A heist film that takes about an hour to get to the heist, something I loved about it. It allows its two main characters to be fully formed, and of course also sows the seeds for what the film is really about, which is racism. Robert Ryan plays an aging lowlife with a record and backward, racist views, and Harry Belafonte plays a nightclub performer with a mountain of gambling debts. Both men are veterans, and each has a complicated relationship (Ryan with a younger woman, Shelley Winters; Belafonte with his ex-wife, Kim Hamilton). They also both play around; Ryan with his neighbor, Gloria Grahame, and Belafonte with a woman at the nightclub. Out of desperation they both allow themselves to get pulled in to the caper by an ex-cop (Ed Begley), who has a "sure thing" lined up for them.

The black and white cinematography on location is fantastic and director Robert Wise does a great job telling the story. I was riveted for the full 95 minutes and thought the production quality was very high. For most of the film Wise uses restraint in slipping in the moments that deal with race, even when Belafonte tells his wife "It's their world and we're just living in it!" while they argue over his gambling and her attempts to assimilate, which was a brilliant moment. It's a wee bit heavy-handed towards the end, but the way the message that we're all the same beneath the surface was delivered was clever. While Ryan, Belafonte, and Begley are the stars here and turn in great performances, Winters, Hamilton, and Grahame are also excellent. Grahame's part is small but I loved how she played the part of a woman who didn't have the sassy confidence of her normal roles. Also, keep an eye out for Cicely Tyson and Zohra Lampert. Because of its cast, cinematography, and direction this one is satisfying as a noir/heist film on its own, and special because of how it deals with race. Definitely recommended.