"Indestructible Man" is one of those 1950's pseudo horror gems that threaten to implode into comedy at any minute, but chalk one up for Lon Chaney Jr. here, he holds this thinly scripted melodrama together long enough to provide some entertaining moments. Chaney's character is Butcher Benton, about to die in the electric chair for his role in a six hundred thousand dollar robbery. Masterminding the heist, as well as taking the fall is Paul Lowe (Ross Elliott), Benton's attorney. Vowing revenge from beyond (like he knew he was coming back), Benton declares "Remember what I said, I'm gonna getcha, all three of ya", including partners Squeamy Ellis (Marvin Ellis) and Joe Marcelli (Ken Terrell).
First major suspension of disbelief - how does a lab professor's assistant score a celebrity corpse, even if he WAS a criminal? You'll recognize future Captain Binghamton from "McHale's Navy" as that assistant, and boy does he play it without emotion. When Professor Bradshaw (Robert Shayne) brings Benton back to life with an untested combination of a special blood transfusion with a kick of two hundred seventy thousand electrical volts, the most Flynn's character can muster is "How do you explain this?" When Benton revives, he's left without his vocal chords, they were burned out in the electrical shock. The good news however is that his cellular structure was changed to acquire super human strength. The indestructible man can now withstand gun shots at close range without harmful effect, and as an added bonus, so can his clothes. They hold up well (his clothes) after repeated police encounters, including a bazooka round, and a blast from a flamethrower.
The film tries to get some mileage from repeated close up shots of Lon Chaney's eyes, similar to footage of Bela Lugosi's signature eye stare in films like "Dracula" and "White Zombie". It doesn't work as well for Chaney, the menace that Bela achieved with his glare is far superior. Maybe Chaney had too much on his mind, like what did I sign up for here?
Balancing out the cast and the story are Max Showalter as Police Lieutenant Dick Chasen and Marian Carr as showgirl Eva Martin. Eva had a somewhat platonic relationship with the Butcher, a shoulder for him to cry on when the Butcher's girl left him high and dry. Maybe I'm reading too much into it, but it seems a more than generous smile came across Eva's face when she learned the lieutenant's first name.
Ultimately, Benton exacts his revenge upon attorney Lowe and the rest of his no-goodnik partners, just as he vowed earlier from a prison cell. Alas though, he meets his end atop a gigantic crane high above a power plant. The scene is reminiscent of James Cagney's farewell in "White Heat", but without the defiant "Top of the World, Ma". As Butcher Benton succumbs to a massive high voltage charge, I couldn't help thinking that here in fact was the basis for the film's real title - "Almost Indestructible Man".
First major suspension of disbelief - how does a lab professor's assistant score a celebrity corpse, even if he WAS a criminal? You'll recognize future Captain Binghamton from "McHale's Navy" as that assistant, and boy does he play it without emotion. When Professor Bradshaw (Robert Shayne) brings Benton back to life with an untested combination of a special blood transfusion with a kick of two hundred seventy thousand electrical volts, the most Flynn's character can muster is "How do you explain this?" When Benton revives, he's left without his vocal chords, they were burned out in the electrical shock. The good news however is that his cellular structure was changed to acquire super human strength. The indestructible man can now withstand gun shots at close range without harmful effect, and as an added bonus, so can his clothes. They hold up well (his clothes) after repeated police encounters, including a bazooka round, and a blast from a flamethrower.
The film tries to get some mileage from repeated close up shots of Lon Chaney's eyes, similar to footage of Bela Lugosi's signature eye stare in films like "Dracula" and "White Zombie". It doesn't work as well for Chaney, the menace that Bela achieved with his glare is far superior. Maybe Chaney had too much on his mind, like what did I sign up for here?
Balancing out the cast and the story are Max Showalter as Police Lieutenant Dick Chasen and Marian Carr as showgirl Eva Martin. Eva had a somewhat platonic relationship with the Butcher, a shoulder for him to cry on when the Butcher's girl left him high and dry. Maybe I'm reading too much into it, but it seems a more than generous smile came across Eva's face when she learned the lieutenant's first name.
Ultimately, Benton exacts his revenge upon attorney Lowe and the rest of his no-goodnik partners, just as he vowed earlier from a prison cell. Alas though, he meets his end atop a gigantic crane high above a power plant. The scene is reminiscent of James Cagney's farewell in "White Heat", but without the defiant "Top of the World, Ma". As Butcher Benton succumbs to a massive high voltage charge, I couldn't help thinking that here in fact was the basis for the film's real title - "Almost Indestructible Man".