SYNOPSIS: One-Eyed Jacks is a 1961 American Western directed by Marlon Brando and starring Brando, Karl Malden, Katy Jurado, and Pina Pellicer. The film follows Rio, an outlaw who is betrayed by his former partner, Dad Longworth, during a robbery. Captured by the authorities while Longworth escapes with the stolen money, Rio eventually breaks free and spends years searching for the man who abandoned him.

After discovering that Longworth has become a respected sheriff in California, Rio travels there under an assumed identity. His desire for revenge is complicated by his growing relationship with Longworth's stepdaughter, Louisa, and by the realization that his former partner is determined to protect his respectable new life at any cost.

Combining psychological drama with the traditional elements of the Western, One-Eyed Jacks is distinguished by its complex characters, striking coastal California locations, and Brando's brooding performance. The film explores betrayal, revenge, guilt, and the destructive consequences of allowing hatred to dominate one's life.

PLOT Spoiler Alert: One-Eyed Jacks (1961) begins with Rio and Dad Longworth robbing a Mexican bank. When Mexican authorities close in, Longworth abandons Rio and escapes with the stolen money. Rio is captured and imprisoned, eventually escaping several years later with revenge against his former partner as his primary goal.

Rio tracks Longworth to Monterey, California, where he has reinvented himself as a respected sheriff.

Rio initially attempts to maintain a peaceful relationship with him, but Longworth recognizes the threat and begins working to destroy his former partner. Meanwhile, Rio falls in love with Louisa, Longworth's stepdaughter, creating a painful conflict between his desire for revenge and his feelings for her.

Longworth eventually betrays Rio again, having him arrested and publicly humiliated after arranging for him to be branded and whipped. Rio survives and returns to confront him. In the final showdown, Rio kills Longworth but is left emotionally devastated by what his revenge has cost him. He ultimately leaves Louisa behind, riding away alone as the consequences of his vengeance finally become clear.

PRODUCTION: One-Eyed Jacks began as a project intended for Stanley Kubrick to direct, with Sam Peckinpah involved in early screenplay work. Marlon Brando eventually took over as director, making the film his only feature-length directorial effort. The production became notoriously difficult and was substantially reshaped during filming, resulting in a lengthy and expensive production.

Filmed in California and Monterey, the movie features spectacular coastal scenery and carefully composed widescreen cinematography by Charles Lang. Its large-scale production, detailed sets, and psychologically complex approach to the Western helped distinguish it from many contemporary genre films.

RELEASE: One-Eyed Jacks was released in the United States on March 30, 1961. Although the film received mixed critical reactions at the time, Brando's performance, the cinematography, and the film's unusual psychological approach to the Western received considerable praise.

The film was not the major commercial success Paramount had expected, but its reputation has grown considerably over the decades. Today, One-Eyed Jacks is regarded as an ambitious and distinctive Western, particularly notable for being Brando's sole directorial effort.

CAST:

Marlon Brando as Rio

Karl Malden as Dad Longworth

Katy Jurado as Maria Longworth

Pina Pellicer as Louisa

Ben Johnson as Bob Amory

Slim Pickens as Lon Dedrick

Larry Duran as Chico

Miriam Colon as Redhead

CREW:

Director: Marlon Brando

Producer: Frank P. Rosenberg

Screenplay: Guy Trosper, Calder Willingham

Cinematographer: Charles Lang

Editor: Archie Marshek

Music: Hugo Friedhofer

Production Company: Paramount Pictures

Distributor: Paramount Pictures

Release Date: March 30, 1961

Country of Origin: United States

Running Time: 141 minutes

Budget: Approximately $6 million

Box Office Return: Approximately $4.4 million

IMDb Rating = 7.1 / 10

TRIVIA:

One-Eyed Jacks was Marlon Brando's only feature film as a director.

Stanley Kubrick was originally attached to direct the project before leaving the production.

Sam Peckinpah contributed to an early version of the screenplay.

The film was originally intended to be considerably shorter, but Brando's production became increasingly elaborate.

The movie was filmed largely on location along California's Monterey Peninsula.

The famous final confrontation between Rio and Longworth was filmed at Big Sur.

Brando's performance as Rio is considered one of his most unusual Western roles.

The film's troubled production caused the budget to increase substantially beyond its original estimate.

Although initially considered a commercial disappointment, One-Eyed Jacks has since been re-evaluated as one of the more psychologically complex Westerns of the 1960s.

Marlon Brando insisted on getting drunk to film a scene in which he was supposed to act drunk, but he got too drunk to act or direct and so he insisted on repeating the process another day. Again he got too drunk to direct or act.

Marlon Brando would sit near the ocean for hours, waiting for the waves to become more dramatic for his perfect shots.

On a budget of $6 million, this was a huge disappointment at the box office. To help offset the costs, Marlon Brando persuaded Universal to pick up the tab. In return, he agreed to make five films for the studio: The Ugly American (1963), Bedtime Story (1964), The Appaloosa (1966), A Countess from Hong Kong (1967), and The Night of the Following Day (1969), none of which performed well at the box office.

Filming began on 2 December 1958, but the movie was not completed until the autumn of 1960.

The movie had little resemblance to the source novel, and what remains has much more resonance with history than fiction. At various times, the two credited screenwriters and the uncredited Sam Peckinpah have claimed (or had claimed for them) a majority of the responsibility for the film. When Karl Malden was asked who really wrote the story, he said: "There is one answer to your question - Marlon Brando, a genius in our time."