Overview
A wounded revolutionary fights for survival as loyalties are tested and a city hunts him down.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Moderate
- brooding
- harrowing
- melancholic
- classic film night
- noir marathon
What critics said
Critics broadly regard Carol Reed's ambitious film noir as a major British masterpiece, praising its performances, early plotting, and striking direction while noting that its later mystical detours can overextend the narrative.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Carol Reed's black-and-white Belfast is shaped by deep shadows, distorted perspectives, and hallucinatory visual passages surrounding Johnny's flight.
After the failed mill robbery, Johnny is seriously injured and moves through Belfast while police and would-be rescuers close in.
Johnny's IRA leadership, the robbery's fatal consequences, and the competing motives of police, comrades, and Kathleen complicate any simple political judgment.
Critics specifically recognized the film's atmosphere of postwar despondency, while its doomed pursuit and damaged community embody that condition.
Films like Odd Man Out, and why
The Third Man
shared british film noir atmosphere, fugitive protagonist, postwar fatalism, and morally conflicted criminal underworld
The Informer
shared doomed outlaw narrative, expressionistic black-and-white cinematography, and spiritualized urban pursuit
The 39 Steps
shared film noir fatalism, wounded fugitive central character, and claustrophobic manhunt structure
Night and the City
shared postwar despair, crime drama, and morally ambiguous pursuit through a psychologically charged city
Movie Details
- Director
- Carol Reed
- Release Date
- 1947-01-30
- Runtime
- 116 min
- Rating
- 7.3 / 10 (233)
Cast
- James Mason
- Robert Newton
- Cyril Cusack
- F.J. McCormick
- Kathleen Ryan
- William Hartnell
- Fay Compton
- W.G. Fay
- Denis O'Dea
- Maureen Delaney
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- HBO Max Amazon Channel, Criterion Channel, HBO Max
- Rent
- Amazon Video
- Buy
- Amazon Video
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Odd Man Out about?
- A wounded IRA leader becomes the doomed center of a shadowy Belfast manhunt where love, loyalty, and political violence collide.
- What is Odd Man Out like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Odd Man Out as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Odd Man Out violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in Odd Man Out as moderate.
- What did critics think of Odd Man Out?
- Critics broadly regard Carol Reed's ambitious film noir as a major British masterpiece, praising its performances, early plotting, and striking direction while noting that its later mystical detours can overextend the narrative.
- Which films are like Odd Man Out?
- Films with a similar feel include The Third Man, The Informer, The 39 Steps, and Night and the City.
- How long is Odd Man Out?
- Odd Man Out runs 116 minutes.
- Where can I watch Odd Man Out?
- In United States, Odd Man Out streams on HBO Max Amazon Channel, Criterion Channel, HBO Max.
