Hammer Studios sometimes ventured out of the horror genre with impressive results, as I described in my recommendation of Taste of Fear, Another fine example, which ranks as one of the best B-movies in British history in any genre, is the suspenseful bank heist picture Cash on Demand.
Made as cheaply as chips in 1961, the story centers on small town British bank manager Harry Fordyce (Peter Cushing). Harry is tight as wax in his work, and cold and demanding towards his staff. His only evident humanity is his love for his wife and young son. When the smooth, well-dressed Colonel Gore Hepburn (André Morell) of the bank’s insurer visits to conduct a surprise security inspection just before Christmas, Harry is initially confident that his operation will pass with flying colors. But he could not be more wrong about what is to unfold, both for the bank and also for himself and his family.
Hammer benefited from the British tradition of actors taking seriously small parts in low-budget films in a way Hollywood stars often would not. Cushing digs into his role with professionalism, allowing us to care about and eventually even to feel sorry for someone who at first seems hard to take. The rest of the cast is also very good, and it’s a particular pleasure to see Richard Vernon, usually slotted into one-dimensional Establishment roles (at which he excelled, including in Goldfinger and A Hard Day’s Night), essay a character with more depth. As Fordyce’s underling Pearson, Vernon is still of course playing a respectable type, but his junior bank manager has vulnerability and dignity, particularly in his loyalty to his co-workers.
Consistent with its modest budget and origins as a TV play, the entire movie is shot in just a few rooms of the bank. But the cast and little known director Quentin Lawrence use the claustrophobia to amp up the tension as a clever and malicious plot unfolds. It’s another fine demonstration that you don’t need a hundred millions dollars to make a good movie: In the case of this superb film, it was less than 40,000 pounds.
All Good Movies 