starring Harry Belafonte, Robert Ryan, Shelley Winters, Ed Begley, Gloria Grahame
directed by Robert Wise
96 minutes
Johnny Ingram (Harry Belafonte), a musician with a gambling problem who is deeply in debt to the mob, needs a break. Earle Slater (Robert Ryan), an ex-con with a chip on his shoulder, also needs a break. Both are contacted by Dave Burke (Ed Begley), an ex-policeman with a criminal record. Burke has a plan which will net them at least $50K a piece. Burke insists that it will be an easy one-time job. Both Ingram and Slater, brush Burke off, at first.
Ingram has an ex-wife and a daughter to support. Slater is living with Lorry (Shelley Winters), but he can't stomach the fact that she is working and he is not. He cheats on her by forcing himself on Helen (Gloria Grahame), one of their neighbors, who is in a loveless marriage.
Both men change their minds and agree to take part in the heist, despite their mutual animosity for one another. Slater's racially charged way of speaking adds tension in the working relationship. Things go from bad to worse. Bad luck compounds the situation on the night of the heist.
Ingram and Slater don't meet until almost an hour into the movie. A fair amount of time is put into making it clear how down and out both men are and that they are at least in part to blame for their predicaments. The movie crackles with energy throughout. The cinematography and the soundtrack have a lot to do with the tension that I felt as I watched the movie. Definitely worth a watch for any fan of film noir or crime films.
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