This was the first "monster movie" from this time period I saw that took the relatively fresh approach of narrating and structuring the plot as if it were a "gangbusters" movie or a police procedural, and I think that relative freshness contributed a lot to my enjoyment of the proceedings. Lon Chaney Jr used his stolid, ugly, lumbering presence to good effect in his role, although some of the many closeups (with the squirrelly eye twitches) scattered throughout were more goofy than "terrifying". The rest of cast...well, the rest of the cast performed as if they were trying to earn that month's rent, nothing more...but that's OK with me. No one in this film was shooting for "Art" after all, just a nice involving action and suspense flick.
The other thing I liked about "The Indestructible Man" was that when the cops realized they were up against someone who was bulletproof, they brought along a flame thrower and a bazooka. And I don't care how thick your skin is, if you are the size and shape of a normal human, and then someone fries you with napalm and then bounces a tank killer shell off your chest, it's going to sting like crazy. The screenplay hit the right note here, in keeping with a 'gangbusters' theme where the police always find the resources they need to get the job done. It was very satisfying to watch poor Lon stagger around like someone who'd taken a major shot to the "kishkas" after wards. Of course, then the writers had to 'disintegrate him' by rolling him into an electrical tower (how does that actually work, BTW??) in a scene strangely reminiscent of the climactic finish from "White Heat", only with a mute protagonist.
Still, for all its hackwork clichés and failings, I liked it quite a lot. I wouldn't actually pay money to see "IM" (or own it), except as part of a collection of movies, but it had enough going for it to stand out from most of the other monster movies of the time.
The other thing I liked about "The Indestructible Man" was that when the cops realized they were up against someone who was bulletproof, they brought along a flame thrower and a bazooka. And I don't care how thick your skin is, if you are the size and shape of a normal human, and then someone fries you with napalm and then bounces a tank killer shell off your chest, it's going to sting like crazy. The screenplay hit the right note here, in keeping with a 'gangbusters' theme where the police always find the resources they need to get the job done. It was very satisfying to watch poor Lon stagger around like someone who'd taken a major shot to the "kishkas" after wards. Of course, then the writers had to 'disintegrate him' by rolling him into an electrical tower (how does that actually work, BTW??) in a scene strangely reminiscent of the climactic finish from "White Heat", only with a mute protagonist.
Still, for all its hackwork clichés and failings, I liked it quite a lot. I wouldn't actually pay money to see "IM" (or own it), except as part of a collection of movies, but it had enough going for it to stand out from most of the other monster movies of the time.