The Missouri Breaks

This week's most rewarding drama pick in Australia on Amazon Prime Video, and in the US on Amazon Prime Video and Fawesome is The Missouri Breaks. It says what it needs to say in one sitting, no filler. With 251 viewer ratings on TMDB, this is not a title flying under the radar. Marlon Brando anchors it with a performance that rewards close attention. Start it on Amazon Prime Video whenever you need something guaranteed to land.

There is a reason The Missouri Breaks keeps coming up in conversation. Character-driven storytelling at its most effective — The Missouri Breaks earns every emotional beat it goes for. When vigilante land baron David Braxton hangs one of the best friends of cattle rustler Tom Logan, Logan's gang decides to get even by purchasing a small farm next to Braxton's ranch. From there the rustlers begin stealing horses, using the farm as a front for their operation. Determined to stop the thefts at any cost, Braxton retains the services of eccentric sharpshooter Robert E. Marlon Brando and Jack Nicholson lead a cast that brings real weight to the material. It hit screens in 1976. What elevates The Missouri Breaks is a refusal to let any character off the hook too easily. It delivers reliably on what it promises, which is more than most of its competition manages.

For anyone looking for storytelling that takes its characters seriously, The Missouri Breaks delivers. It stands on its own even without an obvious comparison point. The complete film is available and best experienced without too much prior knowledge of where it goes. Marlon Brando's work here is the kind that gets referenced in career retrospectives. It makes everything else feel thin by comparison.

The Missouri Breaks was released in 1976, directed by Arthur Penn. The full 126-minute film is available to watch now. Find exactly where it's streaming below, and TV Butler Pro makes it effortless to track your progress as you go. Just search the name, and Butler finds it instantly, tells you which service has it, and remembers exactly where you left off.