The Flying Scot [DVD]

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The Flying Scot' is a justifiably good example of the genre. Well crafted and cheap to make! The story is quite simple. Ronnie, a young impetuous American crook, played by Lee Patterson, is looking for 'the big one', and proposes to rob the Mail Train by drilling through the compartment walls whilst the train travels from Glascow to London. I was surprised and delighted to find out that this is a fast-paced and snappy little thriller that wrings maximum tension out of the premise. B-movie director Compton Bennett's direction is assured and CARRY ON scriptwriter Norman Hudis delivers a story that's full of engaging characters and unpredictable sub-plots. This is a film I recall seeing a few times as a 'B' movie in the cinema. It concerns an attempt to rob a train of cash. It's a pretty poor movie to be honest. but quite good fun... so when it came up in the listings for the 'Talking Pictures' channel .. I recorded it. I've just watched it and noticed that the train pulls out being hauled by what looks a bit like a 'Scot' or similar engine.. though not seen too clearly. A little later the same train is being hauled by a fully streamlined 'Coronation' class and yet later by a rather indistinct thing which might be a B1.. Later still another loco, this time with smoke deflectors. And when the train finally pulls into the station for the last scenes, it is very clearly being hauled by a Great Western engine.. possibly a Hall or a Castle.. I'm not 'up' on such things.

Shooting of the film began on 7 July 2006 and ended 4 September 2006. [3] The film was shot largely in Galston, Scotland, with East Ayrshire, Glasgow and velodromes in Germany standing in for places in the story such as Colombia, France and Norway. [8] Release [ edit ] Brooks, Xan (12 July 2006). "Flying Scotsman to launch Edinburgh film fest". The Guardian . Retrieved 28 June 2007.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..

Graeme tells everyone he intends to go again as he has the velodrome booked for 24 hours. Due to the grueling nature of the 1 hour challenge, everyone cautions him against making a second attempt. Graeme devises a cunning way to prevent his body from seizing up and cramping and exercises throughout the night. The next morning he and Anne sleep in and rush to find Malky, who unknown to Graeme has rebuilt the bike using Old Faithful's parts. Graeme embarks on his attempts and this time is successful in beating the record. 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. COMMENT: "The Flying Scot" starts off most ingeniously with not a word spoken for the first 15 or 20 minutes. Of course, the idea was stolen from "Rififi" but it's still a suspenseful one even in this grade "B" work-out. The sequence turns out to be a neat joke on the audience, and thereafter the film follows a more predictable course. However, his victory is short-lived as his record is broken by Chris Boardman (Adrian Grove, credited as Adrian Smith) a week later. The Union Cycliste Internationale hold a meeting where they devise rules to discourage Obree from using his experimental bicycle in future. Obree is severely depressed the night following his record-making ride. This is exacerbated when Boardman breaks the record. When Obree is confronted in a pub by the four bullies who had victimised him years earlier at school, he becomes completely withdrawn and rarely leaves his house. Baxter attempts to counsel him, but Obree feels betrayed when he discovers that Baxter is the pastor of a local church and the younger Obree is agnostic towards religion.a b Booth, Samantha (27 October 2002). "OBREE FILM HITS CRISIS AS COUNCIL SAYS NO". Daily Record (Scotland) . Retrieved 28 June 2007.

Graeme decides to try and beat the hour record. However, he has neither the funding nor the quality of bicycle required. Determined to succeed, he asks Malky to take over his management and fundraising from his wife Anne who is overwhelmed with work and raising their child. Cox turns out to be a boatyard owner and offers Graeme and Malky his yard to build a fitting bike. Graeme sets himself 8 weeks to build a bike, raise funds for the challenge and pay for access to a fitting velodrome. The driving force for such a tight deadline is because Chris Boardsman's attempt for breaking the record is the 9th week. One local said: “The Flying Scotsman apparently reversed into the carriages of the Royal Scotsman. It was all low speed and they both had buffers. But it is hard to tell the scale of the damage.” The bonus features are an alternate opening sequence – merely 78 seconds revealing a title card for the American release – and a non-interactive still gallery running to 46-seconds. The main two extras are interviews. First is a near-17-minutes talk with Steve Chibnall, Professor of British Cinema, titled ‘The Flying Scot and the history of the British B-movie’. The second is around 13 minutes with writer and journalist Barry Forshaw, who, we are told, has written about British crime films. These are worth dealing with together, as they are both very standard examples of the talking head interviews seen on such legacy releases, and they cover the same ground without covering the same facts. Both contextualise the B Movie, much as summarised above, talk about the film itself, and look at the career of Compton Bennett (best known for 1950’s King Solomon’s Mines). a b Keogh, Tom (4 May 2007). " "The Flying Scotsman's" inspirational tale sends spirits soaring". Seattle Times . Retrieved 28 June 2007.

Review of The Flying Scotsman". TotalFilm.com. Future Publishing. 29 June 2007 . Retrieved 1 March 2009. Daly-Peoples, John. "Flying Scotsman". National Business Review. Archived from the original on 3 May 2007 . Retrieved 28 June 2007. One of the three thieves Phil (Alan Gifford) spends most of the film in pain from a stomach ulcer and would be more of a hindrance than help?