287. Bad Day at Black Rock (1955)

Running Time: 82 minutes
Directed By: John Sturges
Written By: Howard Breslin, Don McGuire, Millard Kaufman, from the story Bad Day at Hondo by Howard Breslin
Main Cast: Spencer Tracy, Robert Ryan, Ernest Borgnine, Walter Brennan, Lee Marvin
Click here to view the trailer

SPENCER TRACY IS HAVING THE WORST DAY EVER!

Yet another film from "very long wait" pile, via Netflix. I managed to track this one down OnDemand for the price of $2.99, so I decided to just order it, watch it and simply delete it from my Netflix queue, so I don't have to worry about it. This one was directed by John Sturges, director of "The Great Escape", which I just reviewed last week.

John J. Macreedy (Tracy), a one armed man, arrives, via the Southern Pacific train, in the town of Black Rock one morning, with the intention of staying just twenty-four hours. We're not sure at first what Macreedy is there for, but we do know that the townspeople, though few, don't want him there. It seems that they're trying to hide something and judging by the fact that the train hasn't stopped in Black Rock in four years, the folks aren't used to company. We soon find out that Macreedy is looking for a Japanese American named Komoko and that he plans to find him at a place called Adobe Flats. When the townspeople hear the name Komoko, they tend to clam up and act a little funny, leading the one armed man to believe that they're definitely trying to hide something. It seems that everyone in town is against Macreedy, save for the town mortician Doc (Brennan) and the town drunk, who just also happens to be the town's Sheriff. Everyone else, including Reno Smith (Ryan), Coley (Borgnine) and Hector (Marvin) are desperate to get Macreedy back on the Southern Pacific and out of town. Except that, after a while, they realize that they're going to have to kill him, before they let him leave.

My IMDB ratings list has me giving this one a '3/10' when I watched it six or so years ago. Seriously, what was wrong with me? Not only did I severely stiff "Prizzi's Honor", but now this little gem? If I was too ignorant to give these movies the credit they deserved, I should've just stayed away from them. Luckily, with help from THE BOOK, I've been able to expand my horizons and I'm really glad, because otherwise I'd still be regarding this as a terrible movie and it's certainly not. What you have with "Bad Day at Black Rock" is probably one of the finest examples of racial tolerance ever committed to celluloid. It's a movie that still holds true to this day and should be used to set an example as to how narrow minded, ignorant and prejudiced we as a people CAN be. Tracy shows us what it means to be a good human being, without the slightest bit of self righteousness. Macreedy is just a guy who wants the truth and will stop at nothing to get it, even putting his own neck on the line. When the full story comes out, it's really no surprise, as I think most of us put it all together as soon as we heard the name "Komoko" and saw the half dozen babbling, early rednecks. However, everything made total sense and while the film is slow going at first, it really picks up steam when we realize that Macreedy, a one armed man, is in serious danger.

And how bout that one arm? Back in the day when the only special effects you needed were your own coat pocket! I loved that that's the only thing that they did to show the fact that he had one arm - simple, yet genius! I'll also admit that while the film started out kind of like a Twilight Zone episode - a one armed man arriving in a desolate town, via a train that hasn't stopped there in four years - it all ended up being very normal. Sad that bullying and racism is considered normal, but I'm an American, so that's the way it is.

"Bad Day at Black Rock" is probably the only example of a western thriller that I've ever seen and THE BOOK even calls it a noir. It's something quite unique and it's well acted by everyone. Then again, how could it not be well acted - just look at that cast list. Okay, so I wasn't that impressed with Robert Ryan, but you can't win 'em all. This is the kind of simplicity I was talking about in my "Ride Lonesome" review. How in this western, nothing is over saturated with unneeded plot points. We go from point A to point B and finally to point C and then THE END and that's the way I like 'em.

RATING: 7/10  Lots of good stuff rolling down the pike in the final moments of the season. I've got twelve to go before we reach the "801 watched mark" and honestly, if they all suck, I'll still have enough to make a kick ass TOP 20 list.

MOVIES WATCHED: 789
MOVIES LEFT TO WATCH: 212

January 28, 2014  2:40pm

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406. The Great Escape (1963)

Running Time: 172 minutes
Directed By: John Sturges
Written By: James Clavell, W.R. Burnett, from book by Paul Brickhill
Main Cast: Steve McQueen, Richard Attenborough, James Garner, James Donald, Charles Bronson
Click here to view the trailer

A GREAT ESCAPE, BUT NOT THE GREATEST

No, because the greatest escape in the history of cinema goes to "Le Trou", but this one is right up there in the top 5 greatest escape movies ever, with the likes of "The Shawshank Redemption" and "Escape from Alcatraz". This is another one that was originally intended to be saved until the grand finale, but a Netflix wait made me get it here a little sooner.

The film is set in Germany, during World War II and takes place at a POW camp, where many Allied soldiers are being held prisoner. The camp is pretty decked out when it comes to security, complete with barbed wire fencing and armed guards. We jump in just as the camp is getting a big batch of new arrivals, including Captain Virgil Hilts (McQueen), Squadron Leader Roger Bartlett (Attenborough), Lieutenant Robert Hendley (Garner) and Captain Ramsey (Donald). Of course, the main objective to all of the men is to escape, but thanks to that decked out security I spoke of, that's not going to be an easy task. Just ask Hilts, who takes every opportunity to get out and always gets nabbed and thrown in the cooler (solitary confinement). However, it is Bartlett who proposes the "great" scheme of the title, when he announces plans to sneak out upwards of 250 men, by digging three tunnels, nicknamed Tom, Dick and Harry. If the goons (what the prisoners call the guards) happen to spot one, they can pick right up with one of the two remaining, unidentified tunnels. That's basically the long & short of it and I don't want to say anymore and risk spoiling anything.

