VERY Overrated

Couldn't agree more. I just tried to watch it on TCM and gave up an hour in. The bad guys were all caricatures, there was no suspense as you knew the town had killed Komono, and it wasn't worth waiting to find out why Tracy was there to find out.

I respectfully disagree.

I came into the film with no idea what it was about or any of the praise for it. Having just been to Pearl Harbor, that whole angle intrigued me. Knowing about the Japanese American soldiers in Italy (one of the most decorated groups in the American army) made that plot twist poignant. I thought Tracy was too old for the role of McCreedy, but Borgnine and Marvin are classic. The twist with Anne Francis at the end was fascinating, as was how Tracy overcomes Ryan in the climactic scene, even though he has no weapon and is handicapped. I think you went in with too high of expectations. With none, I was pleasantly pleased.

I'd be interested to know what your expectations were...

Saw this when I was about 13 years old ( 1980 ) and re-watched it on boxing day night as an antidote to all the action packed stuff that was on the networks.

Pace, storytelling and finesse ....

Your loss if you can't appreciate a classic movie.

Me, I still love it

:)

I can see why some may think "Bad Day at Black Rock" was overrated, I suppose. Considering the all-star cast, one might have expected a little more to the movie. I know it is set in a ghost town, but the only people we see, almost, except for the train crew, is the cast. It's kind of like "Last Man Standing" or "Tremors" in that respect. The cost to film this must've been dirt cheap.
But, Black Rock is what it is. And remember, it was made in 1955..some of the scenes are just not going to be as explicit or visualistic as a modern movie..and thats a good thing..
In a way watching BDABR is kind of like reading a book. You have to use your own head a little- its not instant gratification or whatever like so many movies are nowadays. For example, there was no "think-back" sequence to the night of Kamako's death, - got to use your own imagination.
And, the fight with Borgnine exemplifies the films confidence that it doesn't have to go overboard with details or graphic visualization to support the script. Got to just believe that the old man Tracy packs a wicked punch. It is kind of like the movie in a nutshell right there, it is stark and simple on the surface, more complex below.
I suppose that's why some view it with more appreciation than others, or don't get the WOW factor. The WOW factor is kind of that there is no WOW factor lol.
But BDABR does have some great scenes- kind of reminiscent of the "The Wild One" with the great opening scene of the train racing across the desert and the title boldly coming on.

For me it is a classic, the aging Tracy surrounded by a great cast, in the middle of nowhere, with the odds seemingly against him, pushing on without getting ruffled until he meets his objective. He was indeed a "big man"

This film is about the thin line between the rule of law and anarchy. It's about what happens when some people break the law and bully others into becoming silent accomplices. It's about fear and the failure of people to stand up for what is right.

In 1955, you had the Joseph McCarthy witch hunts going on, not to mention southern Jim Crow laws designed to intimidate and control black citizens. It's clear to me the film is tackling those subjects by symbolically placing an outwardly passive, handicapped man in a hostile environment.

The film is not a whodunnit -- it's an exploration of the psychology of group lawlessness. It doesn't matter how or when Kamoko died; he is just a device to drive the opposing forces in the film.

This film was very flat and intentionally so. My guess is that it was done to move away from the battle scene/trumpet fanfare soundtrack mode of the gung-ho war films of the 1940's. Hollywood film makers of the early 1950's were trying to make films that were more thoughtful, articulate, substance and realness over wise-talking of film noir and war movie rah-rah. Unfortunately, this film, like so many from that time, in that attempt to be more articulate, contained dialogue that reached to far and sounded spacey, disingenuine and contrived and not, as intended bold, brilliant, courageous, and insightful.

Also, I found the fight scenes between the Spencer Tracy and Ernest Borgnine characters was sad. I don't mean sad conceptually, I mean sadly unconvincing. All action movies have improbable fight scenes but this one is not just improbable. It is obviously fake to even the most gullible movie watcher, the worst film fight sequence I have ever seen.

But I have to admit I love Lee Marvin in everything and this film is no exception. Man, his testosterone has testosterone. It seemed to me that both Ernest Borgnine and Walter Brennan, another 2 of my favorites where not in the full flower of their screen presence yet. I never quite got the Spencer Tracy mystique but I think he turns in a fine performance here.

To sum it up, I would say that this film went a little overboard with the "stripped down". I mean, I don't want to drive a boat of a car like a 1963 Pontiac Bonneville but I don't want to drive a dune buggy either.

.*´¨¨)
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(¸.•´ Think heavenly, act locally...

Sometimes when you hear how great a film is you can't help but be let down. I've had this happen many times. Films like Avatar and Twilight come to mind for me.

What we have here is failure to communicate!