Bad Day At Black Rock

Starring: Spencer Tracy, Robert Ryan, Anne Francis, et al.

Folks in Black Rock have their own way of welcoming mysterious, one-armed stranger John J. Macreedy. He's welcome to leave. Or they'll make sure he leaves in a pine box. Two-time Academy Award winner* Spencer Tracy (a 1955 Best Actor Oscar nominee for this film) plays World War II veteran 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. Director John Sturges (The Great Escape) ramps up the tension while revealing Macreedy's mission and the town's grim secret. Robert Ryan, Walter Brennan, Ernest Borgnine and Lee Marvin are among the town's thugs and lap dogs. "I'm half horse, half alligator," one says. They'll find Macreedy is even tougher stuff.

• Format: DVD
• Language: English
• UPC: 012569690226
• Release Date: May 2005
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Publisher: WarnerBrothers
• Director: John Sturges
• Starring: Spencer Tracy, Robert Ryan, Anne Francis, Lee Marvin, Dean Jagger, Walter Brennan, John Ericson, Ernest Borgnine, Russell Collins, Walter Sande
• Runtime: 1 hour, 23 minutes
• Number of Disks: 1
• Other Video Info: Multiple Formats; Closed-captioned; Color; Dolby; Dubbed; NTSC; Subtitled; Widescreen
• Weight: 0.26 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.5" x 7.8"

Customer Reviews

This is the first time the Streamliner has stopped here in four years.

Well, this movie surely was not what I expected. I had in mind cowboys in monochrome with black and white hats. Little did I suspect CinemaScope in the story with depth. Everybody in town looks up as the streamliner comes to a stop in the town of Blackrock. A stranger, John J. Macreedy (Spencer Tracy), steps off the train. Will you be here long, asking the porter? Only a day is the reply. Everybody in town is antagonistic and grills Macreedy. We pretty much saw the formula and immediately realized that the town has something to hide. What is it? Moreover, why are they suspicious of the stranger? The story is not unique, but how it plays out is well. We are intrigued by watching the interaction between the men as they try to size each other up. There is a lot of soul-searching in this movie. Will Macreedy uncover the town’s secret before they uncover his? And if so, will he live to tell? The only character that is really out of place and I suspect was just placed there because of Hollywood's requirements is Liz Wirth (Anne Francis) that is out of place. This was two years before the movie “Forbidden Planet.” You can see John Sturges’ signature in the camera angles and subject matter as it parallels his other movies.