Odds Against Tomorrow

Rating:
Summary: Feels like a triple-length "Twilight Zone" episode
Review:

Prior reviews of this movie (see below) cover its style and substance very well, so I won't attempt to duplicate their efforts. I will only add that while this is a fine film, it moves excruciatingly slowly by today's standards. So if you're expecting fast-paced action, this isn't the movie for you. The pacing and style -- and even the "twist" ending -- reminded me of the old "Twilight Zone," which was produced in the same era. It's not too far off the mark to think of this as a triple-length TZ episode! Worth noting, however, is the great moody soundtrack featuring the Modern Jazz Quartet. If you can find this on CD, buy it!





Rating:
Summary: Robert Wise's "Invisible" Oscar
Review: Director Robert Wise is probably most identified with his two Oscar winning musicals West Side Story and The Sound of Music. Wise's Odds Against Tomorrow, a 1959 film produced at the end of the noir cycle, should have earned him his first Oscar. Unfortunately that year, Ben Hur's unprecedented eleven Academy Awards left little in the wake of cinematic honors. Odds Against Tomorrow may have been slighted by the Academy and the box office, but it unassumingly remains as one of the first films to address racism towards blacks in American society. Wise's casting of African American Harry Belafonte as jazz musician Johnny Ingram and Robert Ryan as the bigot Earl Slater revealed the racial tensions that marked the social undercurrent of the 1950's. Odds Against Tomorrow may have been an emblematic precursor to the racial violence that exploded into the consciousness of mainstream America during the 1960's. The film's plot is structured around a planned bank hiest involving a retired police officer Dave Burke (Ed Begley), a gambling night club singer,Johnny and a psychotic loner Earl. The three protagonists are drawn together for the lure of money; each thinking that a lucrative monetary score will dissolve their personal demons. Unlike other noir films their well devised plan unravels from within. Earl's seething malevolence and resentment towards Johnny causes the caper to disintegrate. James Coburn deservedly won an Oscar for his role as an alcoholic, abusive father in Affliction; Ryan's portrayal of an emotionally unstable, violent racist is equally noteworthy. Noir critics often cite Richard Widmark's screen roles as Tommy Udo and Alec Stiles as the most paranoid psychotics to shock American morality, but it is Ryan who with only a cold silent stare or a few callous words could bring buried hatred to a bubling boil. In Odds Against Tomorrow, Ryan's scenes in the tavern, elevator, and gas station deliver convincing glimpses into the tormented mind of a dangerous man. Shelly Winters is cast as the insecure loner who desperately smothers Earl with love that is not returned. Gloria Grahame appears as the strange apartment neighbor who inexplicably is drawn to the abusive Earl. Wise craftfully places characters in scenes that drip with realism. The mob boss, the homosexual henchman, the bartender, the black elevator operator, and Johnny's estranged wife, create a multi-dimensional atmosphere that does not distract from the flow of events. Wise's extraordinary camera work allows viewers quick angle frames of hallways, city streets, highways, and city complexes. An opening shot of a desolate city street corner, marked only by a fire hydrant that is suddenly invaded by windswept newspaper is chilling. Wise is not adverse to draw his camera away from city settings where noir scenery could easily be captured. Instead he mixes urban concrete and smokey club interiors with panned shots of cold November landscapes and highways dotted with leafless trees. Wise also incorporates the contrast of day and night into the climax of the picture. Not constrained within the limits of shadows, darkness, and night which characterize most noir films; Wise utilizes the impending nightfall as a scenic metaphor for the doomed hiest. Odds Against Tomorrow is one of the greatest noir pictures ever made. It may have well been the last true noir film.

Rating:
Summary: Robert Wise's "Invisible" Oscar
Review: Director Robert Wise is probably most identified with his two Oscar winning musicals West Side Story and The Sound of Music. Wise's Odds Against Tomorrow, a 1959 film produced at the end of the noir cycle, should have earned him his first Oscar. Unfortunately that year, Ben Hur's unprecedented eleven Academy Awards left little in the wake of cinematic honors. Odds Against Tomorrow may have been slighted by the Academy and the box office, but it unassumingly remains as one of the first films to address racism towards blacks in American society. Wise's casting of African American Harry Belafonte as jazz musician Johnny Ingram and Robert Ryan as the bigot Earl Slater revealed the racial tensions that marked the social undercurrent of the 1950's. Odds Against Tomorrow may have been an emblematic precursor to the racial violence that exploded into the consciousness of mainstream America during the 1960's. The film's plot is structured around a planned bank hiest involving a retired police officer Dave Burke (Ed Begley), a gambling night club singer,Johnny and a psychotic loner Earl. The three protagonists are drawn together for the lure of money; each thinking that a lucrative monetary score will dissolve their personal demons. Unlike other noir films their well devised plan unravels from within. Earl's seething malevolence and resentment towards Johnny causes the caper to disintegrate. James Coburn deservedly won an Oscar for his role as an alcoholic, abusive father in Affliction; Ryan's portrayal of an emotionally unstable, violent racist is equally noteworthy. Noir critics often cite Richard Widmark's screen roles as Tommy Udo and Alec Stiles as the most paranoid psychotics to shock American morality, but it is Ryan who with only a cold silent stare or a few callous words could bring buried hatred to a bubling boil. In Odds Against Tomorrow, Ryan's scenes in the tavern, elevator, and gas station deliver convincing glimpses into the tormented mind of a dangerous man. Shelly Winters is cast as the insecure loner who desperately smothers Earl with love that is not returned. Gloria Grahame appears as the strange apartment neighbor who inexplicably is drawn to the abusive Earl. Wise craftfully places characters in scenes that drip with realism. The mob boss, the homosexual henchman, the bartender, the black elevator operator, and Johnny's estranged wife, create a multi-dimensional atmosphere that does not distract from the flow of events. Wise's extraordinary camera work allows viewers quick angle frames of hallways, city streets, highways, and city complexes. An opening shot of a desolate city street corner, marked only by a fire hydrant that is suddenly invaded by windswept newspaper is chilling. Wise is not adverse to draw his camera away from city settings where noir scenery could easily be captured. Instead he mixes urban concrete and smokey club interiors with panned shots of cold November landscapes and highways dotted with leafless trees. Wise also incorporates the contrast of day and night into the climax of the picture. Not constrained within the limits of shadows, darkness, and night which characterize most noir films; Wise utilizes the impending nightfall as a scenic metaphor for the doomed hiest. Odds Against Tomorrow is one of the greatest noir pictures ever made. It may have well been the last true noir film.

