One doesn't think of Marlon Brando as a Western movie actor, but he had his share, just as Jimmy Stewart and Fred MacMurray had theirs. Brando also directed "One Eyed Jacks" in which he starred, though my personal favorite would be "The Missouri Breaks", even if he didn't make it to the end of that picture. "The Appaloosa" came in between those two in a stretch that lasted well over a decade.This is a serviceable Western with Brando's character Mateo seeking revenge on the Mexican outlaw that shamed him with a rope drag through the mud and stole his horse, the appaloosa of the title. Surprisingly, John Saxon makes for an effective bandido with his well coiffed mustache, surrounded by henchmen who do his bidding without question. Anjanette Comer portrays Chuy Medina's (Saxon) less than willing woman, using whatever screen time she has planning a break from the bad guy with or without the help of Mateo.Probably the most interesting scene here is one that's pretty unique and just as creative. With Mateo a virtual prisoner, Medina offers him his freedom if he can beat the Mexican outlaw at an arm wrestling contest. This would have been bizarre enough given the dynamic of the story, but it's given added appeal by the placement of scorpions on the challenge surface, with the loser facing a poisonous sting of disappointment when his arm hits the table.The description of the film on the cable channel where I saw it listed Brando as former buffalo hunter Matt Fletcher; where all that came from I have no idea. Don't confuse this film with 2008's "Appaloosa" with Ed Harris and Viggo Mortenson, the latter one is not a remake. Given the title of this story, I had to marvel at the fact that the actual horse for which it's named doesn't have a lot to do or have a very prominent role in the picture. But he did have his moment when the appaloosa nodded his approval after the dust cleared and Mateo out shot the Mexican bully on the hillside. Come to think of it, Brando's character pulled off two lucky shots that day.

Matt Fletcher (Marlon Brando) is returning home with his beautiful Appaloosa horse intending to start a horse ranch with it. Powerful bandit Chuy Medina (John Saxon) steals his horse. Matt decides to pursue his gang into wild hostile Mexico. Chuy's brutalized girlfriend Trini helps him.The villains are mustachio Mexican bandits. Yet John Saxon plays the lead Mexican and he does it with a fake accent. This is a spaghetti B-western except it has Brando. It's not well made and slow moving. The story meanders and lacks excitement. It does have Brando. He's the only interesting thing in this movie.

Chuy Medina (Saxon) and his thugs steal the Appaloosa belonging to Brando. Brando chases them across the border into Mexico and after many tribulations brings back both the horse and Anjanette Comer.Somebody in movies like this is always racing across the border to escape justice or wreak revenge or retrieve a stolen horse or something. Mexico is "the other". It's usually "bad" in the way that California is a pipe dream of paradise. Both honor and treachery rule in Mexico. It's a Hobbesian universe. "No arts; no letters; no society; and which is worst of all, continual fear, and danger of violent death: and the life of man, solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short." Brando's compadre advises him, "Trust no one in Mexico, Matteo." Brando can trust Anjanette Comer, though. She's truthful and entirely candid. Not that she looks anything like a Mexican woman though. She's groomed like a Hollywood actress playing a Mexican woman.That's the responsibility of Bud Westmore, who was in charge of make ups. He must have been asleep at the wheel. A hard-working rancher's wife is given a close up of her fingers fondling a crucifix, and her fingers are immaculate and her nails perfectly trimmed and polished. She could perform surgery without gloves.Westmore has also thoughtfully seen to it that the principal actors, the ones not wearing raggedy beards, have cheeks and chins as smoothly shaven as Anjanette Comer's, even if they've been recovering from scorpion venom. That would be Brando. He's been stung by a scorpion from Durango after losing an arm-wrestling contest with Saxon. (John Wayne could never have played this role because John Wayne couldn't possibly lose an arm-wrestling contest.) Actually, Durango is noted for its scorpions. They're not even called escorpio, at least not according to my Durango informant. They have a special name, alacran, and the people of Durango are generally known as Alacran de Durango.This was directed by Sidney J. Furie, who must be phobic for traditional movie shots. There are no more long shots than are absolutely essential to an understanding of the plot. Medium shots are invariably broken by objects in the foreground -- pillars, posts, pitchers, and in one scene all five of Marlon Brando's fingers block most of the camera's view. The close up are really CLOSE ups. A typical reverse angle shot, involving, say, two people conversing at a table will alternate chokers in which we see a person's features from his eyebrows to his lower lip. More than once, we see only a single eyeball. But there are plenty of teeth that are not just white but blindingly so, like arc lights, cleaned, polished, buffed, and in those dark, scarred faces they glow with an inner luminescence.Other director's tics: When people drink or eat, whatever they are drinking or eating tends to dribbled down their chins onto their clothing or gets clotted in their facial hair. A very artistic shot of Anjanette Comer's incandescent incisors squishing on a wedge of lime after a shot of tequila. And when someone walks, we don't see them walk. We see their jangling spurred boots moving step by step through the dust or snow.I don't know how much it cost to hire Marlon Brando for this Mexican adventure but he didn't put an equivalent amount of effort into the role. There was a time (and there would be a time again later) when he invested his roles with intelligence and energy, but by 1966 he seemed to be sleepwalking, tired, bored, resigned -- just another actor. Comer is miscast. She seems city bred. John Saxon does surprisingly well by the role of the local strong man. And Alex Montoya is given a novel touch of humanity -- shot full of holes by Brando, he looks agonized and cries, "Senor!", before collapsing.Nice location photography and a potentially interesting story, mostly ruined by superheated direction and a flat performance by the star.

The Nineteen-sixties was a time of great change in the movies. For the first time, the Anti-Hero was coming into his own. Here is one such film entitled " The Appaloosa " written by Robert Macleod and directed by Sidney J. Furies, which ranks among the very best of the nuevo Westerns. The star of the film is none other than Marlon Brando who by this date, was hitting his stride. Up against him and doing a superb job as the heavy is John Saxon who plays Chuy Medina. He plays a proud Mexican bandit justifying his theft of a rare horse by Trini, his reluctant woman (Anjanette Comer) who steals it. Matt Fletcher (Marlon Brando) returns home after many years hunting Buffalo, with a sack full of Gold Coins, a beautiful Appaloosa horse and a promise of repaying a debt. However, Chuy Medina decides to steal the horse and challenges Brando to journey to Mexico and try to get it back. The touching drama of the story plays well against the stark desert landscape and the inner duel of the two adversaries matches well their behavior. The excellent cast includes Emilio Fernández, Alex Montoya and Frank Silvera as Ramos. Through the years the film has earned the crown of Classic. ****