THE FLESH IS WEAK is a low budget British crime film that goes for censor-baiting action throughout. Sadly it's quite a dated movie when watched with a modern mindset, although it has much in common with the American 'sensation' movies doing the rounds which typically showed young women being lured into a life of prostitution and/or drugs.
What I like about these 1950s films is that they often have fairly strong themes without ever being explicit about them. It's pretty obvious that this is a film about prostitution and pimping but you'll never hear it mentioned. There's a turf war of sorts between criminal gangs, and lots of familiar supporting faces like Martin Benson, Freda Jackson, and Shirley Ann Field.
Imported American actor John Derek is pretty weak and out of place, but the black and white photography is crisp throughout and the knife crime stuff is pretty good. Hard-working director Don Chaffey would also helm the likes of PETE'S DRAGON, PERSECUTION, and JASON AND THE ARGONAUTS during a long career.
