Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

Actor Marlon Brando's solely directing effort in the year 1960 "One-Eyed Jacks", shot entirely on location in the United States, brings elegant Western - Cinematography to screen, but misses out to grip the audience's tension on an over-long editorial of 141 minutes running time. Director Marlon Brando manages to push all the right buttons with his cast, mainly preliminary acting collaborator Karl Malden, who brings fine vicious beats to story as the character of Sheriff Dad Longworth, who changed the side of the law after a robbery with Marlon Brandon's character Rio in the film's opening scene in order to save his own existence.The interactions between the actors Karl Malden & Marlon Brando keeps the "One-Eyed Jacks" alive until the very end. But it becomes a stretched pathway to follow the character of Rio from one location to another, from working relationship to another failed romance, before he completes unfinished business in the duel shoot-out with Sheriff Dad Longworth. Specatators, who appreciated Marlon Brando's minimalistic, yet powerful performing skills, may enjoy the full length of the movie. The others, who are looking for suspense and thrills must wait between sequence before another hook snatches the specter's attention.There are some excellent directed scenes in the picture as the character of Rio sitting at breakfast with his Mexican companion, drinking coffee, before he gets dragged into a shoot-out with a drunkard, who is molesting a prostitute at the bar. The timing of the scene and calmness of the execution lets settle in a stroke of genius with Marlon Brando's directing, but his talent can not be maintained by him throughout the picture.It is senseable throughout the picture that the Director fell in love with his own film, which became a deadly working relationship when Marlon Brando and Editor Archie Marshek approached the editorials. Unable to cut a well-executed scene as the mentioned Interior Salon breakfast scene from the Final Cut, to achieve much more thrilling two-hour (or less) motion picture, which might have attract a wider audience in 1961, "One-Eyed Jacks" remains a gem in cinema, which can probably only be fully appreciated by the filmmaking community itself.© 2017 Felix Alexander Dausend (for Cinemajesty Entertainments LLC)

Other reviews give good background on the making of "One Eyed Jacks." And, others discuss the plot and cast in detail. Judging from the problems with Marlon Brando's directing, it's clear to see why he never directed another film. I was curious why IMDb didn't have the usual budget and box office figures for "Jacks" that it has for most films. According to the Turner Classic Movies Web site, this film ran almost four times over its $1.6 million budget. It finished with a cost of $6 million. The box office was just $4.3 million.This is a good Western, with a different flair that builds audience empathy for Brando's character, Rio. Some critics say this is some sort of a "breakthrough" or turning point in Westerns. The claim is that the audience identifies with one of the bad guys. Judging from some of the reviews, they may be right – at least for some. As a viewer, I naturally sympathized with Rio for his betrayal by Dad Longworth, played by Karl Malden. At the same time, I clearly understood Rio's capture and imprisonment as just punishment for a criminal. Rio's escape and search for vengeance against Dad is a familiar plot in movies of various genres. But, his redemption toward the end, albeit for the sake of his love for Louisa (played by Pina Pellicer), is a nice twist. I think Karl Malden turns in the best acting in this movie. He nails his character hands down, with a variety of mood swings. He is pleasing and sweet, affable and friendly, angry and determined, matter of fact and all business. It's not a coincidence that Malden won an Oscar and was nominated for another (and perhaps should have been one or two more times). Malden was an excellent actor, who could play a variety of roles with great depth. He won his Oscar for best supporting actor in another film with Brando – "A Streetcar Named Desire." Malden and Brando also starred together in "On the Waterfront," in which Brando earned his first of two Oscars as best actor. Malden was nominated for best supporting actor in that film, as were two other stars – Lee J. Cobb and Rod Steiger. "Waterfront" had three of the five nominees that year for supporting actor, and it went to Edmond O'Brien, for his role in "The Barefoot Contessa."A couple of the weak aspects of this film were in Rio's character and the story. In the beginning, we clearly see that Rio is a Romeo. The difference between him, Dad and other gang members, is that Rio has taste and manners. While the others go for the bar girls and prostitutes, Rio pursues "good" girls. But, clearly, with the same purpose in mind. So, with that and even after five years in prison, it's a stretch to have Rio fall in love now. Especially with Dad's "new" stepdaughter, Louisa. I think the film was heavy in its efforts to build sympathy for Rio, by the number of times he was wrongly blamed or punished for something. Pellicer was a leading actress from Mexico. She had a promising career ahead of her, but ended it at age 30 when she committed suicide in 1964. Slim Pickens, Katy Jurado, Ben Johnson and Larry Duran were all very good in their roles. The scenery and cinematography were excellent. And, the technical aspects were all very good – even with a couple of noticeable jumps or skips in film cutting. The final editors must have had a real chore cutting back from the 5 ½-hours of film Brando had edited.This is a very good Western that many should find entertaining. But I can't agree with those who think it is the best Western ever. I can only think that they haven't seen some very great Westerns. "One Eyed Jacks" is not in the top rung of my list, nor is it there in other lists I've seen. Although some spaghetti Westerns were quite good and entertaining, I don't include them among the best of Westerns, primarily for the acting and stories. Among the Westerns that are likely to be found on most lists of the best of all time, are the following. "The Searchers" of 1956, "Stagecoach" of 1939, "Shane" of 1953, "Winchester 73" of 1950, "Bend of the River" of 1952, "Hombre" of 1967, "True Grit" of 1969, "The Oxbow Incident" of 1943, "The Cowboys" of 1972, "Gunfight at the OK Coral" of 1957, "High Noon" of 1952, "The Naked Spur" of 1973, "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance" of 1962, "The Big Country" of 1958, "Will Penny" of 1968, "Destry Rides Again" of 1939, "The Last Train from Gun Hill" of 1959, "Wagon Master" of 1950, "My Darling Clementine" of 1946, "Rio Bravo" of 1959, "Lonesome Dove" of 1989, "Open Range" of 2003, and "Dances with Wolves" of 1990. James Stewart, John Wayne, Charlton Heston and Randolph Scott were in a number of other Westerns that rank among the best. Several other stars were in one or more outstanding Westerns. And, as for the best film about vengeance, revenge and reform, I recommend movie buffs to check out "Nevada Smith" of 1966. Steve McQueen is outstanding in his role. And, for real coincidence, a supporting actor in that one is Karl Malden. I wonder if it might not be a Malden touch that brings greatness to many films. Or at least helps bring out the best of others in their roles.

