tomquick The film was not that interesting for story but completely engaging as history. It documents the allure of Reno when it was the world's casino capitol. Some of the bits and pieces:-Harolds Club inside and out. Today the exterior mural is at the rodeo grounds between Reno and Sparks. The club itself is a vacant lot next to Harrahs. The interesting parking garage, scene of most of the final action, is also gone. -A Harolds Club billboard is passed on the drive from Midwestern to the heist.-University of Nevada Reno (Midwestern University in the film). Nice outdoor winter shots of buildings and Manzanita Lake. -The Union Pacific crossing on Virginia Street. Today the tracks are 20 feet below grade and pass under. In 1955 the line was a visible connection to the real world far away. The wall of accelerating passenger coaches effectively ends the heist.-Harold Smith. He has 2 lines and puts on his glasses to examine a slot machine while Guy Madison waits outside the vault. Smith was proud of his role in the film, and discusses it in his autobiography.All this is well documented in postcards, stills and old 8mm tourist film from back in the day. But this is the best quality view of Reno when it was still a collection of family gambling businesses that grew beyond anyone's expectations.

blanche-2 Phil Karlson directed a lot of B movies and this one, "Five Against the House" is another one, released in 1955. It's notable for having Kim Novak in it just before she hit real stardom, and she's gorgeous. The other stars are Guy Madison, Brian Keith, Kerwin Mathews, and Alvy Moore. The story concerns Korea War vets in college on the GI bill who become involved in the heist of a Reno casino. It's supposed to be a lark by one of the men, Ronnie (Mathews). just to see if it could be done; he plans on returning the money. Lark or not, Al (Madison) opts out, but travels to Reno with his girlfriend Kay (Novak) and the rest of the guys as he and Kay are planning to be married there. However, the psychologically unstable Brick (Keith) decides to do the heist for real and forces his buddy Al to go along with it. Brick saved Al's life in Korea, and Al doesn't feel he can refuse him, even though the plan now involves Kay.Though the end of the film had some excitement, the rest of it drags. The acting is adequate. Though the guys had served in Korea and entered college late, as far as I know, the Korean war lasted three years and not ten. With the exception of 29-year-old Mathews, the rest of the actors are in the 33-35 year-old range. Madison's career started out promisingly, but he became best known as Wild Bill Hickok on television and eventually made many Italian westerns; physical ailments kept him from working often past 1975 - his last credit is 8 years before his death in 1996. The other actors worked mainly in television except for the handsome Kerwin Mathews, who found career success in another type of film genre before his retirement circa 1978.What the film has going for it is a really neat atmosphere. It was filmed on location in Lake Tahoe and Reno, and that part of it really pays off.Of mild interest.

tynesider This is a Columbia picture starring, according to the credits, Kim Novak, Guy Madison, Brian Keith, Kerwin Matthews and Alvy Moore It also throws in William Conrad, later of Cannon TV fame.The film begins with four ex-army buddies on a visit to a casino town, who both there and later back at college, spend much of their time wisecracking. But Keith exhibits his 'psycho' tendencies in a night club brawl and we learn that these were induced by his experiences in the Korean War. Then its back to college where a fresher (Jack Dimond) is the butt of some humorous pranks.In the second half of the picture the emphasis changes to thriller as three of the four plan a supposedly foolproof heist at a casino, but intend to return the money, having once proved it can be done.Keith is however back in violent mode and Madison and girlfriend Novak are forced to become unwilling participants in the robbery. Conrad, as a casino employee, is induced at gunpoint to help with the heist and the strong wartime links between the four are put under great strain.This picture is neither one thing nor another and those led to expect a light hearted heist film by its early light hearted approach will be surprised at how it turns out.Worth seeing for an early Kim Novak role and for a heist picture set in Reno and not Las Vegas.

thethirdtear This movie, 5 Against the House, had an interesting tag line which is why I saw it. However, I found that the build up of the story line and the build up of the characters took forever! Once the plot got going though, about thirty-five minutes in, the story took off from there and held my attention until the end. This movie is good if you are looking for an obscure film noir to view, other than that, pass on it.