5 Against the House

Four friends from Midwestern University visit Harold's Club casino in Reno for a weekend. They gamble and socialize, but after an hour Ronnie is broke. A would-be robber threatens the cashier and is stopped by casino security, who mistake Ronnie and Roy for the accomplices. Al talks the officers into releasing them, and Ronnie overhears an officer boast that a Harold's heist would be impossible.

Back at school, Ronnie becomes captivated by the challenge of a casino robbery after hearing the boast. He begins plotting the plan as a test of his wits, not out of necessity since his family is wealthy. The idea grows into a full scheme as he gathers motivation and a framework for the heist.

Ronnie recruits Brick and Roy to join the robbery, arguing that the money would be returned. He buys an untraceable trailer and a car and builds a cart identical to the real Harold's cash carts. They agree four people are needed, while noting that Al would not join once he learned the plan.

Back at school, Al reconnects with his girlfriend Kay, who has become a nightclub singer. Al expresses his desire to marry, but Kay remains hesitant. She eventually accepts his proposal, tying their fates to the looming robbery and a quick Reno wedding.

Brick, a Korean War veteran with PTSD, fights another student on campus. Al stops him and urges Brick to go to a veterans' hospital for treatment, but Brick refuses, insisting he is getting better on his own.

Ronnie, Brick, and Roy finalize the plan to rob Harold's, keeping Al out of the loop. They prepare the equipment and simply intend to carry out the job with three allies, hoping the fourth would never know the truth.

The day before the robbery, Al proposes to Kay, and she accepts. The group then heads back toward Reno to marry quickly, blending personal stakes with the looming crime.

During the long drive, Ronnie reveals the heist plan to Al and Kay. The siblings are shocked and refuse to participate in the crime. The revelation confirms that Al would indeed not be involved if he knew the full plan.

At a roadside stop, Brick grows increasingly unstable and brandishes a revolver, threatening to kill Al if anyone sabotages the plan. He announces a new rule: the money will not be returned, signaling a dangerous shift toward violence.

In Reno's Thanksgiving crowds, Brick, Ronnie, and Al blend into the party and detain casino employee Eric Berg. Berg is told a short, armed accomplice is inside the cart and is pushed toward the money room. In reality there is only a tape recorder delivering prerecorded threats.

Berg retrieves the cash but, upon taking the money, he tosses the cart down stairs and raises the alarm, forcing the group to flee. Brick grabs the bag and abandons the others when Ronnie insists on ending the caper and returning the cash.

Al pursues Brick into an automated parking garage while Kay alerts the police and urges them not to shoot to give Al a chance to save his friend. A tense standoff ensues, and Al's intervention ultimately leads Brick to surrender.