Indestructible Man
Directed by Jaack Pollexfen
Written by Vy Russell and Sue Dwiggins
1956/USA
C.G.K. Productions
First viewing/Amazon Prime
[box] Charles ‘Butcher’ Benton: Remember what I said. I’m gonna get you. All three of you.
Paul Lowe, Attorney: Even for you, Butcher, that will be quite a trick. So long, dead man.[/box]
This movie is 90% typical B-movie crime drama. The other 10% is the awesome ending.
Butcher Benton (Lon Chaney Jr.) is about to be get the chair. He took the rap for a robbery and murder orchestrated by his attorney and a couple of associates. He is the only one who knows where the loot is and it looks like he will take his secret to the grave. Yet he is eerily confident that he will return to kill those who did him wrong.
Coincidentally, a couple of scientists are doing an experiment on a new technique that may cure cancer. This involves high voltage electricity. They need a corpse and the one furnished just happens to be Butcher Benton’s. He comes alive with superhuman strength and no voice. Bullets cannot touch him. The rest of the movie settles down into a humdrum police procedural as the Butcher terrorizes Los Angeles and his former colleagues. As the police close in it builds to a brief but effective climax.
I liked this better than I thought I would based on its 3.7/10 IMDb user rating. It’s not amusing or incompetent enough to be a good “bad” movie. Chaney is good. We have all seen the story before. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed the special effects and make-up lavished on the ending though.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wDOQ2GIQkxw
Trailer
