The Wasteland Reviewer

The Wasteland Gems: Bad Day at Black Rock (1955)

How do you choose what to watch on all those streaming services you have access to? There are so many options that it is just overwhelming. These services constantly release new content and overshadow all the great films from the past that are already there and ready to watch. Now there is The Wasteland Gems! Here is a great film on streaming right now that you should check out this weekend:

Bad Day at Black Rock (1955)

What do you think of when some mentions classic westerns? You probably think about plenty of John Ford directed films. John Wayne has probably starred in many of them. The same can be said of director Sergio Leone and Clint Eastwood. But there are plenty of great westerns to explore in the history of cinema outside the realm of Ford, Wayne, Leone, and Eastwood. They also don’t have to take place in the pre- or post-Civil War era of the American west and frontier. You can capture those same western motifs in a more modern story that still features the lawlessness of the west. John Sturges had a great and beloved western with The Magnificent Seven, but he has another film that gets overshadowed as well. Bad Day at Black Rock.

What is the most compelling aspect of Sturges’ neo-western? There is a great sense of mystery. The film is only 81-minutes and drops the audience right into this situation without much to explore. Following World War II, a one-armed stranger (Spencer Tracy) arrives on a train in a tiny California desert town. We don’t know what his real motivations are in this tiny and obscure town. An even bigger mystery is why this whole town does not appreciate this stranger’s presence in the town. There is plenty of tension as Tracy’s John J. Macreedy asks for a room, a rental car, or any support from the locals. The revelation that Macreedy is seeking a Japanese American farmer Kamoko turns this town upside down and puts Macreedy’s life in danger. From start to finish, there is plenty of tension in the air and plenty of fascinating revelations to reveal themselves.

What is one of the key elements of any kind of western? The setting. Sturges crafted a pitch perfect landscape for this slimmer thriller to take place. You can see the big blue sky and clouds that cinematographer William C. Mellor captures with his striking visuals. Sturges has captured grand vistas and landscapes before those California mountains and desert help crafted the necessary isolation for this hopeless scenario to come to life. Many western narratives have isolation as a central motif with a lack of connection to civilization causing many of the conflicts going on. Macreedy has nowhere to turn for support in his conflict and that striking desert is just a reminder of just how isolated and on his own he truly is.

With this western, what element really ties it all together? The cast of this film is just superb. You have one of the greatest actors of his generation with Tracy delivering a strong, stalwart performance that anchors this lean thriller. Robert Ryan delivers a devious persona that matches his dangerous protagonist so perfectly. His conflict with Tracy on screen is quite palpable. Anne Francis is a charming and alluring presence which matches perfectly with how her character of Liz fits into this mysterious web of danger. There are some other familiar faces who stand out on their own with Ernest Borgnine and Lee Marvin providing some intense and intimidating forces on screen. Throw in plenty of great characters from Walter Brennan to Dean Jagger and you have yourself the pitch perfect ensemble to bring this film together.

What is Bad Day at Black Rock not more well known today? This is not the western with the biggest scale. Sturges’ other work is more iconic with bigger names. But there is something truly special about this isolated, thrilling, and suspenseful tale of small town lies and deceit. Tracy leads a strong ensemble and anchors this fascinating story about honor and prejudice as well. Bad Day at Black Rock is the type of hidden gem you certainly want to seek out.

Bad Day at Black Rock is streaming on The Criterion Channel.