Burke's (Ed Begley) a bitter ex-cop with a plan to make a big score, and even knows the two guys he thinks can help him pull it off. But Ingram (Harry Belafonte) doesn't want any part of that kind of danger, content to keep betting the horses in the hopes he breaks his losing streak before the bookie he's 7 grand in the hole to starts breaking fingers. Meanwhile, Slater (Robert Ryan) is trying to stay straight and narrow. Plus, he doesn't want to work with a black man.
The movie focuses on Ingram and Slater, on what ultimately brings both of them around to the bank job. Both of them are struggling against their vices; Ingram his gambling and inability to walk away from a losing skid, Slater his anger (or maybe the war left him an adrenaline junkie, where he thrives off pushing people or limits). Both are dealing with not feeling like men. Slater's unemployed, watching his girlfriend (wife?) go off to work and make promises to their upstairs neighbor that Slater will babysit for her. Ingram's got an ex-wife and a daughter he only gets to see on court-mandated visitations, because the life of a club singer/musician isn't what his ex wanted.
Slater deals with feeling emasculated by being cruel, asking his lady whether she'll want him around when he gets old and his looks fade. It drives her out so he can flirt with the upstairs neighbor. Something new to keep his attention. Ingram tries to give his daughter fun days at the zoo, while accusing his ex of trying to play "white" with her PTA friends. He can't do the day-in, day-out, and frames his unwillingness to change as being authentic, as opposed to his sellout ex-wife.
(He also uses the word "ofay", which is (or was) a derogatory term for a white person, which I don't think I'd ever heard. Learn something new every day.)
The heist is largely confined to the last half-hour, and a lot of that is the three of them making their way to the town via different routes, and Slater jabbing at Ingram constantly. Like he'd rather have a fistfight with this guy than successfully steal 200 grand. Burke's trying to play peacemaker, but you can see Ingram steadily losing his cool as this cracker attacks him just for being black. As is typical, the heist goes well, until it doesn't. Which is when I think the movie's desire to Make A Point kinds of wrecks it.
So, spoilers for a 65+ year old movie. A series of unfortunate events have cops drive by the (closed) bank as Burke's leaving with the money. It was supposed to be Ingram who got the car, but Slater wouldn't give him the keys, and in all the squabbling, someone hit the alarm. Burke dies, Slater runs, and Ingram. . .chases after him. He's trying to kill Slater while the cops are chasing them both, all so they can die in a way that so disfigures their corpses that the orderlies can't tell which corpse was black and which was white. Ooooh, symbolism!
Maybe Ingram knows he's fucked anyway, because he blew the last of his bookie's patience. Now there's no chance he gets the money, all because of Slater. So what the hell, kill the guy. It still felt like such a stupid decision from a character that had been nervous and sweating the entire heist, and now suddenly he's all Bronson in Death Wish.
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