Carol Reed directed some of cinemas best. The classic "Third Man" is superbly shot in night-time just post-war Vienna with a compelling, driving script by Graham Greene and a star performance from Orson Wells.
Odd Man Out gets the full Third Man treatment - the great direction, the photography, the location shooting, a starry lead. But not a coherent story or tone. Some of it is frankly crass and irritating. Robert Newton - once again - plays a wild-eyed boisterous drunk as per "Outcast of the Islands. The dying of IRA martyr figure "Johnny" (Mason) is infinitely drawn out for almost the length of the film against which Newton's shorter but still overlong OTT turn as the drunken artist is a comic diversion which sits very uncomfortably with the body of the film. So too the whimsical elderly comic nark who craftily tries to turn Johnny in for the £1000 reward (£50,000? in today's money). The extravagant scene towards the end where Johnny tries loudly (it should have been troubled and feverishly) to square his actions on behalf of the IRA with his Catholic faith descends into bathos. The film is visually splendid, full of incident, characters and performances, indeed too much. But Mason is off-form and gives a dialed in performance as if not being convinced by the whole thing.
There may well be a great film inside here, waiting to be edited and perhaps 30 minutes removed. Robert Newton was a great actor, it's not his fault here but the removal of the entirety of his scenes would be a good start and distinct improvement.
Odd Man Out gets the full Third Man treatment - the great direction, the photography, the location shooting, a starry lead. But not a coherent story or tone. Some of it is frankly crass and irritating. Robert Newton - once again - plays a wild-eyed boisterous drunk as per "Outcast of the Islands. The dying of IRA martyr figure "Johnny" (Mason) is infinitely drawn out for almost the length of the film against which Newton's shorter but still overlong OTT turn as the drunken artist is a comic diversion which sits very uncomfortably with the body of the film. So too the whimsical elderly comic nark who craftily tries to turn Johnny in for the £1000 reward (£50,000? in today's money). The extravagant scene towards the end where Johnny tries loudly (it should have been troubled and feverishly) to square his actions on behalf of the IRA with his Catholic faith descends into bathos. The film is visually splendid, full of incident, characters and performances, indeed too much. But Mason is off-form and gives a dialed in performance as if not being convinced by the whole thing.
There may well be a great film inside here, waiting to be edited and perhaps 30 minutes removed. Robert Newton was a great actor, it's not his fault here but the removal of the entirety of his scenes would be a good start and distinct improvement.