That was an excellent one.

Good , But It Is Overrated By Some

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

it is the rare 'crazy' movie that actually has something to say.

This does not make sense. Why would the plot say that these killers went door to door killing whoever answered the door. That is a down right lie. No where in the movie did this ever happen!!!! It had only one motive, one event, no maniacs going door to door. I just wanted to know why it is stated that a band of killers go from door to door killing the people who answer the door. There is no band, just two characters who are involved with this bank robbery. There is basically one hostage and one ransom plea of $70,000. If you are going to rob a bank, you would not use your real name, would you? The manager of the bank discovers a wanted poster with the robber's name and picture. Too obvious.

This is one incredible film. I'd never even heard of Johnny Cash as an actor before catching this on TCM last week.The plot line is irresistible and to have Cash as the bad guy…you couldn't come up with a more intriguing scenario.I couldn't help thinking of Elvis as I watched this spectacle. He always took good-guy roles in his silly movies but there's none of that nonsense here. Cash is an appalling creature in "Five," a killer and a sadist.Cash's cold victimizer is nothing short of mesmerizing. His every interaction keeps you watching and guessing.This movie is odd in its use of black humor. The cheating bank official cynically fantasizes about using the robbers as wife killers, and just as crudely seems to re-embrace his neglected spouse after her ordeal.And talk about Post Traumatic Stress Disorder coming of age AFTER this movie came out. Boy, does the wife bounce back quickly! This movie definitely leaves me wondering whether Cash made any other films. If so, it's hard to imagine him outdoing this performance. Wow!

This is a tough little movie. It would work quite well without names. But let's face it: The leading man is the draw. Johnny Cash, in 1961, looking a little like Elvis, as a ruthless killer. A killer, to be sure, who sings the title song and whom we see playing guitar.Donald Woods is a dead ringer for the Darren character in "Bewitched." He is a complacent suburban dad. Cay Forrester is just right as his upwardly mobile blonde wife. Ron Howard is very cute as their son. (And Pamela Mason turns in a good acting job but is a little implausible as Woods's mistress.) Before he got the job cooking for Alice, Tayback was apparently a crook. A pretty mean one, at that. And here, he has hired Cash to hold banker Woods's wife hostage. (Before he takes the job, Cash has to dump his girlfriend, the greedy Doris, AKA Dory.) For an obviously low budget movie, this does its job neatly. And it holds up very well 45 years after it was released.

This film is best remembered for the fact that it stars country legend Johnny Cash is his first film role. This actually lowered my expectations for the film, as I'm not a massive fan of Cash and films that go down in history for the casting of a non-actor are often not very good...but this film has far more going for it than it's lead actor, and overall I've got to say that it's criminal that this hasn't won itself a more esteemed place in cinema history. It's clear that the film was shot on a very low budget as it features a very grainy black and white picture, a small central cast and some suspect acting from all corners; but all this stuff doesn't matter, as the screenplay is well written and there's a lot of fun to be had with this film. The plot follows a couple of guys who think they've discovered the perfect get rich quick scheme. One of them pretends to be a salesman in order to get into the house of the president of the women's association, while the other one pretends to be a customer at her husband's bank. After explaining the situation to her husband, they offer him a trade; his money or his wife.Overall, it has to be said that this little thriller isn't very original as there have been a lot of films in this same vein; but Bill Karn's film approaches it's subject with a fresh view, and the way that the director continually ensures the tone is always bleak provides a major highlight. It's easy to believe that the central character is in danger through Cash's loose cannon performance, and the way that the action focuses on two central locations; the family home and the bank, ensures that the plot always takes centre stage, and it is made interesting through its memorable cast of characters. Even though Cash wasn't predominantly an actor, his performance is really good and the way that the director lets him play his guitar makes best use of him. And on a personal note, I think it's good of Cash to put himself at risk to play a sadistic maniacal character. The rest of the support cast play second fiddle to the musical genius, but each one gives a good turn and this ensures that the film is elevated above its low budget thriller status. It all boils down to an exciting and satisfying climax that both deals fitting comeuppance, and rounds it all off nicely. Overall, this film is well worth tracking down and comes highly recommended!