Odds Against Tomorrow (1959)

Ex-cop ropes two other desperate men into helping him rob a small-town bank. Since one's black and other one's a natural-as-breathing racist (his first line in the film is delivered to a little girl he refers to as "pickaninnny"), his work is cut out for him.

The movie seems like it should work, but it also seems like it's trying too hard to moralize -- especially when you factor in the ridiculous finale. A near miss.

C+

The Last Angry Man (1959)

Well, he's not angry, really -- just perpetually bitching about something or other.

Paul Muni's Dr. Abelman, a family practitioner in Brooklyn who takes care of whoever gets dumped on his stoop. He gets little thanks, but it's obviously the way he likes it. He enjoys the freedom that comes with not getting paid in either cash or gratitude: he can tell everyone what their problems are (both medical AND personal) without fear of really losing anything. Then a filler article appears about him in the paper and that catches the attention of a TV producer and that means suddenly Abelman's set to become a reality TV star...if only he'd dial his personality down a notch or two.

It's alright, I guess, but everyone just kind of walks their storyline and nothing unexpected happens at all. Yawn.

C

Suddenly, Last Summer (1959)

Well, it's probably the best Tennessee Williams adaptation I've seen. Not high praise from me, though. Typically overwrought.

B-