A Desforra do Estranho

A good film for Jocko fans and western fans in general. Seems to be a remake of "Bad Day at Black Rock" with a few changes. Mahoney is the stranger coming to town as Spencer Tracy was in "Black Rock". The old Indian that's missing was and older Japanese man in "Black Rock", and the town seems to be hiding something just like the townspeople in "Black Rock". Jocko investigates and irritates the townspeople just like Spencer Tracy did in "Black Rock". Mahoney always looks good on a horse and this film is no exception. There are a couple of good fight scenes with Jocko doing all his own stunts as usual. Could have used more action, but all in all is a good western.

JOE DAKOTA, directed by Richard Bartlett in 1957, is one of the best B Westerns I remember watching. Jock Mahoney, Charles McGraw (playing villain against type), Luana Patten, Claude Akins and Lee Van Cleef were all B picture names in 1957. Van Cleef went on to earn some considerable visibility with leading roles in Spaghetti Westerns in the late 60s.

Despite their modest status, all act rather competently in a solid and credible Western done at a point when racism was beginning to come into question in US society and the world at large. As another crit points out, it bears some similarities with the storyline of BAD DAY AT BLACK ROCK, done two years earlier.

In spite of some similarities, the script is very good in that it slowly draws out its real aim. Jock Mahoney does particularly well as the calm stranger with "the gall" to stand up to an entire town to try to learn about the Indian who was hanged for reportedly trying to rape a white girl.

His initial visit to the oil rig, Akins and van Cleef dropping him in the oil pool, and his bath in the town's watering hole are sequences of the highest quality, far above and beyond what one would expect from a B pic.

JOE DAKOTA keeps its slow, deliberate pace throughout, until the final showdown, but it is arresting throughout thanks to credible dialogue.

I had never heard of it, and accidentally found it on Youtube. As an avid Western watcher, I just had to watch this hitherto unknown flick, and I am glad I did.

I recommend it, too!

I saw this Western movie on afternoon TV when I was a child. I remember it as suspenseful, yet sweet and touching. There's the mystery: who is this Stranger who rides into town, what does he want, and what has happened to the old Indian scout named "Joe Dakota"? What are the townspeople hiding? The sweet and touching ending: the Stranger exposes the injustice that has been done, which leads the townspeople into repentance.

This is a pretty nice little western though inspired - it is so obvious - by John Sturge's BAD DAY AT BLACK ROCK. Yes, it is well done, full of charm and charisma, helped by a Jock Mahoney as convincing as ever. There is nothing spectacular, as in any Richard Bartlett's movie, nearly an oater, so for once I advise you to forget cavalry, Indians on warpath, outlaws, and focus on this cute story of a man in search of his pal. It is not a harsh drama, on the contrary, light hearted movie, perfect for sunday matinees at home or in your favourite theater. Of course, Sturges' film was far far better in terms of directing and overall making matters, and the actors different too: Spence Tracy, Bob Ryan, Ernest Borgnine.... But is was not a grade B picture either.

A mysterious stranger (Mahoney) comes to town asking after the whereabouts of former resident Joe Dakota. Townsfolk are not very obliging, which seems to have something to do with a recently drilled oil well and who owns it.

The movie year 1957 was saturated with westerns. This one tries to be different, and largely succeeds. Notice that no one—not even arch-movie villains Van Cleef or Akins—sports a six- gun. And, unless I missed something, not even a single shot is fired. Add to that an oil well, of all things, plus a woebegone little prairie town that's definitely not a studio set, and you've got a different looking western.

Then too, the first part manages some pretty good low-key humor; at the same time, Mahoney gets an oil bath, courtesy the townsfolk, that leaves him looking like a human inkblot. For a western, however, there's not much action and none of the usual suspense of good-guy vs. bad-guy showdown. And truth be told, the basic plot is borrowed from 1955's mega-hit Bad Day at Black Rock. But the writers have added enough clever twists and turns to keep the viewer entertained. All in all, it's an interesting, if not very intense, little western.

(In passing—I checked to see if the oil well was an anachronism for this time period. It's not. The first well was drilled in Pennsylvania in 1859. Also, note that William Tallman who played the DA on the old Perry Mason series is one of the two screenwriters here.)