Watched this a few times now on TPTV and believe you me it gets no better ! Even in 1957 ( six years prior to The Great Train Robbery ) British Rail would not have been daft enough to leave millions of pounds unattended in a carriage ajoining a domestic carriage with just a plywood panel in between! That aside everything else is ludicrous- from the different engines on a non stop route - rubbish continuity - one scene is dark , the next light . Why would a man with a dodgy ulcer be involved and why is half the cast American? The bratty kid that annoys the hell out of the passengers and receives no parental reprimands is real enough I suppose - there are plenty of those about nowadays .

An entertaining British thriller, which illustrates how the most brilliantly conceived, meticulously planned crime can begin to go pear-shaped once a few imponderables find their way into the mix. The over zealous guard, interfering passengers,( the inevitable drunk, the kid from Hell and the winner of a Richard Wattis look-alike contest) and an unfamiliar interior coach design rendering the loot almost impenetrable all conspire to make the task far more challenging than originally imagined. That's before even considering the self-inflicted wound. Why you would include a gang member who's half dead with an ulcer is any ones guess!

Lastly, for those of us who spent our formative years in the days of steam; it appears that the same train, making the same journey on the same track is hauled by at least three different locomotives. That's library footage for you.

THE FLYING SCOT is an engagingly low budget little heist movie set on board a train, where a gang of criminals are planning to steal money from the Royal Mail carriage by accessing it from an adjoining compartment. The film has a clever little set-up which sees the plan played out as the thieves would wish before it moves to the real world, where unsurprisingly things are far more unexpected and complex.

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.

Most of the story is set inside the single compartment of a train and yet it remains lively and interesting. Lee Patterson (JACK THE RIPPER) is the imported American star and a really volatile hot head when it comes down to it, although other characters are more relaxed. THE FLYING SCOT is one of those films that keeps you guessing as to the eventual outcome, and when it does eventually arrive you haven't been disappointed for a moment.