Overview
A tense heist unfolds as desperation drives men to dangerous alliances and moral dilemmas.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Moderate
- tense
- sardonic
- paranoid
- classic noir night
- crime thriller marathon
What critics said
Critics broadly praised Robert Wise's tight, suspenseful direction and potent performances while finding the racial allegory less consistently successful than the crime melodrama.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Slater's hatred of Black people directly poisons the partnership with Ingram during the bank-raid preparations.
Burke recruits Slater and Ingram for distinct forms of leverage, while their mutual dependence intensifies racial and personal conflict.
The film's noted noir identity and heightened robbery climax use stylized urban imagery and explosive visual punctuation.
Burke's coercion, Slater's humiliation, and Ingram's gambling debts bind the men to an increasingly doomed scheme.
Films like Odds Against Tomorrow, and why
The Killing
shared film noir atmosphere, criminal desperation, and morally corrosive partnership
The Asphalt Jungle
shared heist structure, racial tension, and escalating group distrust
The Night of the Hunter
shared hard-edged crime melodrama, fatalism, and social critique
The Defiant Ones
shared interracial conflict, urban crime, and suspenseful moral pressure
Movie Details
- Director
- Robert Wise
- Release Date
- 1959-10-15
- Runtime
- 96 min
- Rating
- 6.9 / 10 (99)
Cast
- Robert Ryan
- Harry Belafonte
- Ed Begley
- Shelley Winters
- Gloria Grahame
- Will Kuluva
- Kim Hamilton
- Mae Barnes
- Richard Bright
- Carmen De Lavallade
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- ScreenPix Apple TV channel, ScreenPix Amazon Channel
- Rent
- Apple TV Store
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Odds Against Tomorrow about?
- A doomed bank robbery binds a racist ex-convict, a pressured gambler, and their manipulative recruiter in a combustible noir portrait of greed and self-destruction.
- What is Odds Against Tomorrow like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Odds Against Tomorrow as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Odds Against Tomorrow violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in Odds Against Tomorrow as moderate.
- What did critics think of Odds Against Tomorrow?
- Critics broadly praised Robert Wise's tight, suspenseful direction and potent performances while finding the racial allegory less consistently successful than the crime melodrama.
- Which films are like Odds Against Tomorrow?
- Films with a similar feel include The Killing, The Asphalt Jungle, The Night of the Hunter, and The Defiant Ones.
- How long is Odds Against Tomorrow?
- Odds Against Tomorrow runs 96 minutes.
- Where can I watch Odds Against Tomorrow?
- In United States, Odds Against Tomorrow streams on ScreenPix Apple TV channel, ScreenPix Amazon Channel .
