Odd Man Out (1947)

A wounded Irish nationalist leader attempts to evade police following a failed robbery in Belfast.

Director:

Carol Reed

Writers:

F.L. Green (by), F.L. Green (screenplay)

Stars:

James Mason, Robert Newton, Cyril Cusack

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 2 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
James Mason	...	Johnny McQueen
Robert Newton	...	Lukey
Cyril Cusack	...	Pat
F.J. McCormick	...	Shell
William Hartnell	...	Fencie
Fay Compton	...	Rosie
Denis O'Dea	...	Inspector
W.G. Fay	...	Father Tom
Maureen Delaney	...	Theresa O'Brien
Elwyn Brook-Jones	...	Tober
Robert Beatty	...	Dennis
Dan O'Herlihy	...	Nolan
Kitty Kirwan	...	Grannie
Beryl Measor	...	Maudie
Roy Irving	...	Murphy

Storyline

Johnny McQueen, leader of a clandestine Irish organization, has been hiding in the house of Kathleen and her mother, planning a hold-up that will provide his group with the funds needed to continue its activities. During the hold-up, things go sour: Johnny is wounded, cannot make it back to the hideout, and disappears in the back-alleys of Belfast. Immediately, a large-scale man-hunt is launched, and the city is tightly covered by the constabulary, whose chief is intent on capturing Johnny and the other members of the gang. Kathleen sets out in search of Johnny.

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Plot Keywords:

police | love | irish | northern ireland | belfast | 

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Taglines:

An adventure in unbearable suspense !

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Film-Noir | Thriller

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

23 April 1947 (USA)

Also Known As:

Gang War

Filming Locations:

Belfast, County Antrim, Northern Ireland, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Two Cities Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

116 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The Crown Bar in the center of Belfast has long been associated with the movie, although in fact, contrary to popular opinion, it was not actually used in the filming. Instead a copy was made on set in England. It shows all the familiar ornate features of the real thing, but was more spacious and laid out in a different way.

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Goofs

When Rosie states that she read in a newspaper that Johnny had been shot before he got away, the time on her clock is about 7:15 p.m. The mill robbery happened at the stroke of 5:00 p.m. Nearly all of the businesses, including new stands, seen during the interim were closed (no lights on in the dark). No newsboys were seen on the street. Two hours seems insufficient time for a reporter to gather the facts, get back to the newspaper office, write the story, have it typeset and printed and distributed and read, especially at dinnertime.

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Quotes

Inspector: I'm sorry father but it's my duty to bring this man to justice.
Father Tom: That's the duty of all of us.

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Crazy Credits

Opening credits prologue: This story is told against a background of political unrest in a city of Northern Ireland.

It is not concerned with the struggle between the law and an illegal organisation, but only with the conflict in the hearts of the people when they become unexpectedly involved.

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Connections

Featured in The Story of Film: An Odyssey: Birth of the Cinema (2011)

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Soundtracks

Symphony No. 8 (Unfinished)
(uncredited)
Music by Franz Schubert

User Reviews

Early British noir is a visual masterpiece...James Mason at his best...

ODD MAN OUT is the kind of film that stays within your film memory long after you've seen it--as in my case, writing this from a memory seared by the experience of watching JAMES MASON in one of his greatest roles as Johnny McQueen, on the lam from the law after a botched robbery ends in the death of a man and he becomes a hunted animal.

Visually, the film is the dark and shadowy kind of film noir that has him stumbling into the cold and snowy landscape, wounded and intent on protecting himself from the elements and the mob of people who want to see him dead. Mason's predicament is much like Victor McLaglen's in THE INFORMER, where he finds himself an outsider with little chance of survival in a world where danger lurks everywhere for anyone caught in a web of intrigue and espionage.

While the IRA is never mentioned, we understand that this is the criminal organization Johnny led and his fate is more or less sealed once he is on the lam.

Brilliant direction by Carol Reed, an anguished performance by the wounded fugitive, JAMES MASON, and wonderful support from Kathleen Ryan and Robert Newton, makes this a superior character study of the good and evil in mankind.

Well worth seeing and probably one of Mason's most memorable roles.