Missouri Breaks, The (1976) – Nostalgia Central

In 1880s Montana, wealthy, egomaniacal land baron David Braxton (John McLiam) is determined to rid the territory of cattle rustlers and horse thieves. Taking the law into his own hands, he hangs a captured member of an outlaw gang (Hunter von Leer).

The gang leader, Tom Logan (Jack Nicholson), seeks revenge and buys an abandoned farm directly next to Braxton’s massive ranch.

Logan and his fun-loving crew use the farm as a front and relay station to steal Braxton’s horses and move them safely across the plains.

Along the way, Logan begins a romantic relationship with Braxton’s strong-willed daughter, Jane (Kathleen Lloyd).

Outraged by the continued thefts and the hanging of his own ranch foreman in retaliation, Braxton hires a notorious “regulator”- a ruthless, mercenary frontier detective named Robert E. Lee Clayton (Marlon Brando).

Highly skilled but deeply unhinged, Clayton begins a psychological game with the outlaws, adopting multiple bizarre disguises, using a custom long-range rifle, and even stalking his prey while wearing a dress and bonnet.

Clayton systematically tracks down, terrorises, and executes the members of Logan’s gang one by one using cold, sadistic methods.

As his friends are ruthlessly picked off, Logan’s dream of maintaining the farm and settling down with Jane is shattered, and the playful nature of the outlaw gang turns into a desperate struggle for survival.

Pushed to the brink by Clayton’s brutality, Logan hunts down Clayton and ambushes and kills him while he sleeps.

Logan then confronts and kills Braxton as well, completely dismantling the elite power structure on the frontier before riding away.

The production of The Missouri Breaks is legendary in Hollywood lore, largely because of Marlon Brando’s wildly eccentric, unpredictable, and heavily improvised behaviour on set.

Brando was paid a then-staggering $1.25 million plus a percentage of the profits for just over three weeks of work and essentially took over the creative direction of his character, completely baffling director Arthur Penn and co-star Jack Nicholson.

His performance was mostly improvised, though he made heavy use of cue cards while filming and refused to learn his lines.

Without warning, he decided to play several scenes with a thick, exaggerated Irish accent that wasn’t in the script. In other scenes, he randomly wore a tiny, bright blue hat that looked like an item of children’s clothing.

Robert E. Lee Clayton
Marlon Brando
Tom Logan
Jack Nicholson
Little Tod
Randy Quaid
Jane Braxton
Kathleen Lloyd
Cary
Frederic Forrest
Calvin
Harry Dean Stanton
David Braxton
John McLiam
Si
John P. Ryan
Hank Rate
Sam Gilman
The Lonesome Kid
Steve Franken
Pete Marker
Richard Bradford
Hellsgate Rancher
James Greene
Rancher’s Wife
Luana Anders
Baggage Clerk
Danny Goldman
Sandy
Hunter von Leer
Woody
Virgil Frye
Bob
R.L. Armstrong
John Quinn
Daniel Ades
Madame
Dorothy Neumann
Freighter
Charles Wagenheim
Vern
Vern Chandler

Director
Arthur Penn