ODDS AGAINST TOMORROW
(directed by Robert Wise, 1959)
** (out of 5)
.
> Hollywood stalwart Robert Wise directed this turkey from Harry Belafonte’s HarBel Productions. Whoops.
. I am such a huge fan of Belafonte and of the heist genre, that this came as a serious letdown. The story is promising enough: Ed Begley (Sr.) is a disgraced ex-lawman, putting together a team to rob a bank. He recruits volatile ex-con Robert Ryan and a third henchman- a struggling entertainer played by Belafonte, but neglects to mention one small detail that wouldn’t matter to most people: that their third team member is a “negro”. Should hardly be an issue among thieves- but Ryan is not just any thief, he’s a nasty, virulent racist- setting up the promise of a conflict that the film simply did not deliver.
. The best heist films have many moving pieces that ultimately fit together like a puzzle. The thieves almost never, ever get away. Not in the final reel. In most such morality plays, crime does not pay- unless it is some form of karmic justice. The real fun comes when two pieces that are supposed to fit seamlessly together turn out to be incompatible, and despite the best laid plans of mice and men, the team is forced to improvise, with results that are impossible to predict. Of course, that happens here- but it is all resolved far too suddenly, and in a completely unsatisfying way. Too bad.
. Shelley Winters and professional noir femme fatale Gloria Grahame are here too- spinning their wheels without gaining traction…
– So much talent in a wasted opportunity.
*
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