Odd Man Out

Very unusual film, this. Haunting. I'm not a big fan of James Mason but he is excellent in this.

An unnamed organisation (the IRA) in an unnamed Norhern Irish city (Belfast) carry out an armed robbery that goes wrong. Johnny ends up shot, dying and on the run. The movie tracks the multiple stalking of this wounded, dying creature. Everyone wants a piece of him for different reasons.

Why the IRA and Belfast aren't named I don't know - perhaps the politics of the time caused this.

Some aspects of the movie have dated somewhat, but much of it remains gripping and fascinating.

Harold Pinter refers to it constantly in his play Old Times and you can imagine that a young Pinter would have been influenced by this movie.

Check this one out, for sure.

"Odd Man Out" is far more than just a very good "cops and robbers" movie, although it can hold its own with most. Beneath that is a deep psychological drama as Johnny McQueen, an IRA rebel, wounded in a holdup, is pursued by police, his own gang, and several unsavory characters. McQueen becomes less of a man and more symbol to his hunters. He is viewed as a martyr, meal ticket, and art project. Robert Newton is excellent in his role as a half-mad artist who wants to hold Johnny just long enough to paint the expression in the eyes of a dying man. Intensely suspenseful, set in the working-class neighborhoods and slums, the gray atmosphere compliments the plot perfectly. One of James Mason's finest.

Odd Man Out is a terrific piece of cinema. It is set in Ireland and stars James Mason as Johnny McQueen; leader of an underground Irish organization that engage in a robbery that will enable the organisation to steal the funds it needs to continue it's activities. However, the heist goes sour. Events conspire against him, and Johnny ends up wounded and alone in the city of Belfast. The police then launch a huge manhunt to find the criminal and lead him to justice, and what follows is a desperate struggle by Johnny, and Johnny's friends, to get him to safety. Before the film starts, it claims that it is not about the state of Ireland at that time, but rather the effect that the state of the country has had on it's people; and that is exactly what the film does. The neutral people in the film are caught between whose side to be on; helping the police will keep them out of jail, and for some, make them feel like they are doing the right thing; but nobody wants to get on the wrong side of Johnny's "organisation", as that could also be detrimental to your survival. All of the characters in the film have some affiliation to the state, be it good for them or, more commonly, bad for them.

Odd Man Out is an adventure. It's an adventure about one man's struggle to get from point A to point B. Like all good adventure films, he meets people along the way; some that will help him, some that won't. It's exciting in this respect, but the film isn't only an adventure. As he did in his other masterpiece; The Third Man, Carol Reed succeeds in giving a thriller a great substance. That's one of things that's great about this film; on the surface, it's entertaining and therefore can be enjoyed by anyone, but if you take a look under it's skin, the film has depth also; which firmly places it in the "film buff" category of films. Odd Man Out clearly highlights the paranoia, values and fears of the era, and these are explored through the main character.

Odd Man Out is one of the best directed films that I've ever seen. Carol Reed is an excellent director, and one who is worthy of more acclaim. Here, he indulges in many tricks with the camera, including a terrific sequence that sees our hero see multiple images in a puddle of spilled beer. Reed pulls all of these tricks off, and none look out of place. Considering that this movie was made in 1947, it's a piece of technical wizardry. Reed also uses many different cinema styles at different times to further his story. The film is dramatic at certain points where the characters are interacting, but at the other end of the spectrum; it's very cinematic at certain times, most notably in the scenes that see Johnny being chased through the streets of Belfast. These scenes are extremely atmospheric and very aesthetically pleasing. Despite indulging in many different tricks and styles; the film is never gratuitous. Where another, lesser, director might have gone over the top; Reed doesn't, and it keeps the film very much on the level, which is to his, and this piece of art's credit.

Overall, Odd Man Out is a masterpiece that is on par with, if not better than The Third Man. It's a shame that it has seemingly been forgotten as this movie can surely take it's place among the best of all time. A glorious must see.

Odd Man Out is unusual from so many angles, that Carol Reed seems to have invented the point of view, the atmosphere and the characterizations.

The camera angles are particularly interesting. Shot at ground level, looking up. Shot from above looking down. Shadows dance around corners. Perspective is distorted.

Certainly this was James Mason's best role and he shines as the man not used to daylight, (from rotting in prison for many years), who must lead a daring daylight raid that fails, because the sun gets in his eyes at the critical moment.

The rest of the film is built on what happens to Mason next. He meets many characters who use him for their own ends. He becomes a metaphor. The helpless victim in an almost Kafka-esk world.

Newton is, as always, visually arresting. His mastery over the spoken language is stunning here as he cajoles Mason to sit for his portrait.

The end of this film is classic and shocking and should never be revealed. It must be seen with no fore-knowledge for the best effect.

No longer available for purchase, your best bet to see this extraordinary film is to find a Video rental outlet that specializes in British film. Well worth the effort. A MUST SEE for James Mason/Robert Newton fans and for people who love original film work.

It is the winter of 1946-47. Johnny McQueen (James Mason) is a revered leader of the Irish Republican Army in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Recently escaped from prison, he plans to rob a mill to provide funds for the organization though his colleagues urge him not to be involved. Awarded Best British Film at the British Academy Awards and nominated for an Oscar for Best Editing, Odd Man Out, directed by Carol Reed (The Third Man), is the story of a botched robbery that leads to murder and the attempt of a seriously wounded man to elude capture. Pursued by "The Inspector" (Dennis O'Dea), Johnny is helped by Kathleen Sullivan (Kathleen Ryan), a young IRA woman who loves him and tries to smuggle him out of the city. He wanders helplessly in the dark streets and alleys of Belfast, buffeted by rain and snow, living in cellars with derelicts, constantly exposed to danger, looking more like a walking zombie than a revolutionary. The tone of the film is dark and Kafkaesque with its thin line between reality and nightmare.

Johnny is one of Mason's best roles especially during the early part of the film but he is submerged in the second half by a string of exaggerated supporting characters that include a demented painter Lukey (Robert Newton) who wants to paint his death mask, a priest (W.G. Fay) who wants to save his soul, sisters Rosie and Maudie (Fay Compton and Beryl Measor) who give him shelter but force him out, and con man Shell (F.J. McCormick) who wants to use him to make money. Odd Man Out is not a political film or even a suspense thriller but a surreal allegory of the limits of man's compassion. When Lukey looks at Johnny and says, "I understand what I see in him. The truth about us all", we can see ourselves -- running for our life, scared and alone, awaiting the encroaching night.