Product Details

• Actors: Marlon Brando, Karl Malden, Ben Johnson, Katy Jurado, Pina Pellicer
• Directors: Marlon Brando
• Format: Color, HiFi Sound, NTSC
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Paramount
• VHS Release Date: January 1, 1998
• Run Time: 141 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (111 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6300215881
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #214,051 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Early in 1959 Marlon Brando began one of his most unique projects of his career - directing himself in One-Eyed Jacks. Taken from Charles Neider's novel, One-Eyed Jacks is a tale of revenge set in Mexico. It's the Old West of 1880 and Brando stars as Kid Rio who along with his partner Dad Longworth (Karl Malden) are bank robbers who are caught holding up a Mexican bank. Longworth gets away and allows his partner to get caught and go to jail. When Rio is released five years later he goes out to seek revenge, however he is surprised to find his partner is married with a stepdaughter and a sheriff of a town. Complications set in when Rio himself falls in love with the stepdaughter.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

105 of 110 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Great movie, Horrible transfer!, October 16, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: One-Eyed Jacks (DVD)

Can't say enough about this movie. It is a favorite of mine. Brando's portrayal of the old western gunfighter is classic. This transfer on DVD is the worst I have ever seen. You dont buy a DVD player to watch movies like this. Better transfers are out there. Cable has aired crystal clear versions of this film in letterbox format, another weakness of this rendition. The video store was kind enough to refund my money. Buyers beware, if you haven't already you will soon discover not all DVDs are created equal. You may think 10 bucks is a steal for a DVD movie only to find when you get home the video tape is much better. I am still waiting for the definative DVD rendition of this film from Paramount.

52 of 55 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Transfer hurts great film, December 29, 2000

By 

"[e-mail]" (Atlanta, GA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: One-Eyed Jacks (DVD)

One-Eyed Jacks is a very good movie. Unfortunatly it is a very poor DVD. I have actually bought this film twice. The first time I bought it on VHS and I was very disappointed with the picture and sound quality. When I found it on DVD I should have realized that the inexpensive price meant another poor version, but I thought since it was on DVD it must be remastered. It is not and was not. In fact this is the worst DVD I have ever seen it terms of picture and sound quality. It is too bad because Marlon Brando, in the only picture he ever directed, has created a film worth seeing. Hopefully some company will realize this and give us films fans a version we can enjoy.

31 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brando Directs!, November 22, 2003

By 

L. Shirley "Laurie's Boomer Views" (Huntington Beach,CA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: One Eyed Jacks (DVD)

This review refers to the BCI Eclipse(Brentwood Home Video) DVD edition of "One Eyed Jacks"(1961).....

"One Eyed Jacks", is the first and only film directed by Marlon Brando.It's a great western adventure with lots of action, romance and some great scenery.The story is a captivating one. Brando("Rio") stars with Karl Malden("Dad Longworth") as two bank robbers on the run from the Federales in Mexico, They are pinned down and only one can get away to get fresh horses for their escape. Dad is the one to go, but greed gets the best of him. He takes off with the loot and leaves Rio to be captured, and sent to a Mexican Jail for 5 long years. He escapes and goes looking for Dad, finally finding him in Monterey, California, where "Dad" is now a tough Sheriff and has a beautiful step-daughter, Louisa. The action and the romance heat up along the beautiful California coastline as Rio is bent on revenge and falls for the beautiful Louisa.

Pina Pellicer won a Best Actress for her role as Louisa at the Sebastion International Film Festival, and Charles Lang was nominated for the exquiste cinematography. The film also stars Katy Jurado(always wonderful), and western legends Slim Pickens and Ben Johnson.The music by Hugo Friedhofer is beautiful and captures the essence of the story.

This DVD by BCI is a decent transfer of this 42 year old film.There is not much sign of age. It's not as pristeen as you would expect from a big studio release, but you can't go wrong for the price. The colors are nice(although a bit dated) and dialouge clear.The California coastline looks very inviting.

This film may also be purchased in a 4 film set of western legends.Great American Western V.10, The which also includes
The Over The Hill Gang/Over the hill Gang Rides Again and The Deadly Companions(early Peckinpah)


This is classic Brando...enjoy...Laurie