CASH ON DEMAND: a thriller that's tight and to the point

This tight little British thriller from 1961 feels so much like an extended episode of 'The Twilight Zone' that I expected Rod Serling to appear and deliver a closing homily as the story wrapped up.

CASH ON DEMAND is a B-movie from Hammer studios about a rigid, mean-spirited and unlikeable bank manager, Fordyce (Peter Cushing), who gets his comeuppance on the eve of Christmas Eve when his bank is robbed by a charming but ruthless crook, Hepburn (Andre Morell), posing as a representative of the company which insures his bank against loss.
The story's based on a play and it shows. Almost all of the action takes place within the confines of the bank's front office and the manager's office but what stops it feeling claustrophobic or stage-bound are the fine performances by the two lead actors.
Cushing's tight pinched features and fussy, buttoned down demeanor bring credibility to the part of the bloodless and prissy Fordyce, while Morell endows Hepburn with a smug swagger and air of superiority which never veers into caricature.
With a tight 80 minute running time every moment has to count and director Quentin Lawrence sets up the story perfectly,subtly offering up a great deal of information in the first few minutes that proves important later on. Suspenseful and deceptively straightforward with a completely unexpected twist in the tale, CASH ON DEMAND is living proof that big stars, a bloated budget, colour and car chases are not essential to create an effective thriller.