Odds Against Tomorrow (1959)
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82% of users liked it
(508 ratings)
Harry Belafonte was both producer and star of this hard-edged film noir crime drama. Dave Burke (Ed Begley, Sr.) is an ex-cop who has been kicked off the force for refusing to inform on his colleagues to the State Crime Committee. Short on money, the former policeman jumps to the other side of the… More Harry Belafonte was both producer and star of this hard-edged film noir crime drama. Dave Burke (Ed Begley, Sr.) is an ex-cop who has been kicked off the force for refusing to inform on his colleagues to the State Crime Committee. Short on money, the former policeman jumps to the other side of the law and plans to knock over a bank in upstate New York. He'll need help, so Burke brings in two other men to assist him -- Johnny Ingram (Belafonte), a jazz musician with an addiction to gambling that's put him deep in debt to gangster Bacco (Will Kuluva), and Earl Slater (Robert Ryan), a disturbed war veteran who hasn't been able to find work after serving time for manslaughter. While their common greed and desperation has brought these men together, their differences threaten to tear them apart, especially when Slater's fear and hatred of black men rises to the surface. Blacklisted screenwriter Abraham Polonsky co-wrote the screenplay for Odds Against Tomorrow, using his friend John O. Killens as a "front." John Lewis of the Modern Jazz Quartet contributed a memorable musical score. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Directed By
- Robert Wise
- Written By
- John O. Killens, Nelson Gidding
- Genres
- Drama, Mystery & Suspense, Classics
Unrated,
- In Theaters
- Oct 15, 1959 Wide
Critic Reviews
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, Time Out
A taut, downbeat, New York-shot bank heist thriller.
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Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader
Ambitious but mainly unsuccessful.
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Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
A powerful film noir that underscores socially conscious issues.
See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)
Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)
Featured Audience Ratings
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Cast
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Harry Belafonte
as Johnny Ingram
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Robert Ryan
as Earl Slater
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Shelley Winters
as Lorry
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Ed Begley Sr.
as Dave Burke
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Gloria Grahame
as Helen
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Will Kuluva
as Bacco
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Richard Bright
as Coco
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Lew Gallo
as Moriarity
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Fred J. Scollay
as Cannoy
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Carmen De Lavallade
as Kitty
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Mae Barnes
as Annie
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Kim Hamilton
as Ruth Ingram
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Lois Thorne
as Eadie
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Wayne Rogers
as Soldier
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Zohra Lampert
as Girl in Bar
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William Zuckert
as Bartender
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Burtt Harris
as Man in Bar
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Clint Young
as Policeman
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Paul Hoffman
as Garry
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Cicely Tyson
as Fra
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William Adams
as Bank Guard
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Fred Herrick
as Bank Manager
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Mary Boylan
as Bank Secretary
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Allen Nourse
as Police Chief
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Robert Earl Jones
as Guard
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Mel Stewart
as Elevator Operator