Rating:
Summary: Robert Wise's Invisible Oscar
Review: Director Robert Wise is probably most identified with his two Oscar winning musicals, West Side Story and The Sound of Music. Wise's Odds Against Tomorrow, a 1959 film produced at the end of the noir cycle should have earned him his first Oscar, but that year Ben Hur's eleven Academy Awards left little in the wake of cinematic honors. Odds Against Tomorrow may have been slighted by the Academy and the box office, but it unassumingly remains as one of the first films to address racism towards blacks in American society. Wise's casting of African American Harry Belafonte as Johnny Ingram and Robert Ryan as the bigot Earl Slater revealed the racial tensions that marked the social undercurrent of the 1950's. Odds Against Tomorrow may have been an emblematic precursor to the racial violence that exploded into the consciousness of mainstream America during the 1960's. The film's plot is structured around a planned bank hiest involving a retired police detective (Ed Begley), a gambling, jazz musician (Belafonte) and a psychotic loner (Ryan). The three protagonists are drawn together by the lure of money; each thinking that a big score will erase the haunting failures of their past. Unlike other noir films in which lust, greed, or deception caused a downward spiral for the protagonist, our trio's well devised plan unravels from within. Earl's seething malevolence and resentment towards Johnny causes the caper to disintegrate. James Coburn deservedly won an Oscar for his role as an alcoholic, abusive father in Affliction; Ryan's portrayal of an emotionally unstable, violent, racist is equally noteworthy. Noir critics cite the Richard Widmark characterizations of Tommy Udo and Alec Stiles as the most devious, psychotic criminals to shock film audiences; but it is Ryan armed only with a cold stare and a few callous words who could really bring burning hatred to a violent boil. In Odds Against Tomorrow, Ryan's scenes in the tavern, elevator, and gas station, are but a few glimpses into the mind of an unstable, dangerous man. Shelly Winters is cast as the insecure loner who desperately smothers Earl with love that is not returned. Gloria Grahame appears as the strange apartment neighbor who inexplicably is drawn to the abusive Earl. Director Wise craftfully places characters in scenes that drip with realism. The mob boss, the homosexual henchman, the bartender, the black elevator operator, and Jonny's estranged wife create a multi-dimensional atmosphere that does not distract from the central flow of events. Wise's camera work is exceptional as he allows viewers quick images of hallways, city streets, and concrete highrises. The opening shot of a fire hydrant on a desolate street corner which is suddenly invaded by wind swept newspaper is chilling. Wise is also not adverse to draw his camera away from city settings where noir scenery could easily be captured. Instead he mixes urban concrete and smokey club interiors with panned shots of open highways and cold Novemember landscapes dotted with leafless trees. Wise also contrasts the concepts of day and night into the picture's climax. Not constrained within the limits of shadows, darkness, and night, which characterize most noir films, Wise utilizes the impending nightfall as a scenic metaphor. Odds Against Tomorrow is one of the greatest noir pictures ever made. It may have been the last exemplar of screen noir in American film making.

