The Missouri Breaks (1976)

Director:

Arthur Penn

Writer:

Thomas McGuane (written by)

Release Date:

19 May 1976 (USA)

Genre:

Western

Tagline:

One Steals, One Kills, One Dies

Plot:

Tom Logan is a horse thief. Rancher David Braxton has horses, and a daughter, worth stealing. But Braxton has just hired Lee Clayton...

Plot Keywords:

Horse | Horse Thief | Home Library | Rifle | Canadian Rockies

Cast

Marlon Brando	...	Lee Clayton
Jack Nicholson	...	Tom Logan
Randy Quaid	...	Little Tod
Kathleen Lloyd	...	Jane Braxton
Frederic Forrest	...	Cary
Harry Dean Stanton	...	Calvin
John McLiam	...	David Braxton
John P. Ryan	...	Si (as John Ryan)
Sam Gilman	...	Hank Rate
Steve Franken	...	The Lonesome Kid
Richard Bradford	...	Pete Marker
James Greene	...	Hellsgate Rancher
Luana Anders	...	Rancher's Wife
Danny Goldman	...	Baggage Clerk
Hunter von Leer	...	Sandy (as Hunter Von Leer)

Runtime:

126 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Canada:G (Quebec) | Canada:R (Ontario) | Canada:PG (Manitoba) | Iceland:16 | West Germany:16 (f) | Australia:M | Finland:K-16 | Norway:16 | UK:15 (video rating) (1987) | UK:AA (original rating) | USA:PG

Filming Locations:

Billings, Montana, USA

Company:

Devon/Persky-Bright

Trivia:

Marlon Brando's performance was mostly improvised. Arthur Penn eventually gave up on him and decided to just let him act whatever way he wanted.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: When Tom and Jane mount the same horse, one in front each other, her modern white underwear appears for a while.

Quotes:

David Braxton: Honey, pull down "Tristram Shandy" again for me, will you?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Blue Nude (1977)

Rugged rifleman rides roughshod over unruly rednecks, riles raunchy rancher, riddles rascally rustlers

A gang of horse rustlers take on an ornery rancher causing him to hire a psychotic assassin to terminate his tormentors. Brando was superb as the insane Robert Lee, and Nicholson turned in his usual fine performance as the enigmatic gang leader. Was Robert Lee really a bad man for taking out the thieves, or were the rustlers merely "boys being boys"? Excellent western with maximum excitement as well as several good laughs.