SPOILER ALERT!

Did anyone else find it extremely odd that Charles Bronson's character was totally fine with digging the tunnel for the entire duration of the film and then all of a sudden he snaps and becomes an out of the closet claustrophobic? They make up some bullshit excuse, but I don't care because it really makes zero sense. But guess what, this films is so good that it gets a free pass on little nonsensical things like that. I mean, come on, who doesn't love an escape movie, let alone "The Great Escape". What's not to like? Okay, I'll admit that everything past the men actually escaping the camp is a little less entertaining than the escape itself, but it's still really good and it continues the suspense nicely. I'm a sucker for the ins and outs of what it takes to bust out of somewhere. If they ever send me to prison, I think I'll become the new "cooler king", because I'll be fascinated with escaping, but probably fail.

I mean, the cast is great, the plot is outstanding and the excitement & suspense haven't been this present in a BOOK movie in quite sometime. I LITERALLY jumped when the guys were escaping and the air raid horn began to sound. I felt like I was at the other end of Hilts' rope, waiting for my turn to play groundhog, peek my head out and run to freedom. The film clocks in at just under three hours, but it's the easiest three hours you'll ever spend watching a film, I guarantee it. I defy you to find someone who doesn't like this movie, because everything I'm looking at, has everyone singing it's praises. Favorite member of the cast? Either McQueen or Garner, I loved them both. In fact, Garner's character's little back and forth with the guard Vernor was ONE OF my favorite moments in the film, but as THE BOOK points out, almost every scene is a memorable one. Oh and I loved the theme song too!

RATING: 8.5/10  Can't go '10' because I've become an ultra picky son of a bitch, but it's damn good and quibbling over numbers is ridiculous anyway. By the way, I'll be in, probably tomorrow, for a little update post to talk about few things, so keep an eye out for that.

MOVIES WATCHED: 784
MOVIES LEFT TO WATCH: 217

January 22, 2014  5:50pm

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323. Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (1957)

Running Time: 122 minutes
Directed By: John Sturges
Written By: George Scullin, Leon Uris, from the article The Killer by George Scullin
Main Cast: Burt Lancaster, Kirk Douglas, Rhonda Fleming, Jo Van Fleet, John Ireland
Click here to view the trailer

A STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION

Following a string of disappointing films (five to be exact), "Gunfight at the O.K. Corral" is a STEP in the right direction. Granted, I would've much preferred a leap in the right direction, but a step will just have to do.

I think we all know, at least us movie fanatics anyway, the story of Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday, so a brief and succinct plot synopsis should do just fine here. This time around Burt Lancaster is Wyatt Earp, Marshall of Dodge City, who tries to run the town with a fair and firm hand. Kirk Douglas is Doc Holliday, a dentist turned gambler who ain't too bad with a gun, nor a knife. The film doesn't lack bad guys either, as we learn about Ike Clanton and Johnny Ringo (Ireland), the former of which wants to transport a herd of stolen cattle out of Tombstone, Arizona; the latter of which is his hired hand. There's also a little love story intertwined in all the action too, as Wyatt falls for female gambler Laura Denbow (Fleming). Just as he's about to give up his Marshal job and marry her, trouble in Tombstone beckons, as Wyatt's brothers call upon him to help them stop the Clanton gang. Throughout the film, the friendship between Holliday and Earp is cemented and when the time comes for Wyatt and family to go to war, The Earps have no choice but to call on the terminally ill Doc.

So here we have another above average, but less than stellar Kirk Douglas movie and my hunt for the perfect Douglas movie continues. I swear I love watching the guy, but none of his movies have really hit the spot (unless you count "Out of the Past", which is more Robert Mitchum's movie than his). Yes, that's right, "Gunfight at the O.K. Corral" just failed to really quench my thirst for a great movie and despite being a step in the right direction, it was still far from a flawless affair. For starters, I'd say that it was a little on the long side. Had they been able to trim about twenty minutes, or even better, a half hour, I think the movie would've rolled along a lot smoother. There's a big chunk in the middle (and I do mean a BIG chunk) where the action sort of lingers, as all the characters have been introduced, all the fuses have been lit and we're simply left to wait around until the fire reaches the dynamite. Of course, the dynamite is THE gunfight at the O.K. Corral, which is very well shot, but barely worth waiting for, as it speeds along too fast and only lasts about seven-eight minutes. They would've been more spot on to call the movie "The Adventures of Earp and Holliday", because that's really what the film is. The film focuses more on building their relationship and talking about all the little adventures they get into and all the bad guys they encounter and less on the actual events that lead to the big finale.

On a more positive note, I have absolutely no complaints with the cast, as Lancaster and Douglas were both very well cast, with Douglas being the real star of the show - for me anyway. Rhonda Fleming looked amazing and the rest of the supporting cast did a fine job...no complaints. It's not that the movie was bad or anything (like I said...a step in the right direction), I just didn't get that "must see" feeling from it. It was certainly watchable, followable and for the most part, enjoyable, but it really failed to hit that upper echelon of greatness that I like to see and that is becoming more rare this season. Thumbs in the middle for this blogger.

RATING: 6.5/10  Good, but not great. Speaking of "great", I really, really wish something GREAT would come along...please!

MOVIES WATCHED: 659
MOVIES LEFT TO WATCH: 342

April 17, 2013  1:56am

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