I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

Lack of good storyline.

Disappointment for a huge fan!

The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one

It's 1894. Brant Royle (Gary Cooper) has returned to Kingsmont seeking revenge. His late father's tobacco business was destroyed by Maj. James Singleton (Donald Crisp). Brant encounters Margaret Jane Singleton (Patricia Neal). Margaret mischievously stirs up trouble with her protective father leading a confrontation with Brant. Connecticut Yankee John Barton is in town trying to sell his plans for a cigarette-making machine. Brant doesn't have the money but with his former lover madam Sonia Kovac (Lauren Bacall), he hopes to make the machine to drive Singleton out of business. This is a nice love triangle. They have good conflicts which heat up their relationships. Cooper's nice guy persona allows his revenge to be sweetened. Otherwise, this could have been too bitter for the general public. It allows one to stay with him even as he is corrupted by greed and power. He takes a dark turn and it's great. This is a tragedy of epic Grecian nature. Brant's ending is poetic. The ending for Malley and Sonia should be that they join up with Barton starting up an automobile company in Detroit. Also, Neal and Bacall may be better off switching their roles. Bacall is a perfect femme fatale and Neal is naturally grounded. It's a bit of against type casting. Overall, this is solid tragedy done well.

A turn of the Century twist with another Cooper, O'Neal romance. NOT!!! Don't let that stop you at the Gates of the Singleton Plantation. Gary Cooper,(Brandt Royle) the last of his families line,a wannabee businessman meets Northerner Mr. Barton with a cigarette rolling machine that could make them millions. Enter Bordello owner Sonia, (Lauren Bacall) who has feelings for Mr. Royle. Royle needs money to start up his cigarette business but Sonia knows all to well that she's being used as his love interest. This movie is not about the money or the success that it brings. This movie shows how old fashioned ways, traditions and family hatred get in the way of just about everything. Cooper does a fine job of transforming from a humble upstart to a drunken self absorbed entrepreneur. In my opinion Lauren Bacall could have played Patricia Neal's role but the casting dept had other ideas. The supporting cast does a fine job of holding the story together. Donald Crisp as the irascible old school Tobacco King and Jack Carson who starts out a down on his luck charlatan running a medicine show at the beginning of the story into a well polished boardroom businessman at movie's end. Does this movie teach us to love our superficial business world or should we search for our true passions instead? This question haunts the masses for centuries and this movie may or may not give us the answers but you will be entertained by an all star cast.

I'm a fan of Michael Curtiz and his seminal film, "Mildred Pierce", so I couldn't help comparing the story/plot of "Bright Leaf" to Mildred Pierce, which was a well-received Curtiz film from 1945 - five years previous to the release of Bright Leaf. The following is my comparison: Mildred Pierce is a woman from humble stock who is spurned by her unfaithful husband and her class-conscious daughter. Mildred determines to prove her worth by obtaining wealth and thereby purchasing both her position in society and the affections of her daughter. Success comes in the form of a chain of popular restaurants. Acceptance into higher society eludes Mildred as her snobbish daughter continues to ridicule Mildred and she is then double-crossed by her business partner/lover, society playboy Monte Barragan. Mildred loses everything for which she worked so hard; her wealth, social status, daughter, lover, etc.In the film "Bright Leaf", Brant Royle is the son of a poor tobacco farmer who was pushed out of business by the family of Margaret Singleton (played by Patricia Neal), the boyhood crush of Brant Royle. Brant determines to prove his worth and gain revenge on the Singleton family by obtaining wealth and thereby driving Major Singleton out of business. Revenge eludes Brant Royle; however, as he is double-crossed by his business partner/lover, Margaret Singleton. Brant loses everything for which he worked so hard; his wealth, social status, lover, etc.Although Bright Leaf is not a one-for-one plot-mirror of Mildred Pierce, the similarities to me were startling. Mildred is clearly the better film, in my opinion, due to the more likable and sympathetic main character. Mildred was motivated by a needy sort of "love" for her daughter, while Brant was motivated by a desire for revenge.The audience is left with sympathy for Mildred who was a victim of the selfish people around her. The audience must; however, place the blame of Brant's demise squarely on his own shoulders, for as Douglas Horton once said, "While seeking revenge, dig two graves - one for yourself".

....one of the first cigarettes from Cooper's machine,you say to yourself: well it would be censored today now that we know where tobacco delights lead people to! Forget tobacco and you have a splendid melodrama:the old gent ,who treats young Turk Cooper as a dog ,the latter's revenge,and the impressive final when the new king is screaming "let it burn!!" Supporting cast is first-class including Crisp,portraying a man from another age,with his obsolete code of honor ,Jack Carson,the noble cool pal,Lauren Bacall the good-hearted gal.My favorite is Patricia Neal who portrays the more complex character of the whole movie.Her final scene with Cooper is highly dramatic and I think Neal made the best of her lines.