Review of One-Eyed Jacks (1961) by Roger T — 23 Oct 2011

Who's supposed to be the good guy here? Marlon Brando directs (his one lone directing credit) and stars in this mexican-american western. As the movie opens, Rio (Brando) and Dad (Karl Malden), a pair of bandits, are cornered up on a hill by Rurales. Dad sneaks off to get fresh horses, but winds up abandoning Rio to the law, and he does 5 years of hard time in a Sonora prison. When Rio next catches up with Dad, Monterey, California, and Dad is living the fat life as the elected sheriff with a new wife and adopted daughter. Even though Dad has moved on and Rio has not, neither man is willing to forgive and forget the past. For Dad, it's fear and guilt that fuel his hatred of Rio; for Rio, while it's true he has a strong desire for justice, there is perhaps a certain amount of jealousy and resentment that people around him change while he stays the same. While Rio is obviously a tough guy and a expert gunslinger, he's rendered ineffectual for most of the movie by the powers that be.

There is an air of authenticity to One-Eyed Jacks, from Bob Amory's greasy face (Ben Johnson did an excellent job here as one of the few characters who was actually true to himself) to colloquialisms that sounded genuine in the old west setting. From Karl Malden and Ben Johnson, to Larry Duran (Rio's mexican partner) and Pina Pellicer (Rio's love interest, Louisa- an enchantingly unique beauty whose life was cut short in real life by depression and suicide), Brando the actor steps aside as Brando the director fleshes out these characters and gives his actors a chance to shine. It's all brought together with great story-telling. There are some truly great westerns that have been made throughout the last century, the lesser known One-Eyed Jacks deserves to be counted among the best.