Based on William P McGivern's novel of the same name, "Odds Against Tomorrow" is a hard hitting crime drama which tells the story of three men who join forces to carry out a bank heist. They all have powerful reasons for needing the enterprise to be successful but also, they all share a strong tendency to be self destructive.
It's these characters and the interactions between them that drive the story along so effectively and also make the movie so compelling to watch. Their intense distrust of each other together with the racial intolerance which sours the relationship of two of the men creates an uneasy atmosphere which is complemented perfectly by Joseph Brun's wonderful photography and John Lewis' excellent score.
Disgraced ex-cop Dave Burke (Ed Begley) plans to rob a small bank in upstate New York and recruits bigoted ex-convict Earle Slater (Robert Ryan) and compulsive gambler Johnny Ingram (Harry Belafonte) to assist him. Slater and Ingram both initially decline Burke's offer to be involved in the heist but for different reasons, both men are in desperate circumstances and the prospect of a $50,000 pay out offers them the best (and maybe only) chance they'll have of getting out of their current predicaments.
Slater is a war veteran who's been unable to settle back into civilian life and has served a prison sentence for manslaughter. He's also unable to find employment and is supported by his loyal and warm hearted girlfriend Lorry (Shelley Winters). He finds this situation intolerable and harbours a great deal of bitterness and hostility. Slater is also a white racist who reacts badly to the prospect of working with Ingram who is black.
Ingram is a talented nightclub singer but his addiction to gambling has left him deeply in debt to a mobster who has threatened to kill him, his ex-wife and his young daughter unless he pays up promptly. Ingram's less than relaxed acceptance of Slater's intolerance doesn't auger well for their ability to work together successfully and despite Burke's best efforts to calm the waters between them, their antipathy to each other remains intense.
Predictably it's the distrust between these two men which eventually causes their greatest problem in carrying out the heist as planned and leads almost inevitably to the movie's violent and spectacular climax.
The power of Slater's anger and instability is consistently evident in Robert Ryan as he often appears to be just about ready to explode with the sheer intensity of his destructive feelings. Harry Belafonte and Ryan are both impressive in their roles and Ed Begley is also memorable as the enthusiastic mastermind of the job who tries in vain to cajole his two partners into working together like reasonable people.
The allegorical nature of the story is strong as it conveys incredibly forcefully just how futile, petty and damaging the men's behaviour is and how it even prevents them from serving their own best interests. The movie's title (which is so appropriate for a film noir) also reinforces this message very effectively.
It's these characters and the interactions between them that drive the story along so effectively and also make the movie so compelling to watch. Their intense distrust of each other together with the racial intolerance which sours the relationship of two of the men creates an uneasy atmosphere which is complemented perfectly by Joseph Brun's wonderful photography and John Lewis' excellent score.
Disgraced ex-cop Dave Burke (Ed Begley) plans to rob a small bank in upstate New York and recruits bigoted ex-convict Earle Slater (Robert Ryan) and compulsive gambler Johnny Ingram (Harry Belafonte) to assist him. Slater and Ingram both initially decline Burke's offer to be involved in the heist but for different reasons, both men are in desperate circumstances and the prospect of a $50,000 pay out offers them the best (and maybe only) chance they'll have of getting out of their current predicaments.
Slater is a war veteran who's been unable to settle back into civilian life and has served a prison sentence for manslaughter. He's also unable to find employment and is supported by his loyal and warm hearted girlfriend Lorry (Shelley Winters). He finds this situation intolerable and harbours a great deal of bitterness and hostility. Slater is also a white racist who reacts badly to the prospect of working with Ingram who is black.
Ingram is a talented nightclub singer but his addiction to gambling has left him deeply in debt to a mobster who has threatened to kill him, his ex-wife and his young daughter unless he pays up promptly. Ingram's less than relaxed acceptance of Slater's intolerance doesn't auger well for their ability to work together successfully and despite Burke's best efforts to calm the waters between them, their antipathy to each other remains intense.
Predictably it's the distrust between these two men which eventually causes their greatest problem in carrying out the heist as planned and leads almost inevitably to the movie's violent and spectacular climax.
The power of Slater's anger and instability is consistently evident in Robert Ryan as he often appears to be just about ready to explode with the sheer intensity of his destructive feelings. Harry Belafonte and Ryan are both impressive in their roles and Ed Begley is also memorable as the enthusiastic mastermind of the job who tries in vain to cajole his two partners into working together like reasonable people.
The allegorical nature of the story is strong as it conveys incredibly forcefully just how futile, petty and damaging the men's behaviour is and how it even prevents them from serving their own best interests. The movie's title (which is so appropriate for a film noir) also reinforces this message very effectively.