Very strange movie

Weird, to say the least. Jack Nicholson is a cattle rustler who feels his days will be numbered if he continues in that profession, so he quits and takes up farming. His gang, however, keeps up the rustling, and Marlon Brando, a gunslinger, is brought in to put a stop to it. Brando acts like he just escaped from a nuthouse, goes to wearing dresss and taking bubble baths as ways to get his men. The story makes little sense and has no focus, but Nicholson and Brando are interesting as they try to out act and out mug each other.

Not Quite A Classic

I first saw The Missouri Breaks at the local cinema when I was a teenager. I did not fully appreciate it though until years later when it was released on home video.

I would not call it a classic but it is nontheless facinating on many levels. There is not much I can add to the other reviews posted here when it comes to the story. Is is basically a clash of cultures- that of the evil land baron versus the good natured outlaw. Standing between them is the regulator- a man who is simply a killing machine that draws no distinction between good and evil.

One of the key factors in this film's appeal is that it brings together two legendary actors- Marlon Brando and Jack Nicholson. Even though these men were friends and next door neighbors for many years, this would be their only screen appearance together. Both are equally good- Nicholson playing the down to earth cattle rustler while Brando is both terrifying and hilarious as the hired killer with an Irish accent!

There is a very strong supporting cast and the locations & photography combine to make the film appear authentic to its subject matter. The towns and the people are just as I would imagine them to have looked during the days of the Old West.

I read once that behind the camera, there was a lot of pot smoking going on and that due to weather conditions, there was a lot of downtime during the making of this film. It was during these times that Brando, and sometimes Nicholson, would relieve the boredom by pulling practical jokes on their co-stars. Hopefully, when Breaks is released on DVD, a blooper reel will be included!

The Missouri Breaks is not for everybody. But for persons who want a perspective on what frontier life was probably really like as portrayed by two of the greatest actors of our age, it is well worth seeing.

How Bizzare

I love Marlon Brando, I consider him to be the greatest actor ever. He was/is my favorite actor. But I must be honest about this movie. It's not good. I barely have words to describe how disappointingly bad this movie is. The pace of the film is off (the movie itself is off), as well as, the tone. The script leaves much to be desired and the editing is perfunctory at best. On the whole the movie is boring, but the scenes with Brando provide SOME comic relief. But it's like watching two different movies at once. The movie seems as if it is patched together with a lot of puzzle pieces missing. It was frustrating to watch. And the ending scene with the horses and carrots was beyond bizzare and Brando's bonnet scene was simply disturbing. I sat through the movie wondering if Brando was high, or still recovering from the nervous breakdown he had after Last Tango in Paris, because I know that movie virtually destroyed him psychologically and had a profound effect on how he chose his future movie projects. I don't know what he was trying to accomplish in this film (if he was trying to accomplish anything at all) or if this is the direction the director wanted to go in. Whatever the answer this is not a movie I will be watching again.