L'Homme indestructible

This film is to me what "The Wizard of Oz" is to most others--a warm fuzzy. Having grown up around Los Angeles, I thought this film was based on a true story when I first saw it as a kid. It has a gritty, real-time feel to it, and Casey Adams' narration is obviously based on Jack Webb's for "Dragnet." In fact, this film feels like an Outer Limits version of a Dragnet episode. Very similar in feel to "Kiss Me Deadly," another '50s film shot in similar locations. A great time capsule of the fading LA of the '50s. This film is almost universally panned, but the low budget and fairly tight script actually contribute to its effectiveness.

INDESTRUCTIBLE MAN stars Lon Chaney Jr. as Charles "The Butcher" Benton, who is sentenced to die in the gas chamber, after being double-crossed by his former partners in crime. This was a bad idea on the part of these crooks, since Benton is miraculously resurrected through mad science! This turns him into the invulnerable, unstoppable entity of the title, hellbent on tracking down his old "pals"! Since Benton has been rendered unable to speak, we mostly get a series of silent, grimacing closeups of Benton and voice-over narration by Lt. Dick Chasen (Casey Adams), the cop on the case. The rest is mostly Benton's killing spree, as he bumps off anyone attempting to keep him from completing his mission. EXTRA BONUS POINTS FOR: #1- The "battle in the sewer system", complete with a bazooka and flamethrower! #2- The "jolting" finale! A very entertaining slab of 1950's super-cheddar!...

Other people have gone over this movie's strengths. Yeah, it comes across like a really low-rent "Dragnet" episode sometimes with way, way too much narration, and there are a couple scenes that drag horribly. And what *is* with those too-often repeated closeups of Lon Chaney's eyes? They almost seem like padding. But for the most part the film rolls along at a good clip and keeps the suspense going. There are some good L.A. locations, too, including the cool diagonal streetcars also seen in "Kiss Me Deadly". Just because it's been on MST3K doesn't mean it's among the all-time worst. (In fact, the better the movie, the better the episode, usually.)

Minor sci-fi horror flick about an executed murderer (Lon Chaney, Jr.) brought back to life by a scientist (Robert "Inspector Henderson" Shayne). Chaney seeks revenge on his crooked lawyer and former partners, never speaking but stopping quite a few times to squint very hard for close-ups. An entertaining enough movie of its type, but even by 1956 this was pretty old hat. Max Showalter (billed as Casey Adams) plays the cop investigating it all. He also provides the distracting narration throughout the picture. Like I said, it's nothing special. But it'll get the job done for the undiscriminating fan of classic horror and sci-fi. It's certainly no Man Made Monster, that's for sure.

Low budget; simple dialogue; filmed in shades of black and white; this is a great example of those early Sci-fi/horror flicks that entertained our imaginations. The body of a violent criminal, 'Butcher' Benton(Lon Chaney Jr), is accidentally brought back to life and the speechless bad man is determined to kill the three people responsible for his ride in the electric chair. Many close ups of Chaney's raised eyebrows and grimacing face. Marion Carr plays the killer's love interest. Three well traveled character actors(Max Showalter, Ross Elliott and Joe Flynn) provide support. This is really fun to watch.

MORD39 RATING: **1/2 out of **** I'm partial to this guilty favorite since I saw it hundreds of times as a youngster on television. Even so, it's just plain fun as Lon Chaney knocks off the traitors who sent him to death with their treachery. The L.A. locations are terrific, and the Dragnet-style narration adds spice to the proceedings. It's speedy and nostalgic, very much a "fifties" film. As for the Roan DVD, I'm sorry to say that it has not been restored and is a disappointment. I have had much trouble acquiring the "perfect" version of this film, even though I've had it on VHS from FOUR(!) different companies, as well as on TNT. Some day I hope this personal fave of mine will get a clean and proper transfer on disc.

Criminal Charles "The Butcher" Benton (Lon Chaney Jr.) is to be executed the next day. He is visited by his lawyer Paul Lowe who only wants the location of the hidden loot. The Butcher vows to kill Paul and their two cohorts who turned state's evidence even after death. Everyone is looking for the $600k from the armor truck robbery. Meanwhile, mad scientist Prof. Bradshaw is working on reviving the dead. He purchases The Butcher's dead body and brings him back to life. Only, the process has made him more powerful and nearly indestructible. It would serve the story if Bradshaw is somehow connected with The Butcher. It may work better if the mad scientist is a part of the crew and he revived the Butcher to find the loot. I really don't understand why the rating is so low on this page. This is a solid B-movie and worthy of some praise. It's not the most imaginative but it works. Lon may not look indestructible but he's capable of being menacing. This is very nice.