5 Against the House

"Sizzling!"

1955 1h 24m EN

😐

5.9

MID

★5.9TMDB · 43

CrimeDramaThriller

Synopsis

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Former war-time Army buddies now students in college decide to rip off a Reno casino.

“Sizzling!”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Guy Madison
Al Mercer
Kim Novak
Kay Greylek
Brian Keith
Brick
Alvy Moore
Roy
Kerwin Mathews
Ronnie
William Conrad
Eric Berg
Jack Dimond
Francis Spiegelbauer
Jean Willes
Virginia

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Phil Karlson
Writers: Stirling Silliphant, William Bowers, John Barnwell
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

84 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

71 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Phil Karlson, shot by Lester White. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by George Duning. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Jerome Thoms shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Guy Madison and Kim Novak and Brian Keith carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Sizzling!".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0048077 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Phil Karlson directs. Lester White behind the camera. George Duning scores. Jerome Thoms cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

184 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
271 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Directed by Phil Karlson, shot by Lester White. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by George Duning. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Jerome Thoms shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Guy Madison and Kim Novak and Brian Keith carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "Sizzling!".
8IMDB entry: tt0048077 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Only 43 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography: Lester White
Original score: George Duning
Editing: Jerome Thoms
Costume design: Jean Louis
Runtime: 84 min · 1h 24m
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: 5 Against the House (1955)

Also by

Phil Karlson

Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

John Chard2019-03-15
★ 7/10
He has a system you know! Four college buddies are out in a Reno casino when they mistakenly almost get arrested for a failed robbery. Upon proving their innocence, they hear a cop saying that robbing this particular casino is nigh on impossible. This gets young Ronnie thinking that it actually can be done, and sure enough he comes up with a fool proof plan that should be played out as a joke robbery. However, after letting his pals in on the plan, one of them, Brick, an ex army loose cannon, wants to do it for real. There are many good things about this Phil Karlson directed picture, things that made me particularly glad I paid no attention to the meagre rating on the IMDb and watched it with no expectation. The cast is very strong, Guy Madison, Brian Keith, Alvy Moore, a young pre swash buckling Kerwin Mathews and a sultry and gorgeous Kim Novak in only her second credited role. Location work at Lake Tahoe is easy on the eye and the story from John Barnwell (adapting from Jack Finney's novel) is a good one, with a kicker of an idea in how to rob a casino. I think that newcomers to the film should prepare for a more offbeat picture than what the plot synopsis hints at. It certainly has got tense moments, courtesy in the main from Keith's borderline psycho, but it's practically a talky picture with flecks of humour right up to the finale, where it all comes together without histrionics or fanfare. Phil Karlson, with the awesome Scandal Sheet on his CV, appeared on the face of it to be a good choice to direct, but although he has done crime/adventure/romance films very well before, blending those genres into one film was asking a bit too much. It's not bad directing, it's just an odd fusion that never really comes off, and it possibly stops the film from breaking out to a bigger and more appreciative audience. Karlson remains, though, a director well worth reappraisals because he has some excellent credits on his CV that are well worth checking out. Still, it's an oddity of sorts, and tagging it as a Noir picture is a bit of a stretch, but this is one that's definitely recommended for the pluses that do indeed far outweigh the minuses. 7/10

Production companies