Indestructible Man (1956)

Chaney could play the menacing brute as well as anyone, 5 August 2007

After the criminal known as Charles "Butcher" Benton (Lon Chaney, Jr.) is put to death in the gas chamber, his body finds its way to the laboratory of a Professor Bradshaw. Bradshaw is doing some cancer experiments with electricity and can always use a fresh corpse. But his experiment has a side effect he is not prepared for – the electricity brings The Butcher back to life. In his rejuvenated state, The Butcher cannot be harmed – seemingly, he is impervious to all attacks. After getting rid of Bradshaw and his assistant, The Butcher heads for San Francisco. He's looking for the three men that set him up and sent him to death row. Of course the police are looking for The Butcher, but how do you stop an Indestructible Man?

I'm not going to go overboard and call Indestructible Man a great movie or anything. There are too many problems to do that. But for a B-movie from the 50s, it's got a lot going for it. First, and most obvious, is Lon Chaney, Jr. By 1956, Chaney was already past his prime and headed toward self-destruction, but he still had a definite presence. He could play the menacing brute as well as anyone. Director Jack Pollexfen's decision to repeatedly use close-ups of Chaney's twitching eyes, though, gets a bit old (if not pathetic) after a while. For the most part, the rest of the acting is good. The exception to me is Max Showalter. He was just too annoying and unsuited for the part of the male lead. The plot in Indestructible Man is a lot of fun. Watching Chaney throw bad guys down flights of stairs is a hoot. Unlike some other B-movies of the period, Indestructible Man moves at a good pace with only a drive-in dinner scene slowing things down. Finally, I really enjoy some of the period photography found in the movie of San Francisco in the mid-50s. There are some very interesting outdoor shots of the city.

I've actually seen Indestructible Man a number of times, but this latest viewing was the first with the Mystery Science Theater 3000 commentary. This MST3K episode isn't bad, but it's not all that memorable either. I'll give it a 3/5 on my MST3K rating scale.

5/10