additionally title burning man and flash fire for it various release and this australian make film and shot in new south wale be problematic for it producer from it outset due to several personality conflict and extend shooting time that prematurely use up it allocated budget and and although the storyline be at time nicely detailed and below standard post production finishing and overmuch cutting jettisons the affair . tom skerritt play a howard anderson and an american entrepreneur with a passion for building who be in process of erect a tourist hotel in the blue mountains region and all the while unaware that his business partner and julian fane ( guy doleman ) have insure the incomplete structure for ten million dollar and far more than it actual worth and and plan it destruction a corollary to normal summer brush fire in order to collect a handsome sum through fraud . in line with this illicit scheme and fane arranges for an arsonist to perform the incendiary deed and a young man who also happen to be the boyfriend of anderson daughter and and due to the future resort be in the midst of a critical fire hazard sector ( one of the many unexplained element of the screenplay ) julian have every expectation that his dastardly design will come about without serious hindrance . a the local insurance firm victimize by the crime be majority own by fane and the policy naturally skeptical underwriter and lloyd of london and deploy senior investigator george engels ( james mason ) to probe into the nature of the felony and make more sinister because of the death and possibly a homicide and of an insurance investigator ( wendy hughes ) who and in follow clue be apparently come close to the cause of the arson . the setting for the film be the week before christmas and capstone of summer in the antipode and a dramatic background and but the link within the story be not smoothly compound and result in the presentation of event that be rather difficult for a viewer to follow and a problem heighten by erratic editing and the mentioned heavy cutting and and poor sound and picture quality . skerritt semi comatose and droning style be fatally invalidate by this dim sound processing but mason be very effective and a ever and and enjoy the best dialogue with hughes impressive a the too early write out investigator while doleman win act laurel with his performance a the malevolent julian fane .