Directed by:
John SturgesCinematography:
William C. MellorComposer:
André PrevinCast:
Spencer Tracy, Robert Ryan, Anne Francis, Dean Jagger, Walter Brennan, John Ericson, Ernest Borgnine, Lee Marvin, Russell Collins, Walter Sande, Harry Harvey (more)VOD (1)
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Spencer Tracy plays World War II veteran John J. Macreedy, who keeps his own counsel about why he's come to Black Rock and who keeps his wits about him when confronted with threats and violence. (official distributor synopsis)
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Reviews (4)
A highly entertaining modern western where cars replace horses, set just after WWII. The era doesn’t matter much when the story has the right setting and a plot that keeps you hooked for 80 minutes. Spencer Tracy is outstanding in his role, and I was on the edge of my seat with each passing minute. The ending is pure, straightforward masculinity — predictable but spot-on.
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A slow and tedious conversational drama that relies only on excellent actors and a bleak post-war rural setting where the inhabitants hide a shared secret. Unfortunately, it’s not very good at escalating the tension and the curiosity and to make us fear for the life of the protagonist (because the twist is very obvious and also, as a classic western, the hero is an almost untouchable god). Bonus points at least for the successful metaphor of the social divisions and mistrust of the time.
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Bad Day at Black Rock is a western in terms of its setting and character, a post-war psychological drama due to the time period in which it is set, and a Cold War thriller thanks to the time when it was made. The film can be interpreted in various ways, but because of Sturges’s reputation (it’s true that he made his best films later) and Tracy (who, conversely, could already choose the films that he wanted to appear in), I don’t believe that it was supposed to be merely an atmospheric movie with captivatingly “framed” shots and without a political-social reach. Only the symbolic taking of responsibility by young people… 75%
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I love films that are relatively short, straightforward, and focus on characters that are well-written and excellently acted. That is exactly the case with Bad Day at Black Rock. Additionally, the script is truly excellent, keeping you in suspense from the beginning and not letting you breathe until almost the very end, where you finally reach a resolution that doesn't always have to be the best.
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