A seriously underrated film, Marlon Brando again brings his characteristic masculine energy to the screen with superb acting, playing the part of a bank robber named Rio - another character which stirs the mind into a state of cognitive dissonance, an anti-hero blurring the line between the good and the bad. The supporting actors also give a great performance, and the cinematography is notably good. Directed by Brando himself, the plot presents a variety of characters who have much more depth than they may at first seem to possess. It is a brilliant example of a Western, which not only embraces the genre but excels within it's medium. Sometimes perhaps the pacing could have been better thought out, but overall this is a film that is definitely worth watching.

This was the only film the great Marlon Brando ever directed, featured in the book 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die, at the time it was seen as a bit of a disaster, both financially and because of its controversial material, but these days it is seen a classic of the genre. Basically a bank robbery is carried out by Rio, also called "The Kid" (Marlon Brando), Dad Longworth (Karl Malden) and third man Doc (Hank Worden), they are successful, but Doc is attacked and killed by Mexican Rurales, the other two manage to get away, followed by a posse in the desert. They travel across going across danger terrain with the swag bag, but Dad leaves his partner to the mercy of the Rurales, they take Rio and he is arrested, and for the next five years while in Sonora prison he thinks of nothing but exacting revenge on the man who betrayed him. When he is released he finds out where Longworth is, and since the robbery he has since become the sheriff of Monterey, California, when they meet Dad tries to convince him of his reasons for leaving him behind in Mexico, but he again tries to deceive him. With new partners Chico Modesto (Larry Duran) and Bob Amory (Ben Johnson) joining him, Rio plans to rob the bank of Monterey, but when he falls in love with Longworth's stepdaughter Louisa (Pina Pellicer) his plans are sidetracked, and Dad catches him and viciously whips him in front of the entire town. While recovering from hi wounds he struggles with conflicting emotions about his love for the girl and the man he wants to exact revenge, he chooses to go ahead and get his vengeance, but the robbery is carried out without him, Emory kills Chico during it, and the heist goes wrong with an innocent person murdered. Rio is falsely accused of the crime and put in jail by Longworth, who is desperate to kill the man he betrayed to get over his feelings about what he did in the past to him, so he will have him hanged in two days. Louisa visits the man she loves in prison to tell him that she is expecting his baby, and she attempts to smuggle him a miniature pistol, and he manages to bluff his way out, pointing the empty gun at Deputy Lon Dedrick (Slim Pickens), stealing his loaded gun and knocking him out to lock him up and escape. With no choice but to get out of town and run away Rio and Longworth get involved in a small shoot out, Dad is killed in the final showdown, and in the closing scene Louisa watches Rio ride away into the dunes, knowing he is a wanted man, and he says a fond farewell to the town, but to wait for him in the spring. Also starring Katy Jurado as Maria Longworth, Sam Gilman as Harvey Johnson and Timothy Carey as Howard Tetley. Brando, who apparently took over from Stanley Kubrick (who left to do Spartacus) does a pretty good job of directing, and as the lead character set on revenge but held back by love he is suitable, and Malden proves a surprisingly nasty presence compared his other much more laid back roles. The story is just about easy to understand, apart from the political and law related stuff, the concept is not completely original but has the right material to keep you watching, such as sadism and perversity, the picture quality is questionable, but it is a most interesting western. It was nominated the Oscar for Best Cinematography. Very good!