While Marlon Brando was in his prime, he was considered by many to be a genius actor. In the mid to late part of his career, however, there were some performances that might just indicate that his hold on reality was slipping a bit or perhaps he just didn't care. Some chalked it up to his greatness--and they adored these 'eccentric' performances. Others, just felt confused--after all, he WAS a great actor...but these odd parts just seemed weird and often off-the-cuff. His real-life antics didn't help any--with some VERY high profile occasions where he showed up on sets completely unprepared and unwilling to take conventional direction. With "Apocalyse Now", he showed up---grossly overweight, never having read the novel or screenplay and insisted on doing things 'his way'--which often meant very random method acting that the director, Francis Ford Coppola. Here with "The Missouri Breaks", Brando once again gave a VERY idiosyncratic performance. Like Coppola, Penn ended up just letting Brando do what he wanted and hope it worked.

When the movie debuted, I remember some of the critics being rather harsh with the film--and a few criticized Brando in particular. Now, decades later, I've decided to see some of these later films to make up my own mind. While it's well documented that Brando was odd and difficult on the set, could he still turn out a good performance? Well, while I know it is bound to ruffle a lot of feathers, I will go so far as to day that he was the worst aspect of this film. His acting seemed inconsistent (the accent seemed to come and go) and just plain strange. His behavior when he showed up at the wake seemed whacked out, he had a weird scene with his horse and he also wore a woman's bonnet and dress during one of the scenes late in the film just seemed like a joke. To me, this was all just distracting from the film itself. It's a shame, as the western is a decent 'modern western' (with looser language, grungy costumes and a less glamorous look) by Penn--the same guy who modernized the gangster genre with "Bonnie and Clyde".

In contrast to Brando, I felt that Jack Nicholson was a major plus to the film. While a 'bad boy' by reputation, here he seemed professional and believable....and a bit likable even though he was indeed a rogue. When he was funny (such as the hold up scene),it made sense. In fact, I wanted more of his in the film and a lot less of Brando. Overall, it's a decent western but one that is frustrating at the same time--not bad but if could have been a lot better.

By the way, if you do watch the film, it is rather graphic and adult in its sensibilities. You will NOT mistake this for a Roy Rogers or Gene Autry film!

The Missouri Breaks gets its title from the fact that the scene of the action takes place in Montana at the head waters of the tributary streams that eventually flow in and make up the Missouri River. It seems like you have to cross a lot of streams in order to get any place in that country, no matter which side of the law you're on. And we do get to see it from both points of view.

Jack Nicholson heads an amiable gang of horse thieves who probably are no better or worse than a lot of those who might be deemed on the right side of the law. They've been stealing a lot from big rancher John McLiam and he's about had it. His answer though might be worse than the horse thieves.

It's to call in a regulator which is a fancy term for a bounty hunter. The guy he gets is Marlon Brando who it could be argued is in his most villainous role on the screen. This is a swaggering Irish brogue speaking gunfighter who really does love his work.

Brando's ways start to rub McLiam the wrong way not to mention his daughter Kathleen Lloyd the wrong way. She's on bad terms with her father and has taken a shine to Nicholson in any event.

A lot of the same issues are dealt with in The Missouri Breaks that were in the fine Kirk Douglas western, Posse. The difference is that Douglas operates with a professional posse and he's got career plans which call for him to bring in outlaw Bruce Dern and his gang by any means necessary. Brando's not got any plans other than to do what he does, kill people with a license which he thoroughly enjoys.

The final confrontation with Nicholson and Brando is a gem from director Arthur Penn. There's very little words, but the expressions on the faces of both men are absolutely priceless, worth 10 pages of dialog.

The Missouri Breaks is the last of three westerns that Marlon Brando did, One Eyed Jacks and The Apaloosa are the others. This is definitely the one I enjoyed best.

THE MISSOURI BREAKS is one of the odder westerns of the 1970s, featuring a typically larger-than-life supporting role for Marlon Brando who seems to be in his own little world. The main thrust of the tale concerns Jack Nicholson's anti-hero, a horse thief and leader of a gang which Brando is soon in hot pursuit of. Brando gets long reams of dialogue to spout and occasionally cross-dresses while killing the bad guys. Nicholson is typically crude yet likeable, and the genre trappings are well-handled in that grittility realistic style of the 1970s. The well-judged supporting cast includes the likes of Randy Quaid, John P. Ryan and Harry Dean Stanton all of whom can be relied upon to entertain.