Regie:
John SturgesKamera:
William C. MellorMusik:
André PrevinBesetzung:
Spencer Tracy, Robert Ryan, Anne Francis, Dean Jagger, Walter Brennan, John Ericson, Ernest Borgnine, Lee Marvin, Russell Collins, Walter Sande (mehr)Inhalte(1)
Die Bewohner von Black Rock begrüßen den geheimnisvollen, einarmigen Fremden John J. Macreedy auf ihre Art: Er darf gleich wieder verschwinden. Oder sie sorgen dafür, dass er in einer Holzkiste verschwindet. Spencer Tracy spielt den Kriegsveteranen Macreedy, der nicht verrät, warum er nach Black Rock gekommen ist. Als man ihn bedroht und gewalttätig angreift, reagiert er absolut kaltblütig. Geschickt steigert Regisseur John Sturges die Spannung, als allmählich klar wird, was Macreedy vorhat und welches grausige Geheimnis die Stadt hütet. (Verleiher-Text)
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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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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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You’ll notice right from the start that you’re watching a neo-western rather than a traditional western, as the stranger doesn’t arrive in town on a steam locomotive but on a diesel train. The paranoia of the locals, supported by their dark consciences, slowly reveals the underlying motives and objectives of the story, culminating in a final showdown that follows traditional templates with the added value of insight into racism and the discrimination faced by Japanese Americans during World War II. Throughout, I expected Spencer Tracy's character to have some sort of ace up his sleeve, perhaps hiding a mini Gatling gun in his left pocket instead of a prosthetic limb, but he ultimately relies only on Japanese and Finnish elements (karate and Molotov cocktails). He somewhat reminded me of Gabin: calm, measured, principled, and capable of getting under people’s skin with just his words. These were the keys to essentially completing the mission.
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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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