One-Eyed Jacks is a 1961 American Technicolor Western film starring and directed by Marlon Brando; it was the only film he directed. It was originally planned to be directed by Stanley Kubrick from a screenplay by Sam Peckinpah, but studio disputes led to their replacement by Brando and Guy Trosper. Brando portrays the lead character Rio, and Karl Malden plays his partner, “Dad” Longworth. The supporting cast features Pina Pellicer, Katy Jurado, Ben Johnson and Slim Pickens. In 2018, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress.

Plot
Rio (Marlon Brando) (also called “The Kid”), his mentor Dad Longworth (Karl Malden), and a third man called Doc rob a bank of two saddlebags of gold in Sonora, Mexico. Mexican rurales (mounted police) track them, catch them celebrating in a cantina, and kill Doc. Dad and Rio escape, but get trapped on a high ridge with only one horse between them. Rio figures the rurales will be “swarming all over us inside an hour.” They decide one partner might succeed in riding to a nearby jacalito (small adobe house) and returning with fresh mounts. They gamble for it, with Rio fixing it so his pal, Dad, can be the one to go.

Dad gets to a corral and straps the saddlebags of gold onto a fresh pony, but he gets second thoughts. He casts one eye towards a point on the ridge sure to be taken by the rurales, and with the other he gazes off in the opposite direction, towards the border and safety. One way leads to danger and a poor chance at survival with half the loot, the other towards certain safety with all the spoils. After a short moment of reflection he leaves his friend to be taken by the rurales. Rio is arrested and transported to prison by way of the jacalito, where he learns firsthand of Dad’s betrayal.

Rio spends five hard years in a Sonora prison. He escapes with new partner Chico Modesto (Larry Duran) and goes hunting for Dad. He discovers Dad has become the sheriff of Monterey, California. Instead of ambushing him, Rio gives him a chance to explain why he left him on the ridge back in Mexico. Rio himself claims he had never been captured, and as such has no reason to feel vengeful towards Dad. Dad’s awkward, self-serving version of events is easily seen through, but Rio’s story is no less implausible.

All along Rio planned not only to kill Dad, but also to pull off a bank robbery in Monterey with his new partners Chico and “scum-suckin’ pig” Bob Emory (Ben Johnson). Emory had used his knowledge of Dad’s whereabouts to force his way into the scheme. Plans are sidetracked when Rio falls in love with Dad’s beautiful stepdaughter, Louisa (Pina Pellicer). Rio takes advantage of a fiesta (festival) to spend the night with her on the beach. Dad tries to punish Louisa for what happened, but after intervention by his wife, Maria, (Katy Jurado) he backs down. Still enraged, he traps Rio, ties him up in the middle of the town, and administers a vicious beating with a whip. He then smashes Rio’s gun hand with the butt of his shotgun, to make sure Rio will never be able to beat him in a gunfight.

While recovering from his wounds, Rio struggles with his conflicting desires to love the girl and to get revenge on her stepfather. He repeatedly practices shooting with his left hand. He decides to forgo vengeance, fetch Louisa and leave town. However Emory has been brewing his own plans. He and a partner kill Chico and pull off the bank job without Rio’s knowledge. The heist goes wrong and a young girl is killed. Rio is accused of committing the crimes by Dad, even though he believes Rio’s protestations that he had no involvement. Knowing that the outcome of his trial is certain, Rio expects to be hanged in two days. Dad has one last private talk with him, again attempting to absolve himself for all he has done. Rio replies, “You’re one-eyed jack around here Dad, but I seen the other side of your face.” Rio tells him he had been imprisoned for the last five years, but Dad calls it a lie.

Louisa visits Rio in jail to tell him she is going to have his baby. He is then beaten by sadistic deputy Lon Dedrick (Slim Pickens), who desired and has been denied Louisa’s affection. Elsewhere, Maria confronts Dad and insists on being told the truth about the relationship between him and Rio, stating she knew something was wrong since the moment Rio arrived. She says she knows Dad is wanting to hang him purely out of guilt. Dad angrily leaves after telling her she has no appreciation for everything he has done for her.

Louisa visits Rio in jail to tell him she is going to have his baby. He is then beaten by sadistic deputy Lon Dedrick (Slim Pickens), who desired and has been denied Louisa’s affection. Elsewhere, Maria confronts Dad and insists on being told the truth about the relationship between him and Rio, stating she knew something was wrong since the moment Rio arrived. She says she knows Dad is wanting to hang him purely out of guilt. Dad angrily leaves after telling her she has no appreciation for everything he has done for her.

Louisa attempts to smuggle a Derringer pocket pistol to Rio, but she is discovered by Dedrick, who mocks her and carries her out of the jail, leaving the gun on a table. While they are out, Rio with great difficulty is able to get hold of the pistol. However it is without ammunition. Pointing the unloaded gun at Dedrick when he returns, Rio bluffs his way out of jail in a tense confrontation. Rio takes Dedrick’s revolver, beats him unconscious, and locks him in a cell. As Rio is making his escape he is spotted by Dad, riding into town. Under fire, in the final showdown Rio shoots Dad dead.

Rio and Louisa ride out to the dunes and say a sentimental farewell. Rio will now be a hunted man and is already wanted in Mexico, so he tells Louisa that he might go to Oregon. He tells her to look for him in the spring, when he will return for her.

Cast
Marlon Brando as “Kid” Rio
Karl Malden as Dad Longworth
Ben Johnson as Bob Emory
Katy Jurado as Maria Longworth
Pina Pellicer as Louisa
Slim Pickens as Lon Dedrick
Larry Duran as Chico Modesto
Sam Gilman as Harvey Johnson
Timothy Carey as Howard Tetley
Míriam Colón as Redhead
Elisha Cook, Jr. as Carvey (billed as Elisha Cook)
Rodolfo Acosta as Mexican Rurale Captain (billed as Rudolph Acosta)
Tom Webb as Farmer’s Son
Ray Teal as Barney
John Dierkes as Chet
Philip Ahn as Uncle
Margarita Cordova as Nika, Flamenco Dancer
Hank Worden as Doc
Joan Petrone as Woman selling flowers during fiesta in Monterey