Arthur Penn's The Missouri Breaks is a strange little Western. At its heart are two characters, Tom Logan and Robert E. Lee Clayton, played by Jack Nicholson and Marlon Brando respectively. Tom Logan is a down on his luck cattle rustler who's good friend has just been hanged by Braxton, a local land baron. So he concocts a bizarre plan of revenge: buy up an adjacent ranch to Braxton's property, gain his trust, and then rustler his herd. Why he doesn't go in with guns a-blazing to take care of the elderly man, we'll never know. Instead, he spends weeks putting up a facade of starting up a ranch along with his criminal accomplices. Braxton catches wise and hires Clayton, an infamous "regulator," to get rid of them. And again, instead of murdering all of Logan's men, which we learn he is quite capable of doing, he toys with them, buddies up with them, and let's them know that he's wise to them. Of course, Brando steals the entire film with his over-the-top performance. Clayton sports a dandy wardrobe, perfume, Irish accent, and a powerful 1859 Creedmoor rifle. To say he is flamboyant is an understatement. But herein lies this film's ultimate problem: Penn has no idea what to do with him. By the mid-70s, Brando was notorious for being difficult to work with and prone to not paying attention to the script. Great directors like Francis Ford Coppola and Bernardo Bertolucci miraculously managed to channel his pathos into some of the most iconic performances of all time. However, Penn seems content to let Brando wander around the film, muttering as he pleases and making a general fool out of himself. One wonders what might have been if The Missouri Breaks had a director who could control Brando. But as it stands, The Missouri Breaks is a shadow of what could have been a classic.
6/10
Why is it that as he get older and more of a legend, directors were scared of Brando! I was looking forward to The Island of Dr. Moreau with Brando and Val Kilmer -- what a horrible travesty of a movie! Brando did anything he wanted and made a complete fool of himself, and even Kilmer did the same. I can't remember who the director was, but I don't know why they even HAD a director.
ReplyDeleteI'm surprised that a director like Penn would be so wussy with Brando. I never saw Missouri Breaks, and from what you say, I didn't miss anything! Another good summary that tells it all.
Well...Brando's performance was actually pretty damn good...it just doesn't fit with the rest of the film. It feels more like an anachronism than a proper performance.
ReplyDeleteI have mad respect for Francis Ford Coppola who could not only deal with, but command Brando at the heights of his insanity.