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Here’s a film you can’t easily shake.
Odd Man Out (1947) is a gritty British film, made in the shadow of political conflict in Northern Ireland. It’s a rare kind of movie that impresses you visually, confronts you intellectually, and – dare we say – challenges you spiritually.
James Mason stars as the leader of a Irish political group (that Shall Not Be Named) based in Belfast. Mason’s character seems, at his core, a decent chap, although he is an escaped convict who’s been in hiding for six months.
He’s been busy during his sabbatical, though, plotting the robbery of a local mill to raise funds for the Cause. It’s a straightforward plan: He and two of his cohorts are to enter the mill’s accounting office, pull guns on employees, rob the safe, and make their Getaway. Easy peasy.
Yet, before the heist, one of the men tells Mason, “You’re not fit for a job like this. Let me go.” Mason refuses, it’s his plan, everything’s organized, he can handle it.
Alas, it’s a disaster. An employee is killed, and a wounded Mason falls out of the get-away vehicle and is forced to hide out in a bomb shelter.
In telling this story, the film sets a wide snare, catching several characters who struggle to make a life in Belfast. This is not a society of Upward Mobility. It’s difficult to be successful, either in business or crime. Despair and futility settle in and make themselves comfortable, like an unwelcome guest.
You can even see it in the children. They sass policemen, play violent games, and don’t flinch when a man is shot on the sidewalk. Just another day in the neighborhood.
Like foliage, hope and love do not flourish here in a world of brick, cement, and leftover rubble from German bombs.
Odd Man Out was directed by Carol Reed, who later (and famously) directed The Third Man (1949). Many comparisons are made between the two movies, with themes of post-war aftermath and subversive activity.
As brilliant as The Third Man is, we (yours truly) think Odd Man Out is the superior film. In an atmosphere of desperation and loss, characters illustrate the things we value: love, faith, hope.
The last part of the movie feels allegorical, and dreamy, all the while bringing the Big Issues of life into sharp focus.
One of these issues is loyalty. Mason’s character has a £1,000 price on his head, but of all the characters who interact with him, only one is interested in that moola. This is remarkable, considering what £1,000 could do in these people’s lives. But it also illustrates how people are willing to sacrifice for the Cause.
You maybe wondering about any romance, and there is a lass (Kathleen Ryan) who’s in love with Mason. In many ways she’s the most shocking character in the film.
She swears the police will not catch Mason, and tells her priest she’ll kill him before the police get a hold of him. The priest, who spends a troublesome night negotiating and counseling, reprimands her: “You have neither the power nor the right to do this thing.”
But Ryan is a girl who will decide for herself, and her actions at the end of the film are so startling, it’s obvious the film censor had to Step In and Tone Things Down.
Odd Man Out takes place during the course of one day, and it feels somewhat like a documentary. Indeed, director Reed did produce documentaries for the British army during WWII. One film, True Glory (1945) won an Oscar.
You can see Reed’s war and documentary expertise in our film today, with innovative camera angles and the breathtaking interplay of light and shadow. These are elements he would use again in The Third Man.
Odd Man Out was nominated for an Oscar for Best Film Editing, and was awarded a BAFTA for Best British Picture. It was also a box office success, and a career-defining role for James Mason.
Have you seen Odd Man Out? If not, we urge you to view it. This is a film that won’t easily let you go.
Odd Man Out starring James Mason, Robert Newton, Cyril Cusack. Directed by Carol Reed. Written by F.L. Green & R.C. Sherriff. Two Cities Films, 1947, B&W, 116 mins.
