No Mau Caminho

Generally, heist films are among the best and most reliable movies you can find. After all, there are TONS of great heist movies and very few bad ones. Among the wonderful heist films are RIFIFI, OCEAN'S ELEVEN, GRAND SLAM and so many others. So, it's not surprising I'd see "5 Against the House". Sadly, however, it was an exception...a film that really failed to deliver and was disappointing.

The film starts in Reno, Nevada...and four college friends* are out enjoying one of the casinos. Then, for so much of the movie, they return to college (where they NEVER seem to go to classes) and nothing happens!! It's only later that one of them, Brick (Brian Keith) decides that they should return to Reno and rob the casino.

The film is a bit mistake in many ways. The ending is unrealistic and unsatisfying, the characters a bit annoying and glib and the story takes forever to actually get going. The only plus was a young and gorgeous Kim Novak...who is simply amazing to watch.

*The four would-be robbers are clearly all in their 30s yet are in college. This is NOT a case of miscasting but the men are supposed to be veterans going to school on the GI Bill...and during the 1940s and 50s, many older and non-traditional students existed.