Robert Wise’s Odds Against Tomorrow is a pointed critique of race in America, and it’s as tense, thrilling, and relevant today as it was in 1959.

Director Robert Wise has drawn fine performances from his players. It is the most sustained acting Belafonte has done. Ryan makes the flesh crawl as the fanatical bigot.

The genius of the film is that its Greek tragedy is rooted in the here and now of a racially divided 1950s America.

This very strong film noir by Robert Wise, and with a screenplay co-written by the blacklisted Abraham Polonsky, can be a bit heavy, but it's brutally effective.