Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Moderate
- darkly comic
- eccentric
- menacing
- classic western marathon
- arthouse western night
What critics said
Critics increasingly regard the film as an unusual and resonant revisionist western, despite its initially hostile reception and uneven excesses.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The conflict among ranchers, rustlers, and hired regulators unfolds against a decadent late-nineteenth-century frontier.
Lee Clayton is hired to hunt horse thieves but is portrayed as an unnerving, idiosyncratic sharpshooter.
The regulator's pursuit of Tom Logan's gang turns the familiar rustler-versus-rancher conflict into an erratic battle of menace and survival.
Rancher David Braxton's horses, property, and daughter anchor the struggle in the cattle country of Montana.
Films like The Missouri Breaks, and why
McCabe & Mrs. Miller
revisionist western atmosphere, morally unstable frontier characters, and eccentric performances
The Wild Bunch
darkly comic revisionist western treatment of violence and a fading frontier
Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid
ambiguous western morality, frontier decline, and distinctive antiheroic characters
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
stylized western violence, outlaw conflict, and psychologically unusual protagonists
Movie Details
- Director
- Arthur Penn
- Release Date
- 1976-05-19
- Runtime
- 126 min
- Rating
- 6.5 / 10 (260)
Cast
- Marlon Brando
- Jack Nicholson
- Randy Quaid
- Kathleen Lloyd
- Frederic Forrest
- Harry Dean Stanton
- John McLiam
- John P. Ryan
- Steve Franken
- Richard Bradford
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Amazon Prime Video, MGM Plus Roku Premium Channel, MGM Plus, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Missouri Breaks about?
- A horse thief and an eccentric regulator collide in a darkly comic, morally unsettled vision of the American frontier.
- What is The Missouri Breaks like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Missouri Breaks as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is The Missouri Breaks violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in The Missouri Breaks as moderate.
- What did critics think of The Missouri Breaks?
- Critics increasingly regard the film as an unusual and resonant revisionist western, despite its initially hostile reception and uneven excesses.
- Which films are like The Missouri Breaks?
- Films with a similar feel include McCabe & Mrs. Miller, The Wild Bunch, Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid, and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.
- How long is The Missouri Breaks?
- The Missouri Breaks runs 126 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Missouri Breaks?
- In United States, The Missouri Breaks streams on Amazon Prime Video, MGM Plus Roku Premium Channel, MGM Plus, Amazon Prime Video with Ads.
