Embittered ex-cop Dave Burke (Ed Begley) enlists ruthless killer Earle Slater (Robert Ryan) and gambling musician Johnny Ingram (Harry Belafonte) to rob an upstate New York bank. Trouble unfolds however when, fuelled by racist hatred, Earle clashes with Johnny and the planned heist spirals into chaos, leading to a violent climactic confrontation.

Directed by four-time Oscar-winner Robert Wise (I Want to Live!, West Side Story), Odds Against Tomorrow (1959) is high-suspense story of a daring heist gone awry. With its exceptional jazz score, acerbic social commentary and atmospheric visual style, it is a high point in the film noir canon and one of the most important films of its era to address racism.

In October, it will be released on DVD/Blu-ray in a Dual Format Edition as part of Black Star, the BFI’s season of film and television screenings, special events and DVD/Blu-ray/VoD releases, all dedicated to celebrating the range, versatility and power of black actors.

Odds Against Tomorrow will be released in the UK as a Dual Format Edition (Blu-ray and DVD) by the BFI on 24th October 2016 at the RRP of £19.99.

Special features:

• Original theatrical trailer

• Odds Against Tomorrow post-screening Q&A with Harry Belafonte (2009, 50 mins): an in-depth interview filmed at the Noir City: Chicago film festival

• Adrian Wootton on Odds Against Tomorrow (2016, 30 mins): a newly filmed appreciation

• The Guardian Interview: Robert Wise at the National Film Theatre (1995, 74 mins): a career-spanning onstage interview

• The John Player Lecture: Robert Ryan at the National Film Theatre (1969, 63 mins, audio only): the actor talks at length about his craft

• Illustrated booklet with new writing by Tega Okiti, and full film credits