism and reserve he gives his character are just right, and there’s never a moment where you don’t buy what he’s going through. It has a fairly rushed and initially underdeveloped romance between Brando and Pellicer, but as the story progresses we get to understand what they see in each other. Karl Malden makes a great foil for Brando, playing a man who can be just as ruthless, but also possesses a charm and likeability that makes you feel like he doesn’t deserve what he has coming to him. It’s a shame that its commercial failure put a massive dent in Brando’s career, and set him up for a very depressing decade, but for a one and done directorial effort, I think its pretty damn good.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

06/17/24

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Alec B

I am pleasantly surprised that the movie is coherent and it has a genuinely interesting perspective about vengeance. Obviously Brando directing means that no one can reign in his incoherent mumbling but just about everyone else gives a great performance.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/21/24

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j F

Excellent acting, gorgeous scenery, and unlike the classic western, which is a good thing!

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

01/08/24

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Brett B

The Citizen Kane of westerns. Deep characters and scenery.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

06/15/23

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Audience Member

Good one right here. Yes I recommend it. James Welch, Henderson, Arkansas, January 11, 2023.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

06/12/23

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Marlon Brando

Director

Marlon Brando

Rio

Karl Malden

Sheriff Dad Longworth

Katy Jurado

Maria Longworth

Pina Pellicer

Louisa

Slim Pickens

Deputy Lon Dedrick

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Synopsis

After pulling a bank heist in Mexico, the outlaw Rio (Marlon Brando) and his partner, Dad Longworth (Karl Malden), make a run for it, but Dad has bigger plans than freedom. He betrays Rio and absconds with the loot, and Rio ends up in prison. Years pass before Rio finally breaks free to enact his long-plotted revenge. Tracking Dad to California, Rio learns he's become a sheriff -- which is no deterrent -- but when Rio falls for Dad's stepdaughter, Louisa (Pina Pellicer), he has second thoughts.

Director: Marlon Brando
Producer: Frank P. Rosenberg
Screenwriter: Guy Trosper, Calder Willingham
Production Co: Pennebaker Productions
Genre: Western, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Mar 30, 1961, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Feb 18, 2012
Runtime: 2h 21m

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