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Director Carol Reed is most often hailed as the creative force behind The Third Man (1949), a highly stylized meditation on friendship and post-War morality. Many critics, however, feel that Odd Man Out (1947), which was filmed two years prior to The Third Man, is Reed's real masterpiece. Though just as imaginatively photographed and edited as The Third Man, Odd Man Out is anchored by James Mason's breathtaking performance as a critically wounded I.R.A. agent who encounters both tenderness and betrayal while on the run from the authorities. Viewers who are only familiar with Mason's later work in such films as Lolita (1962) and Georgy Girl (1966) will be startled by his forcefulness in this role. This is a character, and a movie, that you won't soon forget.

Mason plays Johnny McQueen, an I.R.A. leader who escapes from jail, only to be badly wounded during an attempted robbery in Belfast. Left behind at the scene of the robbery, Mason drags himself through the slums, bleeding and slowly becoming more disoriented. As he makes his way along the streets, he encounters a series of strangers who alternate between trying to help him and turning him over to the police. These encounters grow increasingly bizarre as McQueen learns harrowing lessons about human nature, and is forced to reconsider his own presumptions about simple survival.

Director: Carol Reed
Cast: James Mason, Robert Newton, Cyril Cusack
Country: UK
Genre: Crime, Drama, Film-Noir, Thriller

BD50, 2xDVD9 | 1080p AVC, NTSC | 01:56:18 | 44.5 Gb + 14.2 Gb
Language: English
Subtitles: English

Extras:

• Templates for the Troubles: John Hill on Odd Man Out - in this brand new video interview, cinema scholar John Hill, author of Cinema and Northern Ireland: Film, Culture, and Politics, discusses the political events that inspired Odd Man Out and the depiction of Northern Ireland in the film, some of the key differences between F.L. Green's novel and Carol Reed's film (for example, the fact that the film is a lot more sympathetic to The Organization), interesting historic events (IRA's willingness to collaborate with the Nazis), some of the locations where major parts from the film were shot, etc,. The interview was conducted exclusively for Criterion in 2014. In English, not subtitled. (24 min, 1080p).

• Postwar Poetry: Carol Reed and Odd Man Out - this documentary film takes a closer look at the production history of Carol Reed's Odd Man Out, F.L. Green's novel, the film's visual style (and specifically its documentary look), the main characters personalities and the dilemmas they face, etc. Included in the documentary are interviews with film historian Charles Drazin, writer and film historian Tony Rayns, film historian Peter Evans, director John Boorman (Deliverance), and director Guy Hamilton (Goldfinger). The documentary was made exclusively for Criterion in 2014 by White Dolphin Films. In English, not subtitled. (16 min, 1080i).

• Home, James (1972) - a wonderful documentary film on James Mason. The film is narrated by the acclaimed actor, who travels back to his home town of Huddersfield. In English, not subtitled. (54 min, 1080p).

• Collaborative Composition: Scoring Odd Man Out - in this brand new video interview, film music scholar Jeff Smith, author of The Sounds of Commerce, composer William Alwyn legacy and career as well as his unconventional score for Odd Man Out (and specifically the integration of music and effects, the use of silence, the relationship between the main A/B music themes, etc). The interview was conducted exclusively for Criterion in 2014. In English, not subtitled. (21 min, 1080p).

• Suspense, Episode 460 - this radio adaptation of Odd Man Out stars James Mason, Pamela Kellino, and Dan O'Herlihy and was originally broadcast on February 11, 1952. It was produced and directed by Elliott Lewis. In English, not subtitled. (30 min, 1080p).