Excellent but underrated film

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

It is encouraging that the film ends so strongly.Otherwise, it wouldn't have been a particularly memorable film

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

Desson Orr (Tyler Johnston) and Barry Lipke (Calum Worthy) are gambling in school. Barry gets into a fight with Sam Cartier when the wrestler throws a match. Desson is moving out and his father is selling the house. He gets detention with Colleen Calloway (Julia Maxwell) and brings her to a gambling party hosted by Paul Morrow. Paul threatens Barry who owes him money. The next day, Desson finds Barry in an apparent suicide. Desson tries to find the truth of his death by questioning Benson.This movie depends heavily on writer/director Simon Davidson. While the writing has some interesting darkness, the directions are unimaginative. This should be a movie of dark intensity but it meanders too much. I like the intentions of a dark gritty movie about teen gambling. It doesn't executes very well.

there were high school underground gambling in this film, but what we saw was not quite convincingly realistic enough. what we saw were texting bets, basement gambling scenes, but we never saw any paper money changed hands only chips and betting amount. where was the money? we never saw anything tangible only hollow words and look-like gambling scenes. how that moronic kid would have the credit to lose 2 large? if this kid was always with the main character kid, how come the latter never knew? and how come a high school kid would lose his life over only 2 large gambling debt? this kid was driving a mini cooper, dude? a car at least worth as high as thirty thousand dollars. there's not enough logic to such murder. there were so many unconvincing scenarios and plot twists in this movie that simply won't add up. besides, what a lousy movie could have such a loud sound track music that was so loud that blocked all the dialog? the music was just so stupidly loud and if i were a 'lips reader', i might understood what those characters were talking about, but sadly i am not. what a stupid sound track messed-up during the post production!!!!

The Odds has an interesting take on high school students living a double life in a secret, dark gambling world. It starts off with the main characters texting bets to underage bookie Paul (Jaren Brandt Bartlett) on their high school wrestling championships.The depths of character development really added to the plot of the death of Barry over the greed that goes hand in hand into the gambling world (such as the Death of the main characters mother, the evidence that slowly creeps up over Barry, and the main characters father's struggle with his career and grieving over his wife). Davidson possesses a keen eye for filmmaking, instinctively knowing how to build tension without a great deal of unnecessary stylization and filler material. This movie touches on a lot of demographics because of these deeper character profiles and the ending of the long spider-web like connections that developed because of this secret gambling society that made perfect sense at the end of the movie. I loved that this was a Canadian movie also!

Tyler Johnston's character deals with the suicide of his friend Barry (Calum Worthy) in the first act, but refuses to believe it; and instead comes to the conclusion he must have won big from the wrong people. Luckily, the chemistry with these characters carries you through the rest of the movie superbly, as it casts notable actors with up-and-coming talent. The action sequences and dialogue are enough to keep you intrigued throughout the movie. The great thing about it is once you get attached to a character, or think you have them figured out; you turn out to be completely wrong, which is something I love in a film. Definitely worth taking a chance on.