INDESTRUCTIBLE MAN (1956)
Article #203 by Dave Sindelar
Viewing date: 10-5-2001
Posting date: 2-18-2002

A criminal is brought back to life after his execution, a process which causes his body to become impervious to bullets. He vows revenge on his cohorts who betrayed him.

When I saw this movie as a kid, I couldn’t help but notice its similarity to MAN-MADE MONSTER; since I haven’t seen the latter film in years, I can’t attest to how similar they actally are. This one is a fairly clunky movie, with endless narration, some long pointless scenes (the detective taking the ex-girlfriend of the murderer out for hamburgers), plot points that are never developed (Paul Lowe acquires the map that shows the location of the hidden money, but never goes out to look for it, and he hires a safecracker for a job that never happens and is never mentioned again), and too many closeups of Lon Chaney, Jr.’s eyes for this time in his life. I also wonder whether or not “Butcher” Benton originally had lines after his return from the dead which were removed because of Chaney’s inability to remember dialogue at this point (he had lots of mute roles). I also wonder whether the indestructible angle was added later; overall, the story feels like a standard crime-revenge story with a science-fiction gimmick tossed in to make it more commercial. These are just speculations, of course. Nevertheless, despite its many problems, I enjoy the movie well enough, and there is something quite compelling about the outdoor footage in the city; you get a sense that it’s all happening in a very real place with lots of people milling around.