STUFF YOU GOTTA WATCH - Bad Day at Black Rock

BAD DAY AT BLACK ROCK

(1955)
With Spencer Tracy, Robert Ryan, Lee Marvin, Ernest Borgnine, Walter Brennan, Anne Francis, Dean Jagger
Directed by John Sturges
Reviewed by JL

Somehow, when a plot description begins with "A one-armed stranger arrives in a small town...", you know it's going to be a great film. Spencer Tracy is the one-armed man, Black Rock is the small town, and Robert Ryan, Lee Marvin and Ernest Borgnine are the local thugs determined to protect the town's dirty little secret. Great cast, great characters, a simple suspenseful situation, great film. Has any scene ever been more vicariously satisfying than the one in which one-armed Spencer Tracy beats the crap out of Ernest Borgnine? ½ - JL