He has a system you know! Four college friends find themselves in a Reno casino when they nearly get arrested due to a botched robbery attempt. After clearing their names, they overhear an officer mention that robbing this particular establishment is considered virtually impossible. This sparks an idea in young Ronnie, who decides it might be worth trying and develops what seems like a foolproof plan intended as a joke. However, once he shares the scheme with his friends, one of them, Brick—a former army man known for being unpredictable—wants to go through with it seriously. There are several things that work well in this film directed by Phil Karlson, and I’m happy I disregarded the low rating on IMDb and watched it without any preconceived notions. The cast is impressive, featuring Guy Madison, Brian Keith, Alvy Moore, a young Kerwin Mathews before he became famous for adventure roles, and a beautiful Kim Novak in one of her earliest credited parts. The scenes shot at Lake Tahoe are visually appealing, and the story—adapted by John Barnwell from Jack Finney’s novel—is compelling, with an inventive concept about how to rob a casino. I believe viewers should be aware that this film is different than what the plot summary suggests. It certainly has some suspenseful moments, largely due to Keith's character who borders on being unstable, but it’s mostly dialogue-driven, interspersed with bits of humor right up until the end, where everything resolves itself without excessive drama or celebration. Phil Karlson, whose previous work includes the acclaimed *Scandal Sheet*, seemed like a good choice as director; however, while he's successfully combined crime, adventure, and romance in other films, attempting to merge all three here felt forced. The directing isn’t poor, it’s simply an unusual combination that doesn’t quite succeed, possibly preventing the film from gaining a larger and more appreciative audience. Nevertheless, Karlson is a director deserving of renewed consideration because he has several notable credits worth exploring. It remains something of an oddity, and calling it a Noir film feels like an exaggeration, but I do recommend it because its strengths definitely surpass any weaknesses. 7/10

Source on TMDB