Phil Karlson's Columbia thrillers have a deserved cult these days. This has the benefit of a bright idea - four over age college students (two are Korean War veterans) get an idea to rob a casino for a bit of a lark. I thought maybe this might work more if they were bored veterans in the suburbs but college students does work as one is clearly attracted by the mental challenge (Kerwin Matthews), one is a bored f-wit (Alvy Moore), another has bad PTSD (Brian Keith). I guess it's three - there's a moral fourth one (Guy Madison) in love with a singer (Kim Novak).
Guy Madison was quite good - he has a no-nonsense persona, a little lightweight but he's used well. Keith is excellent. The film would've been better with a better actor in the Matthews role, a less annoying actor in the Moore role, and if Madison's and Novak's characters had been more greedy. The film kind of gets worse as it goes on - it gets lighter. There's no threat. keith goes mad but doesn't kill anyone. No one dies. Madison persuades him to give himself up. Why don't they make Novak bad? Or have her kidnapped? Or kill someone? Or have a big baddie? William Conrad looks great as a casino operative but he's not used enough. Location filming in Reno helps.
The college students are boorish - picking on a freshman, whining, not working too hard.
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