"The Missouri Breaks" is an interesting, decidedly offbeat Western drama notable for its teaming of two big stars. Jack Nicholson is Tom Logan, the leader of a group of rustlers. They end up waging war with the rancher (John McLiam, "First Blood") who had one of their friends hanged. In so doing, they also wage war with the weirdo regulator (Marlon Brando) hired by the rancher. The regulator, otherwise known as Lee Clayton, is a free spirit with different personas for different occasions - not to mention different accents.
Overall, this film does have its ups and downs, as does the script by Thomas McGuane ("Rancho Deluxe", "92 in the Shade"). While director Arthur Penn had certainly done better ("Bonnie & Clyde" nine years previous), this is not a particular black mark on his resume, in this viewers' humble opinion. The action scenes are well done, with one standout sequence involving the gang stealing a mass amount of horses from the Royal Canadian Mounties! The scenery is beautiful, John Williams supplies a decent soundtrack, and the films' sense of humour does help it through some slow spots. There's also a romance developing between Tom and the ranchers' attractive daughter (Kathleen Lloyd ("The Car"), in an endearing film debut). This romance is somewhat unique for a Western in that she is the one who keeps initiating liaisons.
The most enjoyable element about "The Missouri Breaks" is its cast: Randy Quaid ("The Last Detail"), Frederic Forrest ("The Conversation"), Harry Dean Stanton ("Repo Man"), as the wise old Calvin, John P. Ryan ("It's Alive"), Sam Gilman ("Gator Bait"), Hunter von Leer ("Halloween II" '81), Richard Bradford ("The Untouchables"), Steve Franken ("The Party"), Luana Anders ("Easy Rider"), etc. Stanton is a standout, although Brando fans will enjoy his flamboyant, eccentric performance. Clayton obviously enjoys what he does, and Brando obviously enjoyed playing this character. Nicholson delivers a comparatively even-keeled portrayal.
The conclusion manages to be both amusing and not completely satisfying. The viewer will likely wish there were more of a big confrontation / showdown between the two anti-heroes at the core of the story.
But don't let the more scathing reviews dissuade you from checking out a fairly entertaining film with more of a revisionist take on the genre than a traditional one.
Six out of 10.
Overall, this film does have its ups and downs, as does the script by Thomas McGuane ("Rancho Deluxe", "92 in the Shade"). While director Arthur Penn had certainly done better ("Bonnie & Clyde" nine years previous), this is not a particular black mark on his resume, in this viewers' humble opinion. The action scenes are well done, with one standout sequence involving the gang stealing a mass amount of horses from the Royal Canadian Mounties! The scenery is beautiful, John Williams supplies a decent soundtrack, and the films' sense of humour does help it through some slow spots. There's also a romance developing between Tom and the ranchers' attractive daughter (Kathleen Lloyd ("The Car"), in an endearing film debut). This romance is somewhat unique for a Western in that she is the one who keeps initiating liaisons.
The most enjoyable element about "The Missouri Breaks" is its cast: Randy Quaid ("The Last Detail"), Frederic Forrest ("The Conversation"), Harry Dean Stanton ("Repo Man"), as the wise old Calvin, John P. Ryan ("It's Alive"), Sam Gilman ("Gator Bait"), Hunter von Leer ("Halloween II" '81), Richard Bradford ("The Untouchables"), Steve Franken ("The Party"), Luana Anders ("Easy Rider"), etc. Stanton is a standout, although Brando fans will enjoy his flamboyant, eccentric performance. Clayton obviously enjoys what he does, and Brando obviously enjoyed playing this character. Nicholson delivers a comparatively even-keeled portrayal.
The conclusion manages to be both amusing and not completely satisfying. The viewer will likely wish there were more of a big confrontation / showdown between the two anti-heroes at the core of the story.
But don't let the more scathing reviews dissuade you from checking out a fairly entertaining film with more of a revisionist take on the genre than a traditional one.
Six out of 10.