"One-Eyed Jacks" has a ubiquitous presence in all those movie bargain bins at places like Wal-Mart, which is one of the reasons it's taken so long for me to get around to it. I guess I had this preconceived notion that it just wouldn't be that good. It turns out this is one of those greatly under-rated Westerns that fans of the genre turn to not so much for the action, but for the psychological and emotional angles that play out over the course of the story. It also has the unusual distinction of Marlon Brando playing both sides of the camera as star and director.
One of the first interesting elements you're likely to pick up on is the setting for most of the story. It's not every day you're going to catch breakers crashing up on a rocky coastline in a Western, but Monterey is where outlaw Rio (Brando) comes gunning for former partner Dad Longworth (Karl Malden), five years after Dad left him to fend for himself attempting to outrun a rurale posse. The conflict is given more resonance when Longworth's adopted daughter (Pina Pellicer) falls hard for Rio, putting her squarely in the middle of Rio's plan for revenge.
If you pay attention, you'll catch one of Brando's mannerisms that became a part of the Don Corleone/Godfather persona, the brushing back-hand gesture in front of his face in an early scene. It's interesting how actors will re-use a signature move like that in their films, some more so than others, like Bogart with his facial grimace. For me, it's one of the pleasures to be derived from being an avid film fan.
As effectively as the story is told, the one thing that doesn't work in the picture is the scene where Rio tries to bluff Deputy Lon Dedrick (Slim Pickens) with the derringer. To top it off, Lon even explains why it wouldn't work - the worst that could happen is that he catches a non-fatal bullet. That, along with the awkward shooting angle for Rio if Lon were to bolt back down the steps should have made it a no-brainer for Lon to do just that. So what does Lon do? - he opens the cell door setting up Rio's escape. Dumb move. By the way, did you notice how the cell bars moved when Rio yanked on them right after Lon pulled Louisa away? Maybe he could have escaped without the key after all.
One of the first interesting elements you're likely to pick up on is the setting for most of the story. It's not every day you're going to catch breakers crashing up on a rocky coastline in a Western, but Monterey is where outlaw Rio (Brando) comes gunning for former partner Dad Longworth (Karl Malden), five years after Dad left him to fend for himself attempting to outrun a rurale posse. The conflict is given more resonance when Longworth's adopted daughter (Pina Pellicer) falls hard for Rio, putting her squarely in the middle of Rio's plan for revenge.
If you pay attention, you'll catch one of Brando's mannerisms that became a part of the Don Corleone/Godfather persona, the brushing back-hand gesture in front of his face in an early scene. It's interesting how actors will re-use a signature move like that in their films, some more so than others, like Bogart with his facial grimace. For me, it's one of the pleasures to be derived from being an avid film fan.
As effectively as the story is told, the one thing that doesn't work in the picture is the scene where Rio tries to bluff Deputy Lon Dedrick (Slim Pickens) with the derringer. To top it off, Lon even explains why it wouldn't work - the worst that could happen is that he catches a non-fatal bullet. That, along with the awkward shooting angle for Rio if Lon were to bolt back down the steps should have made it a no-brainer for Lon to do just that. So what does Lon do? - he opens the cell door setting up Rio's escape. Dumb move. By the way, did you notice how the cell bars moved when Rio yanked on them right after Lon pulled Louisa away? Maybe he could have escaped without the key after all.