From its strong opening of a train speeding along the rails in the desert of California to the last scene, as Spencer Tracy boards that same black train once again, "Bad Day at Black Rock" is full of intrigue, mystery, and shady characters. And at 81 minutes it is a breeze to sit through.
Spencer Tracy plays a disabled WWII veteran (he lost an arm in Italy), who travels to small desert hamlet that is run by a posse of thugs led by Robert Ryan and his disciples, Lee Marvin and Ernest Borgnine. Tracy, an outsider in the town, draws the ire of Ryan and his gang for simply being there and he causes further suspicion when he starts asking questions regarding a man – a Japanese farmer who lived nearby – who no one wishes to talk about, especially the circumstances of his disappearance.
The script is full of wonderful dialogue and while the villains (Borgnine's character especially) appear at times cartoony, they certainly are entertaining. In this cast without a weak-link, Tracy, Ryan and Walter Brennan, as the town doctor, are the standouts. Tracy (even though he was probably too old to be just out of the army) imbues his aging character, who feels he has lost his worth in life because of his disability, with a great sense of dignity and purpose. This is a great role for Tracy and when he gets an excellent scene, such as when his character demands answers from the town doctor and hotel clerk, he excels.
John Sturges' direction is also top notch and several scenes that he constructs are striking. The score by Andre Previn is also excellent and fits the film so well.
The film is also somewhat similar to "High Noon." Both are about isolated Western towns in which the citizens of the town fail to stand up for what is right and instead look the other way at the injustice that occurs right in front of their eyes . But, in both films, one man does decide to take charge and stand up for what is right. I found "High Noon," which also has a short running time, to be rather boring and visually uninteresting. "Bad Day at Black Rock," in vivid color, is the far better film.
Spencer Tracy plays a disabled WWII veteran (he lost an arm in Italy), who travels to small desert hamlet that is run by a posse of thugs led by Robert Ryan and his disciples, Lee Marvin and Ernest Borgnine. Tracy, an outsider in the town, draws the ire of Ryan and his gang for simply being there and he causes further suspicion when he starts asking questions regarding a man – a Japanese farmer who lived nearby – who no one wishes to talk about, especially the circumstances of his disappearance.
The script is full of wonderful dialogue and while the villains (Borgnine's character especially) appear at times cartoony, they certainly are entertaining. In this cast without a weak-link, Tracy, Ryan and Walter Brennan, as the town doctor, are the standouts. Tracy (even though he was probably too old to be just out of the army) imbues his aging character, who feels he has lost his worth in life because of his disability, with a great sense of dignity and purpose. This is a great role for Tracy and when he gets an excellent scene, such as when his character demands answers from the town doctor and hotel clerk, he excels.
John Sturges' direction is also top notch and several scenes that he constructs are striking. The score by Andre Previn is also excellent and fits the film so well.
The film is also somewhat similar to "High Noon." Both are about isolated Western towns in which the citizens of the town fail to stand up for what is right and instead look the other way at the injustice that occurs right in front of their eyes . But, in both films, one man does decide to take charge and stand up for what is right. I found "High Noon," which also has a short running time, to be rather boring and visually uninteresting. "Bad Day at Black Rock," in vivid color, is the far better film.