One of my all time favorites.

Your blood may run cold, but you now find yourself pinioned to the story.

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

True to its essence, the characters remain on the same line and manage to entertain the viewer, each highlighting their own distinctive qualities or touches.

December the 23rd. The City & Colonial Bank is visited by a charming stranger identifying himself as Col. Gore Hepburn (Andre Morell). He asks to speak with bank manager Harry Fordyce (Peter Cushing), who's a harsh, demanding, detail-oriented type who doesn't care to get to know his employees better. Soon Hepburn is revealed as a very clever and ruthless bank robber who forces Fordyce into being an accomplice by threatening Fordyces' wife and son. In a short span of time Fordyce shows a touch more humanity by revealing what it is in the world that he cares most about.Director Quentin Lawrence ("The Trollenberg Terror") does a creditable job with this meaty script, written by David T. Chantler and Lewis Greifer based on a play by Jacques Gillies. And one can tell that this is based on a play, with the accent on dialogue, but it's interesting and riveting all the way through, with very taut direction by Lawrence who gets superb performances out of his two talented leads. Cushing is a joy to watch as a man who becomes more sympathetic as the story plays out. And Morell is fun as the dapper, (mostly) calm thief. Solid support is provided by Richard Vernon as Pearson, the banks' second-in-command, Barry Lowe as the teller Harvill, and Kevin Stoney as Detective Inspector Mason.Also indicating a stage origin is a limited number of sets, but this only serves to give this superior film an intimate feel and help us to get completely involved in this twist-laden plot. And the story, which works as a variation on the classic Dickens tale "A Christmas Carol", is irresistible for its theme of a person in need of some redemption.Slickly made in every respect, this is among the best of the black & white Hammer thrillers.Eight out of 10.

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

If you think of Peter Cushing in a Hammer production, it will be his roles in the colourful and camp horror films that will spring to mind first, and for good reason as it's those performances that defined the great actor; but Cushing and Hammer also combined on some non-horror films, and Cash on Demand is surely one of the very best of them; both in terms of the film itself and the performance from the great Peter Cushing. This is an absolutely brilliant thriller that works thanks to its simplicity, commanding and intriguing performances and well written script. The film focuses on a bank in a small town which is managed by the dedicated Mr Fordyce. His bank is disturbed one day by a caller who introduces himself as a man from the bank's insurance company, who has come to test the security. However, it transpires that the man is actually a bank robber, who has come to rob the bank, and he's got an associate in Fordyce's house ready to kill his wife and kid if he does not allow the robbery to take place! Peter Cushing's performance in this film is absolutely immense and undoubtedly one of the best of his career. He gets his character spot on and is completely believable throughout the film and this is one of the main reasons Cash on Demand is such a success. He is joined by André Morell who is equally brilliant in his role as the debonair bank robber. Every scene in the film takes place either in the bank or just outside of it, and most of it takes place in Forsyce's office where we get to watch Cushing and Morell play a game of cat and mouse, which is always fascinating to watch. The film remains simple throughout and director Quentin Lawrence keeps his audience interested through the various elements of the plot. The film does have a few twists and turns, and of course the best of these is saved right up until the end. Overall, this is an absolutely great thriller that is well worth seeing and comes highly recommended! Unfortunately, the copy I saw was rather poor, which makes this a prime candidate for a pristine release on DVD!

This is a brilliant film! A psychological thriller and also a clever variation on A CHRISTMAS CAROL. Peter Cushing, in perhaps his best performances ever captured on film (along with THE ABOMINABLE SNOWMAN, FRANKENSTEIN AND THE MONSTER FROM HELL and the BBC play "1984"), plays an unsympathetic bank manager blackmailed into robbing his own bank by cunning gentleman-thief Andre Morell (in a rock solid performance). The great moment comes when Cushing who has bullied his staff all the time must beg them to help him cover up the robbery - if not, his family will be killed. I won't reveal more, it would spoil the fun.