Bad Day at Black Rock (1955) Review- By Michael J. Carlisle

Title: Bad Day at Black Rock
Year: 1955
Director: Dore Schary
Country: US
Language: English

The Western sub-genre called the “contemporary Western” or “modern Western” consists of films with Western settings and themes, similar styles of action and characters, but which take place post-World War or post-Mexican revolution. The tension between traditional Western ideas and situations within the post-war era makes these movies some of the more fascinating dips into the American West ever put on film. 

Spencer Tracy stars as a one-handed stranger who comes to a tiny town which possesses a terrible past they want to keep secret, by violent means if necessary.

The contemporary Western includes such diverse films as Brokeback Mountain, The Electric Cowboy, No Country for Old Men and Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia. It has the Western figuratively taking revenge on modern-day joyriders who want to reduce it to their macho wish-fulfillment tool. Essentially they turn the modern western on its head and change the old myths and tropes.

Bad Day at Black Rock’s primary message was against xenophobia, which was a refreshing change to see in Westerns (John Wayne wasn't exactly known for helping the American Indigenous) . MGM’s president Nicholas Schenck originally didn't want the film to be made, as movies that dealt with racism were known as "problem pictures" at the time. It was a subversive film that tackled America's post-war hatred of the Japanese head on. 

Considering North America still has a pretty big racism problem (replace Japanese with Indigenous, Muslim, African American etc.) Bad Day at Black Rock is still a very important and engaging picture. The CinemaScope format used helps drive home the power of location filming. The cinematography is absolutely astounding.