Rating:
Summary: Tough thriller
Review: Embittered ex-detective (Ed Begley) recruits two misfits to take part in a robbery. Earl(Robert Ryan) is white, bigoted, and violent; a man with nowhere to run and nothing to lose. The other man, Ingram (Harry Belafonte) is a black musician who owes a local crime boss a great deal of money. ,and uses the robbery as his only way out. But nothing can release the tension of Earl as his bigotory threatens to destroy not only the robbery, but all of them. A well made thriller in the true traditions of film noir. This is highly recommended for any lovers of this genre. By Alan Gerrard. END

Rating:
Summary: TAKING THE ODDS.....
Review: Excellent, hardbitten crime drama brilliantly directed by Robert Wise about three men planning a bank robbery. Ex-cop Burke (Ed Begley) recruits bitter, aging racist Earl Slater (Robert Ryan) and urban jazz muscian/singer Johnny Ingram (Harry Belafonte) for the big heist. The money will change and better all of their lives for different reasons. Ingram especially, as he's indebted to a brutal gangster with his gambling debts. Burke is hopelessly enthusiastic but Slater and Ingram are skeptical and don't trust each other because of Slater's blatant racism towards Ingram. As the tension of the planning of the robbery mounts, so does the antagonism between the two men. That such ignorance should exist between people who have the same goal is intelligently played out with a realistic script. Belafonte, Ryan and Begley give convincing performances as do Shelley Winters, Gloria Grahame and Kim Hamilton as the women in Slater's and Ingram's lives. Haunting b&w photography expresses the bleak and depressing world of the men and the individual anxieties experienced by each. A smoky jazz club, stark city streets, cramped apartments, the stares of strangers---all contribute to the claustrophobic atmosphere of the film. The tense, moody jazz score underlies the tense feeling that something is going to go horribly wrong. When it does, the brewing hatred between Slater and Ingram finally and (literally) explodes. Don't miss this exciting film if you like good, gritty adult noir crime dramas. The DVD is a good print and you can't beat the price.

Rating:
Summary: Seminal "film noir," the last of the cycle.
Review: Odds Against Tomorrow is arguably the final entry in the "film noir" genre, filmed in exquisite shades of gray and black that underscore its truly dark tale of bigotry and class alienation.
Ryan scores again in his corrosive portrait of a loser from the South strapped with Dust Bowl angst, able abetted by director Robert Wise. Wise, lest we forget, directed Ryan ten years earlier in The Set-up, another classic entry that is now compared with Raging Bull as the best film about boxing.
Ryan allied himself with Wise because the two shared the same ethical belief systems: both were avowed Liberals, and both were committed to making films that not only had a message but which also bore a distinct artistic imprint: from cinematographer John Alton's subtle exploration of black and white film to his daring use of infrared film in the film's opening minutes; to Abraham Polonsky's stark screenplay of desperate people living on the edge, Odds Against Tomorrow achieves its goals in a grim, humorless expose that indicts greed and prejudice. Holding the film firmly in his grasp, Ryan proves again that his acting skills traverse the origins of his psychopathy in a spine-chilling tour de force. Reprising his disturbing portrayal of the cagey, Jew-hating bigot in Crossfire, his role as the loser Earl Slater in Odds Against Tomorrow allows for more complexity to explain his motivations.
Besides Ryan, "noir" stalwarts Ed Begley and Gloria Grahame elevate the film considerably. Grahame, as many "noir" aficianados are aware, was also featured in Crossfire, achieving fame as one of filmdom's "noir" females, duplicitous, alienated and jaded. Ed Begley turns in another realistic portrait as the disgraced ex-cop with an axe to grind, while Harry Belafonte's down-on-his-luck gambler emerges as a man afflicted with a gambling addiction that covers up his deep insecurities. Viewers should also take note that the film is chock full of secondary players, including a very young Cicely Tyson and Wayne Rogers, along with character actors, Will Kuluva, Lew Gallo, Richard Bright (possibly the first depiction of homosexuality in the cinema), and William Zuckert. The score by the Modern Jazz Quartet is aptly spare, underscoring the grim tale. Finally, observant viewers may notice that the nightclub bouncer who lends Belafonte a pistol in a smoky Harlem nightclub bares a striking resemblance to James Earl Jones (in fact it is his brother, Robert Earl Jones). Kudos to all involved in this "noir" masterpiece.

Rating:
Summary: Like a triple-length "Twilight Zone" episode
Review: Prior reviews of this movie (see below) cover its style and substance very well, so I won't attempt to duplicate their efforts. I will only add that while this is a fine film, it moves excruciatingly slowly by today's standards. So if you're expecting fast-paced action, this isn't the movie for you. The pacing and style -- and even the "twist" ending -- reminded me of the old "Twilight Zone," which was produced in the same era. It's not too far off the mark to think of this as a triple-length TZ episode!

Rating:
Summary: The bits are greater than the sum of the parts
Review: Right from the start of the titles you know this film has high production values. The visuals are quite rivetting backed by John Lewis' orchestrations. The film is based on (then) hot cop shop writer McGivern who also wrote THE BIG HEAT. The dialogue is crisp and witty and philosophical. The photography stylish with much of it shot on location; Add to this Mr Ryan playing an ageing ofay tortured racist ex-vet killer; Mr Begley a larger than life ex-cop out to make the one big score; Mr Belafonte cool black boy racist ex-vet; plus a gaggle of hot women including Gloria (just this once) Grahame; plus some fast cars; plus some cool jazz and a nice blues vocal from Mr Belafonte; plus a theme or two eg, racist hatred will surely have an apocalyptic end, or, when we're dead, your can't tell one man from another. Yet, it doesn't quite come off - maybe because of its didactism. Still, it's worth a look, but do not expect to be either thrilled or otherwise moved by it. A helluva lot of talent but!