The defence The Big-Idea Head
“Form is the argument.”
Every composed frame and deliberate cut is evidence that control can be thrilling in its own right.
Back to trending 
5 Against the House
Crime · Drama · Thriller · 1955
Former war-time Army buddies now students in college decide to rip off a Reno casino.
Movie details
5 Against the House
“Sizzling!”
1955 Crime · Drama · Thriller 1h 24m
Critical arithmetic
One number, for now.
Scores change. Arguments endure.
TMDB
5.9 / 10
Community rating
Former war-time Army buddies now students in college decide to rip off a Reno casino.
CriticWise case file
What this film says about your taste.
Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.
The archetype split
Who fights over 5 Against the House?
For the defence
The Big-Idea Head
“You watch with your brain, not your gut.”
Read their case For the prosecution
The Popcorn Loyalist
“Big screen, big feelings, no apologies.”
Read their objectionThe split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.
Taste neighbourhood
Nearby on the taste map.
TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.
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The Good Thief
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An aging gambler on a losing streak attempts to rob a casino in Monte Carlo. But someone's already tipped off the cops before he even makes a move.
Pushover
Crime · 1954
A police detective falls for the bank robber's girlfriend he is supposed to be tailing.
The Rise
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After being released from prison for a crime he didn't commit, Harvey Miller has revenge on his mind. He recruits his three best friends to help him rob the local drug kingpin whose betrayal put him away in the first place.
They Made Me a Fugitive
Drama · 1947
After being framed for a policeman's murder, a criminal escapes prison and sets out for revenge.
House of Strangers
Drama · 1949
Ruthless Italian-American banker Gino Monetti is engaged in a number of criminal activities. Three of his four grown sons refuse to help their father stay out of prison after he's arrested for his questionable business practices. Three of them take over the business but kick their father out. Max, a lawyer, is the only son that remains loyal.
The Web
Crime · 1947
A brash young lawyer takes a short-term, high-paying job as bodyguard for a slick business exec being threatened by a former partner, and quickly realizes he may be in over his head.
Nightmare Alley
Drama · 1947
A roustabout joins a traveling carny and schemes to figure out the mind-reading act of Mademoiselle Zeena and her alcoholic husband.
The Woman in the Window
Crime · 1944
A seductive woman gets an innocent professor mixed up in murder.
The Roaring Twenties
Crime · 1939
After World War I, Armistice Lloyd Hart goes back to practice law, former saloon keeper George Hally turns to bootlegging, and out-of-work Eddie Bartlett becomes a cab driver. Eddie builds a fleet of cabs through delivery of bootleg liquor and hires Lloyd as his lawyer. George becomes Eddie's partner and the rackets flourish until love and rivalry interfere.
Where it lives
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Names above the title
The people responsible.
Cast & crew
Directed by
Phil Karlson
Written by
Stirling Silliphant · William Bowers · John Barnwell
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
Court is in session
Put 5 Against the House on trial.
Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.
The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist
“Technique in search of a pulse.”
Immaculate construction is still construction. The film may be too busy proving its craft to feel alive.