{"id":10141,"date":"2009-12-15T13:33:18","date_gmt":"2009-12-15T20:33:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=10141"},"modified":"2024-06-30T12:31:46","modified_gmt":"2024-06-30T19:31:46","slug":"one-eyed-jacks-1961","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=10141","title":{"rendered":"One-Eyed Jacks (1961)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>&#8220;You may be a one-eyed jack around here, but I&#8217;ve seen the other side of your face.&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/12\/One-Eyed-Jacks-Poster.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/12\/One-Eyed-Jacks-Poster-188x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"188\" height=\"300\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-59168\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/12\/One-Eyed-Jacks-Poster-188x300.jpg 188w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/12\/One-Eyed-Jacks-Poster-80x128.jpg 80w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/12\/One-Eyed-Jacks-Poster-170x270.jpg 170w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/12\/One-Eyed-Jacks-Poster.jpg 474w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 188px) 100vw, 188px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Synopsis:<\/strong><br \/>\nAn outlaw (Marlon Brando) seeks revenge on his former partner (Karl Malden), who abandoned him years earlier and is now sheriff of a small California town.\n<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>\n<strong>Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Ben Johnson Films<\/li>\n<li>Elisha Cook Jr. Films<\/li>\n<li>Karl Malden Films<\/li>\n<li>Marlon Brando Films<\/li>\n<li>Outlaws<\/li>\n<li>Revenge<\/li>\n<li>Westerns<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Response to Peary&#8217;s Review: <\/strong><br \/>\nPeary argues that this &#8220;lone directorial effort&#8221; by Marlon Brando &#8212; with an original running time of 4 hours and 42 minutes, cut down to 141 minutes by the studio &#8212; is a &#8220;visually impressive but muddled psychological western&#8221;. While it&#8217;s easy to see how Brando might have stretched the story to go deeper into the characters&#8217; psyches and motivations, however, the story itself is never hard to follow, and the narrative works just fine. <em>One-Eyed Jacks<\/em> (based on a novel by Charles Neider) is essentially a revenge tale, made more complex by the fact that Brando&#8217;s character (Rio) decides not to automatically confront and kill his former partner when he first encounters him after five long years in prison. Instead, he initiates a game of cat-and-mouse, baiting &#8220;Dad&#8221; (Malden) into believing all is forgiven and forgotten. This maneuver actually makes sense, given what we know already about Rio&#8217;s crafty ways: he&#8217;s a liar and manipulator, someone who will do and say anything to bed a pretty woman, for instance. Indeed, Rio&#8217;s very much an anti-hero, yet we can&#8217;t help rooting for him given his hiss-worthy nemesis &#8212; Malden&#8217;s conniving, two-faced, social climbing sheriff. <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/12\/One-Eyed-Jacks-Malden.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/12\/One-Eyed-Jacks-Malden-1024x561.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"351\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-98169\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/12\/One-Eyed-Jacks-Malden-1024x561.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/12\/One-Eyed-Jacks-Malden-300x164.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/12\/One-Eyed-Jacks-Malden-128x70.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/12\/One-Eyed-Jacks-Malden-768x421.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/12\/One-Eyed-Jacks-Malden-493x270.png 493w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/12\/One-Eyed-Jacks-Malden.png 1296w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>The aspect of the story that works least well is Rio&#8217;s star-crossed romance with Malden&#8217;s stepdaughter (Pina Pellicer), who comes across as far too willing to forgive Rio&#8217;s lies and welcome him back into her embrace (were there explanatory scenes cut from the longer version??). Yet Pellicer (who, sadly, took her own life just a few years after this film was released) has such a winning presence and an unusual beauty that we can&#8217;t help enjoying her whenever she&#8217;s on-screen, despite how little she&#8217;s given to work with. Indeed, nearly the entire western is pleasant to watch, given the inspired decision to establish the setting along California&#8217;s Monterey coast, with dramatic waves crashing in the background during numerous key scenes. <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/12\/One-Eyed-Jacks-Monterey.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/12\/One-Eyed-Jacks-Monterey-1024x556.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"348\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-98168\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/12\/One-Eyed-Jacks-Monterey-1024x556.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/12\/One-Eyed-Jacks-Monterey-300x163.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/12\/One-Eyed-Jacks-Monterey-128x70.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/12\/One-Eyed-Jacks-Monterey-768x417.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/12\/One-Eyed-Jacks-Monterey-497x270.png 497w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/12\/One-Eyed-Jacks-Monterey.png 1278w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Malden himself is nicely cast against type in a complex villainous role; and while Peary argues that Brando is simply patterning his performance after Elvis Presley and other &#8220;fifties rebels&#8221;, I find his tortured portrayal of Rio to be convincing. Equally impressive is the fine supporting cast &#8212; most notably Ben Johnson as a hardcore baddie who hooks up with Rio after his escape from prison, and Katy Jurado in a tiny but effective role as Malden&#8217;s wife. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Redeeming Qualities and Moments: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Marlon Brando as Rio<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/12\/One-Eyed-Jacks-Brando2.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/12\/One-Eyed-Jacks-Brando2-1024x552.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"345\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-98163\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/12\/One-Eyed-Jacks-Brando2-1024x552.