The Flaw

A dashingly handsome racing driver woos and marries a pretty heiress in double quick order, then reveals that he is in fact Dick Dastardly, at which time her much duller and more conventional ex-suitor springs into action to put things right.

This modest time-waster is a fun ride, as long as the implausible plot and obvious pitfalls are not dwelled upon. The two leads, the ever-dependable John Bentley and Donald Houston could just as easily swapped roles and the film would look the same; the lovely Rona Anderson goes into marriage with the oh-too-smooth Bentley with wide-eyed naive innocence, and there is even a brief look of regret after the love rat returns and mouths some appropriate platitudes.

Fortunately our hero (no guesses who this is) is revived to save the day - if not the film's chances of Best picture of 1955.

Race car driver John Bentley marries heiress Rona Anderson. After a year, she confesses to her lawyer, Donald Houston, that he married her only for her money. He's been keeping a girl on the side. Houston discusses divorce with her. She goes home, tells Bentley she's leaving. Bentley then plans her murder... but first he kills Houston, telling him his perfect plan as he collapses under poisoned whisky. Houston gasps out that there's a flaw, and dies.

It's a B picture, basically a three-actor affair, and the lack of adornment means it is eked out by a rather slow editing pace and some long sequences of getting from point A to point B. However, it's a clever little story by Brandon Fleming, the actors are excellent, and Terence Fisher's direction is good. Without any cinematic gloss, it fills an hour very pleasantly.

THE FLAW is one in a series of low budget crime thrillers that later Hammer director Terence Fisher made in the 1950s. It's far from his most distinguished work although as a virtual three hander it works reasonably well and at only an hour in length it never outstays its welcome. Fisher's direction adds a little life and style to the proceedings although the plot is very ordinary and simplistic and the outcome easily guessable.

John Bentley is cast against type as a womanising racing car driver. The object of his affections is the lovely Rona Anderson, who had quite a career in B-pictures during the '50s; she was in the same year's STOCK CAR, with similar film ingredients, although perhaps is best known for appearing in SCROOGE. Bentley's intentions towards her are less than charitable, so it's a good thing that Donald Houston - playing against type as a friendly family lawyer - is on the case. It's a talky little production without a great deal of action, but it passes the time reasonably well nonetheless.

A diverting little thriller with offbeat casting of the two male leads which packs a few Hitchcockian twists into barely an hour's running time.

John Bentley is even more manipulative and a bigger skunk than Ray Milland in 'Dial M for Murder', and it makes extensive use of locations throughout. (SLIGHT SPOILER COMING:) Only the ending comes as a bit of a letdown by resolving things too quickly and tidily after all that lovingly detailed scheming.

Terence Fisher is likely to be remembered for his admirable work at Hammer Studios where he directed the bulk of their Frankenstein pictures ,two memorable entries in the Dracula series and several distinguished one off movies like The Mummy and the definitive Holmes movie The Hound of the Baskervilles .They were marked by their creative and elegant use of colour and some fine art direction . The Flaw is a pre Hammer picture ,a contemporary crime drama shot in lacklustre monochrome with a thin plot and some very routine acting .John Bentley plays a racing driver who marries purely for money and schemes to murder his wife after ensuring he is the sole heir ;out to thwart him is the family lawyer who sees through the scheme and secretly loves the wife himself . Poorly acted and with a perfunctory script this has little to recommend it and the director does stalwart work in sustaining what little grip the movie is ever able to exert