Estranho Assalto

This delightful little low-budget film is one of Hammer's least-known efforts and also one of their best. The story is a reworking of "A Christmas Carol", as Peter Cushing's bank manager, a cold and austere man, and a petty tyrant to his staff, goes through a terrible experience which leads him to change his ways. Cushing is quite superb as the manager and Andre Morell almost as good as the urbane thief who controls events until the denouement. The plot twists and turns and the writing is first-class.

Quentin Lawrence directed this good crime thriller that stars Peter Cushing as Harry Fordyce, a bank manager who is introduced to an insurance investigator named Hepburn(played by Andre Morel) on the 23 of December. Ostensibly there to check security, he is really a ruthless and cunning thief who has an elaborate plan to rob the bank, and needs Fordyce's cooperation to pull it off, so convinces him that he holds his family hostage, and will have them murdered by his associates if he doesn't signal to them his agreeing to help. Fordyce decides to cooperate, all the while trying to find a way out... Fine film with two stellar performances, especially Cushing, who proves that he can act quite well outside the horror genre he was best known for.

A by-the-books bank manager is forced to rob his own bank by a charming thief who holds his family hostage.

Peter Cushing and Andre Morrell repeat the solid on screen chemistry they displayed three years earlier when they teamed up as Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson in Hammer's version of The Hound of the Baskervilles (1959). This time they are antagonists with Morrell playing the suave robber and Cushing - in a change of pace role - as the ultra priggish banker. Morrell is deliciously nasty but Cushing really deserves some acting kudos for creating a "jerk" of a character that you actually start to sympathize with as Morrell turns the screws.

Quentin Lawrence, a veteran of British TV, skillfully directs a tight script in a confined setting and keeps the tension high and story moving - almost like it's unfolding in real time. Once the normal routines and relationships are quickly established, he ratchets up the tension with Morrell's arrival and never lets up. The psychological duel begins and it's a treat to watch.

My only nitpick about the film is the ending which I thought was a little too neat and tidy for my taste.

When I was a teenager, Peter Cushing was my favorite actor; I simply loved his commanding performances in Hammer Studios' horror films. But when I eventually became more interested in dramas and foreign flicks, my appreciation for both Cushing and Hammer waned. I started to wish that Cushing had taken meatier roles in less lurid movies.

Thankfully, I just had the chance to see "Cash on Demand," a film that stretches Cushing's acting ability farther than most of his horror efforts. It's still a genre film – you could label it a crime/film noir movie – but nevertheless, it's got far more dramatic content and character development than the average Hammer film. Cushing is really superb as the cantankerous bank manager; his character is initially quite unpleasant, but as the plot unfolds he becomes gradually, genuinely more sympathetic.

It would be remiss of me to praise Cushing and forget to mention Andre Morell, who plays the debonair bank robber. His performance is wonderfully smug and, for lack of a better word, cool. The two actors have a great rapport throughout the movie, and together they hold the viewer's attention without the aid of any flashy sets or action sequences.

Clearly a modest movie, made for less money than it takes to film a TV show today, "Cash on Demand" is nevertheless a solid caper flick that deserves the attention of movie fans – particularly those who, like me, are interested in seeing Cushing flex his acting muscles outside the realm of vampires and other forms of animated corpses.

From Hammer Films, "Cash on Demand" is a good thriller from 1961.

It's Christmas week, and in the office of City & Colonial Bank in Haversham, it's a quiet day. The small staff is managed by Harry Fordyce (Peter Cushing), a business-only nerd who exudes no warmth, no holiday spirit, and does not fraternize with the help. He won't even let the staff put up Christmas decorations.

Today there is a ten pound discrepancy and he's making a big hullabaloo about it, even though the error was spotted.

In walks Colonel Gore Hepburn (Andre Morrell), who represents the bank insurance company. He is doing a surprise inspection of the security. When he's alone with Fordyce, he informs him that he's a thief, there to steal the bank's money, and that he's holding Fordyce's wife and child hostage. One signal from the window, and they're done with.

Hepburn has the robbery planned down to the second, and Fordyce must play along. In the outer office, Hepburn acts like an efficient man, checking out the floor signals. Fordyce is a wreck but tries not to show it. He carries out all of his instructions, which include putting the money into suitcases (Hepburn's "luggage").

Very suspenseful film, and one wonders if Hepburn will be able to get away with the robbery, and if Fordyce will be implicated in any way.

Peter Cushing is tremendous in the role of Fordyce, cold, stern, and highly disciplined, living a life where there are no shades of gray and mistakes are not permitted. As Hepburn, Andre Morell is excellent, charming even when he's talking about the most deadly things.

The ending is a little rushed and a tiny bit confusing, but the story is a nice little take on "A Christmas Carol" with Scrooge Fordyce learning a few life lessons. Highly recommended. I saw this on a double disc with "Stop Me Before I Kill."