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/12\/One-Eyed-Jacks-Brando2-300x162.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/12\/One-Eyed-Jacks-Brando2-128x69.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/12\/One-Eyed-Jacks-Brando2-768x414.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/12\/One-Eyed-Jacks-Brando2-500x270.png 500w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/12\/One-Eyed-Jacks-Brando2.png 1290w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Karl Malden as Dad<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/12\/One-Eyed-Jacks-Malden2.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/12\/One-Eyed-Jacks-Malden2-1024x560.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"350\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-98165\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/12\/One-Eyed-Jacks-Malden2-1024x560.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/12\/One-Eyed-Jacks-Malden2-300x164.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/12\/One-Eyed-Jacks-Malden2-128x70.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/12\/One-Eyed-Jacks-Malden2-768x420.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/12\/One-Eyed-Jacks-Malden2-494x270.png 494w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/12\/One-Eyed-Jacks-Malden2.png 1284w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Pina Pellicer as Louisa<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/12\/One-Eyed-Jacks-Pellicer.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/12\/One-Eyed-Jacks-Pellicer-1024x550.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"344\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-98166\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/12\/One-Eyed-Jacks-Pellicer-1024x550.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/12\/One-Eyed-Jacks-Pellicer-300x161.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/12\/One-Eyed-Jacks-Pellicer-128x69.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/12\/One-Eyed-Jacks-Pellicer-768x413.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/12\/One-Eyed-Jacks-Pellicer-502x270.png 502w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/12\/One-Eyed-Jacks-Pellicer.png 1284w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Fine supporting performances by Ben Johnson, Kary Jurado, and others<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/12\/One-Eyed-Jacks-Jurado.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/12\/One-Eyed-Jacks-Jurado-1024x555.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"347\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-98164\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/12\/One-Eyed-Jacks-Jurado-1024x555.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/12\/One-Eyed-Jacks-Jurado-300x163.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/12\/One-Eyed-Jacks-Jurado-128x69.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/12\/One-Eyed-Jacks-Jurado-768x416.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/12\/One-Eyed-Jacks-Jurado-498x270.png 498w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/12\/One-Eyed-Jacks-Jurado.png 1296w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Charles Lang&#8217;s cinematography<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/12\/One-Eyes-Jacks-Shootout.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/12\/One-Eyes-Jacks-Shootout-1024x553.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"346\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-98167\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/12\/One-Eyes-Jacks-Shootout-1024x553.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/12\/One-Eyes-Jacks-Shootout-300x162.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/12\/One-Eyes-Jacks-Shootout-128x69.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/12\/One-Eyes-Jacks-Shootout-768x415.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/12\/One-Eyes-Jacks-Shootout-500x270.png 500w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/12\/One-Eyes-Jacks-Shootout.png 1296w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Must See? <\/strong><br \/>\nYes, for its historical relevance as Brando&#8217;s lone directorial effort. Discussed at length in Peary&#8217;s <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?page_id=5986\"><em>Cult Movies 3<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Categories<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Historically Relevant<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p> (<span style=\"color:red;font-weight:bold;\">Listed in <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-static\/1001Movies.htm\"><em>1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die<\/em><\/a><\/span>) <\/p>\n<p><strong>Links: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0055257\/\">IMDb entry<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/1961\/03\/31\/archives\/screen-brando-stars-and-directsone-eyed-jacks-in-premiere-at.html\">NY Times Original Review (major spoiler alert)<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.montrealfilmjournal.com\/review.asp?R=R0000399\">Montreal Film Journal Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tcm.com\/tcmdb\/title\/16939\/one-eyed-jacks#articles-reviews?articleId=88922\">TCM Article<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;You may be a one-eyed jack around here, but I&#8217;ve seen the other side of your face.&#8221; Synopsis: An outlaw (Marlon Brando) seeks revenge on his former partner (Karl Malden), who abandoned him years earlier and is now sheriff of a small California town. Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors: Ben Johnson Films Elisha Cook Jr. Films Karl Malden Films Marlon Brando Films Outlaws Revenge Westerns Response to Peary&#8217;s Review: Peary argues that this &#8220;lone directorial effort&#8221; by Marlon Brando &#8212;&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=10141\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10141","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-responses-to-peary"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10141","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=10141"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10141\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":98183,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10141\/revisions\/98183"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=10141"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=10141"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=10141"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}