Arrogant hard hearted bank manager Mr Fordyce receives a visit from a Colonel Hepburn who introduces himself as an insurance investigator . As they talk Fordyce receives a phone call from his wife saying she's being held hostage by men threatening to kill her . Hepburn then reveals himself as the man behind the hostage taking
I knew nothing about this film apart from the title , the fact it was produced by Hammer and it starred Peter Cushing and Andre Morrell . If the plot was two characters played by Cushing and Morrell watching paint dry for 80 minutes I would still have gone out of my way to watch it . Cushing and Morrell starred in the BBC's 1954 Nigel Kneale adaptation of Orwell's 1984 , one of the greatest landmark productions the BBC ever made . From a technical viewpoint it was rather primitive production viewed with modern eyes but at the same time has a power that is undiminished by time . Much of this is down to the acting skills of the two leads and the scene where Morrell's villain tortures Cushing's everyman hero remains stark raw drama at its best . Morrell also starred as the eponymous hero of QUATERMASS AND THE PIT and much of that teleplay's success is down to Morrell as the lead character
It's the casting that makes this somewhat staid , static British B movie something of an unknown forgotten classic . Peter Cushing forever synonymous with Hammer productions is cast against type as Mr Fordyce a cold , aloof , uncaring bank manager whose world starts to collapse as he's introduced to Colonel Hepburn played by Morrell . If you enjoyed Morrell as Quatermass you'll enjoy his performance here as he enjoys taking control of a situation that he is charge of . Bullying and authoritative , a genuine control freak he enjoys dominating Cushing's Fordyce without once ever going over the top . Cushing is equally as good , in fact it's possibly his career best performance
What let's the film down is the denouement which is very much ambiguous and open to interpretation . There's several ways you can read it none of which are entirely satisfactory but it helps if you watch the film at Christmas time and remind yourself of a famous Christmas fable by Charles Dickens . CASH ON DEMAND is an obvious redemption plot but the journey is far more important than the destination and the journey is enthralling down to the two leads
I knew nothing about this film apart from the title , the fact it was produced by Hammer and it starred Peter Cushing and Andre Morrell . If the plot was two characters played by Cushing and Morrell watching paint dry for 80 minutes I would still have gone out of my way to watch it . Cushing and Morrell starred in the BBC's 1954 Nigel Kneale adaptation of Orwell's 1984 , one of the greatest landmark productions the BBC ever made . From a technical viewpoint it was rather primitive production viewed with modern eyes but at the same time has a power that is undiminished by time . Much of this is down to the acting skills of the two leads and the scene where Morrell's villain tortures Cushing's everyman hero remains stark raw drama at its best . Morrell also starred as the eponymous hero of QUATERMASS AND THE PIT and much of that teleplay's success is down to Morrell as the lead character
It's the casting that makes this somewhat staid , static British B movie something of an unknown forgotten classic . Peter Cushing forever synonymous with Hammer productions is cast against type as Mr Fordyce a cold , aloof , uncaring bank manager whose world starts to collapse as he's introduced to Colonel Hepburn played by Morrell . If you enjoyed Morrell as Quatermass you'll enjoy his performance here as he enjoys taking control of a situation that he is charge of . Bullying and authoritative , a genuine control freak he enjoys dominating Cushing's Fordyce without once ever going over the top . Cushing is equally as good , in fact it's possibly his career best performance
What let's the film down is the denouement which is very much ambiguous and open to interpretation . There's several ways you can read it none of which are entirely satisfactory but it helps if you watch the film at Christmas time and remind yourself of a famous Christmas fable by Charles Dickens . CASH ON DEMAND is an obvious redemption plot but the journey is far more important than the destination and the journey is enthralling down to the two leads