The Missouri Breaks (1976)

Mr. Arthur Penn has directed some of the best films ever made - his instinct of a great story is unmistaken. His love for the best literature is again proved here. Thomas McGuane wrote a wild west Hamlet version that maintains the original theme plus lots of humor. But the original story is cruel and so this post 60s western should be eventually.

"Bonnie & Clyde" director Arthur Penn helmed some classic movies, and he directed two movies with Marlon Brando. The first movie they made together "The Chase" was a long-winded murderous tale with Brando as a sheriff after a fugitive. "The Chase" was coherent, but their second collaboration—which is less of collaboration—"The Missouri Breaks" is a complete mess done on a big budget. The saga about horse rustlers wears out its welcome and what might have been a grand western is reduced to mediocrity by an eccentric performance by Marlon Brando that goes haywire. He dresses in a variety of wardrobe as Lee Clayton, a 'regulator' who is hunting down Tom Logan (Jack Nicholson) and his gang of horse rustlers. The only thing interesting about this mishmash is the idea that the outlaws win. Thomas McGuane's screenplay is like rustled horses stampeding all over the place with Brando improvising his scenes and dialogue. The supporting cast with Randy Quaid, Frederic Forrest, Harry Dean Stanton, and John Ryan is sturdy enough, and the scenery is rugged and thorny. Brando's regulator wields revolvers, rifles, and an object that looks like the plus sign in an arithmetic equation to kill both animals and men. John Williams of "Star Wars" fame wrote the orchestral score before he scored "Star Wars" and it is low-key. "The Missouri Breaks" is an odd, mean-spirited, shoot'em up with little to recommend it aside it being a western for western completists to say that they have watched. The drama is mitigated by the screenplay's incoherence. Jack Nicholson gives a good performance. As for Brando, he doesn't steal the show so much as sabotage it.

While Marlon Brando was in his prime, he was considered by many to be a genius actor. In the mid to late part of his career, however, there were some performances that might just indicate that his hold on reality was slipping a bit or perhaps he just didn't care. Some chalked it up to his greatness--and they adored these 'eccentric' performances. Others, just felt confused--after all, he WAS a great actor...but these odd parts just seemed weird and often off-the-cuff. His real-life antics didn't help any--with some VERY high profile occasions where he showed up on sets completely unprepared and unwilling to take conventional direction. With "Apocalyse Now", he showed up---grossly overweight, never having read the novel or screenplay and insisted on doing things 'his way'--which often meant very random method acting that the director, Francis Ford Coppola. Here with "The Missouri Breaks", Brando once again gave a VERY idiosyncratic performance. Like Coppola, Penn ended up just letting Brando do what he wanted and hope it worked.When the movie debuted, I remember some of the critics being rather harsh with the film--and a few criticized Brando in particular. Now, decades later, I've decided to see some of these later films to make up my own mind. While it's well documented that Brando was odd and difficult on the set, could he still turn out a good performance? Well, while I know it is bound to ruffle a lot of feathers, I will go so far as to day that he was the worst aspect of this film. His acting seemed inconsistent (the accent seemed to come and go) and just plain strange. His behavior when he showed up at the wake seemed whacked out, he had a weird scene with his horse and he also wore a woman's bonnet and dress during one of the scenes late in the film just seemed like a joke. To me, this was all just distracting from the film itself. It's a shame, as the western is a decent 'modern western' (with looser language, grungy costumes and a less glamorous look) by Penn--the same guy who modernized the gangster genre with "Bonnie and Clyde".In contrast to Brando, I felt that Jack Nicholson was a major plus to the film. While a 'bad boy' by reputation, here he seemed professional and believable....and a bit likable even though he was indeed a rogue. When he was funny (such as the hold up scene), it made sense. In fact, I wanted more of his in the film and a lot less of Brando. Overall, it's a decent western but one that is frustrating at the same time--not bad but if could have been a lot better.By the way, if you do watch the film, it is rather graphic and adult in its sensibilities. You will NOT mistake this for a Roy Rogers or Gene Autry film!

A group of outlaws, lead by "Tom Logan" (Jack Nicholson), settles into a Missouri ranch to hideout from the law. However, a powerful rancher hires a man (Marlon Brando) to run them out.The "regulator" (Brando) wipes out the entire band of outlaws, but "Tom," who decides to go straight in his pursuit of a local woman (Kathleen Lloyd).Now, the two are heading to a face-off that may be each other's last day on Earth.This is not the best movie I've seen. In fact, I noticed myself looking away from my computer screen (I watched it on Hulu) many times.I found the characters poorly written, although they were pretty well performed by the actors. They were all pretty one-dimensional, and they just didn't seem to connect with each other.The relationships between the characters just didn't work. I could not feel anything in the romantic subplot at all. In fact, I couldn't feel any chemistry between Nicholson and Lloyd at all.There was a little chemistry between Nicholson and Brando. But, because of the poor writing, they really had little to work with for their on-screen relationship.Surprisingly, the gunplay was minimal. Even when you expected a good amount of shooting, it wasn't there. There is some violence, though it's fairly mild. In the first minute of the movie, there is a fairly graphic hanging that was probably placed that early in the film for shock value.The scenery was used pretty well in this movie. It certainly wasn't overplayed. There were some scenes where the scenery was used quite well with camera angles and such.John Williams did, in my opinion, a poor job in writing the music for this film. To me, the music was more modern instrumental work, and just didn't work. In fact, despite being composed by a Hollywood legend like Williams, the soundtrack is completely forgettable.Wardrobe appeared to be authentic in this film, except the outfit Brando wore through much of the film. His outfit was a little over-the-top, but not too much to be distracting.I would have to say that if you find it online on sites like Hulu, check it out if you have nothing better to do. Other than that, don't waste your money.