From
the inside flap
“. . .two men, strangers but
inevitable enemies, meet in the planning of a crime. They violate the laws of
society deliberately and gravely; a bank is broken into, a man is killed and
two protagonists are driven to ground in a lonely farmhouse.
“One of them is bitter and inarticulate, tormented by his inadequacies and failures. His accomplice, a Negro, is clever but in panic at the thought of death. Do they dare trust one another?”
Review
Odds─for the most part─is another compelling,
taut and unflinching McGivern crime tale, this one taking on the ugly theme of
racism. When a heist goes sideways, one of the henchmens’ overt racism further
complicates the crooks’ increasingly intense flight while the
cops close in on them. The action takes surprising, unlikely turns near the end,
leavening the work for readers who want a kumbaya and uncharacteristic-for-McGivern
ending. For those of us who prefer more realistic and potentially grimmer fare,
the 1959 film version fixes the novel’s forced turns. Despite that, the book version of Odds is an excellent, bristling
and timely story.
#
The
resulting film was released stateside in
November 1959. Robert Wise directed the film, from a screenplay by Abraham Polonsky, billed as John O. Killens, and Nelson Gidding. (Polonsky was on blacklisted
by HUAC.)
Harry Belafonte played Johnny
Ingram. Kim Hamilton played Ruth Ingram. Robert Ryan played Earle Slater (“Earl
Slater” in the book). Shelley Winters played Lorry ("Lory" in the book). Gloria Grahame played Helen.
Ed Begley played Dave Burke. Wayne Rogers played “Soldier in bar”.
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