1957 British film by Compton Bennett
The Flying Scot (U.S. title: Mailbag Robbery [1]) is a 1957 British 'B'[2] crime film produced and directed by Compton Bennett and starring Lee Patterson, Kay Callard and Alan Gifford.[3] A gang plans to steal a half-a-million pounds in banknotes from an express train.
Plot
Gang members Ronnie, Jackie and Phil, aboard a train, break through from a cabin into the parcel compartment where bags of money are being carried. They work in silence to remove the back of a seat and access the compartment and remove the bags. They then throw the bags from the train to their accomplice Gibbs.
The gang then flies to a tropical location. So far no words have been spoken. Finally the gangs talk about their six previous heists and a plan to rob the Flying Scotsman train of half a million pounds. The robberies are planned meticulously..
Now back in the UK, Ronnie and Jackie pose as newlyweds and board the Flying Scotsman. Other gang member Phil also boards the train. Phil is ill, clutching his right rib area. He appears to have an ulcer.
Ronnie tries to break through from their cabin into the parcel compartment but finds this carriage is different to the last one, with rivets instead of screws, and more solid. Phil comes to help but he is followed by Charlie, the little boy. The train guard brings a bottle of champagne as it is his wedding anniversary today, but does not see Phil in the cabin.
Meanwhile there is a drunk on the train who is trying to recover. He previously broke into Ronnie and Jackie's cabin.
Phil goes back to Ronnie's cabin and starts to break into the parcel compartment. He is now much sicker. He starts drilling holes in the wall to enable a hole to be made. Ronnie is revealed to have a pistol under his jacket. Ronnie has to finish the drilling.
They break through and Jackie goes into the parcel compartment through the hole. The drunk comes to the cabin again and Ronnie gives him the champagne. Charlie sees this and knocks asking for "lemonade" like the man was given.
Charlie runs back to his cabin and says he saw something. His parents don't believe him as he is known to tell tales. Charlie tells the guard there are robbers in the cabin.
The gang is too slow to get the money so cannot throw it out of the window at the prearranged location. The guard comes to check the cabin but they do not let him in. The guard puts a message on device and drops it at a station as the train powers on. The train arrives in London and police arrest the gang.
Critical reception
The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote: "The criminal trio hold one's sympathies almost throughout this ingenious and entertainingly developed thriller. The shadow of Rififi [1955] is in the background, perhaps, but the combination of suspense and humour raises this low-budget comedy thriller above the average standard of British second feature production."[4]
Kine Weekly said "Taut crime melodrama, unfolded on the famous Flying Scot. ... There are not many characters and movement but resourceful acting and astute direction give it a terrific kick. ... The picture punctuates the interior scenes with striking "shots" of the train careering through the night and these and appropriate noises off create flawless atmosphere. ... Gripping and ingenious story, first rate performances and treatment, neat embellishments."[5]
TV Guide wrote, "The suspense is well built in this finely constructed feature."[6]
Sky Movies called it "An unheralded low-budget thriller which contains twice as much suspense as many more lavish productions. Taut, crisp, with a conspicuous absence of big name stars, it is a prime example of the British B movie at its best. With a bit of Hitchcock here and a touch of Rififi there (a 15-minute sequence is acted in complete silence), and a good touch of The Window (1949) with a boy who is a liar and nobody believes him, but ... the suspense is built up to a climax which leaves one hoping that just this once, crime will be allowed to pay."[7]
In British Sound Films: The Studio Years 1928–1959 David Quinlan rated the film as "good", writing: "Famous little second feature concentrates tightly on the matter in hand, builds suspense nicely."[8]
The Radio Times Guide to Films gave the film 1/5 stars, writing: "The most noteworthy thing about this crime programme filler is that it was scripted by Norman Hudis, who wrote six Carry On films. As with most British B-movies of the period, a clutch of transatlantic stars were imported to raise the profile, but they couldn't do much to distract from the mediocrity of this train robbery thriller."[9]
It was one of 15 films selected by Steve Chibnall and Brian McFarlane in The British 'B' Film as among the most meritorious of the B films made in Britain between World War II and 1970. They note that it was shot in just three weeks on a budget of £18,000 and describe it as "a film not just of suspense, but of real fascination".[2]
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