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The Missouri Breaks | Year: 1976 Directed: - Arthur Penn Actors/Actresses: - Marlon Brando - Jack Nicholson Brando vs. Penn I read in an old book of movie reviews that Marlon Brando had had script approval of the Missouri Breaks, and that he had forced the director, Arthur Penn, to make nonsensical changes in the script. This is certainly believable once you've seen the film. It seems as though Penn set out to make a neo-Western in the McCabe and Mrs. Miller or Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid mold and that Marlon Brando tried to do everything he could to sabotage it. (If this sounds familiar, maybe it's because you've seen Apocalypse Now). Brando is willfully bizarre--particularly his increasingly ridiculous costumes--and if you're not too involved in the "real" story, the whole thing is actually quite funny. Brando's performance is reminiscent of Peter Sellers's in Lolita, except that Brando's co-stars seem to be at a loss when he is on screen with them. The problem with all this is that, beyond its value as a curiosity, the film as a whole is just not very interesting. Whatever story, drama, tone or theme that was intended simply does not come across. It is a bit like trying to watch two different movies at once, Brando's and everyone else's, and it just doesn't work. Jack Nicholson is fun to watch as always, but the lead actress is mediocre at best and thoroughly 20th century. She sticks out almost as bad as Brando does, and that's really saying something. The Missouri Breaks is amusing to see once if you're interested in watching Marlon Brando be completely loony (and in that case you'll probably be tempted to see the totally awful Candy), but otherwise I would not recommend it. Strange and wonderful world of McGuane brought to the screen What makes this film brilliant, besides Jack Nicholson in a terrific role, and Marlon Brando really showing his incredible acting range, is a wonderful, funny, bizarre, and engaging script by Thomas McGuane. McGuane is arguably the best living novelist America has (The Bushwhacked Piano, Ninety-two in the Shade, Panama, Keep the Change, et al) and his ear for dialogue is sharp, satirical and in full force in the Missouri Breaks. He lives in Montana and has an incredible love for the land mixed with a disdain for those who exploit it, which is exemplified in this western to end all westerns. As far as what Leonard Maltin says . . .well, let's consider the source, shall we? shakespeare on the breaks This title belongs on DVD. That has to get said first. I'm not sure that Missouri Breaks really falls into the category of anti-western; it isn't undermining any of the accepted notions of manifest destiny or cultural superiority that make an anti-western like Little Big Man. It's more like a great western novel adeptly turned to film. Harry Dean Stanton and Randy Quaid give rock solid supporting performances and help lend realism to the characterizations which Nicholson caps with his performance. All this solid character/period piece acting allows Marlon Brando to launch an outer space crazy minded performance that somehow really works in this flik, better than his outer space performance in Apocalypse Now. The feeling of placement into a historical time period is intense, and unlike many such fashion shows of recent western period filming, this one is dirty and true, we're not gawking at the authenticity of the clothes folks are wearing, but at how we've been transported to the Breaks of the late 1800's. Amazing work all around. See this film. Buy The Missouri Breaks at Amazon.com Buy posters at Allposters.com Jamster - the latest ringtones for your phone!  Search with Walhello on the Internet on The Missouri Breaks Search with the Priority Search Engine on The Missouri Breaks This page in other languages: Suomeksi | Nederlands | Deutsch
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