4D MAN (director: Irvin S. Yeaworth Jr.; screenwriters: Theodore Simonson/Cy Chermak/from an original idea by Jack H. Harris; cinematographer: Ted Pahle; editor: William B. Murphy; cast: Robert Lansing (Scott Nelson), Lee Meriwether (Linda Davis), James Congdon (Tony Nelson), Patty Duke (Marjorie Sutherland), Robert Strauss (Roy Parker), Guy Raymond (Fred), Edgar Stehli (Dr. Theodore W. Carson), Dean Newman (Dr. Brian Schwartz), Elbert Smith (Captain Rogers), Chic James (B-girl), Jasper Deeter (Mr. Welles); Runtime: 85; Image Entertainment; 1959)
Reviewed by Dennis Schwartz
A nice premise about the 4th dimension results in an exciting low-budget pulp sci-fi film, which is supported by some fine acting by Robert Lansing and Lee Meriwether that gave the film some tension, the only spoiler was some incredulous acting by James Congdon, putting a bit of a damper on the film. This B-film also look stilted at times, but was able to go forward with a riveting story and overcome its shortcomings and lackluster special effects (except for the thrilling walk through the wall).
It was produced by Jack H. Harris, who started a promotional campaign for the film by offering a $1 million reward to anyone who could walk through a wall. As far as I know, there were no winners, but it was fun to see the way some film moguls promoted their films back then.
Dr. Tony Nelson (James Congdon) accidently burns down his boss' building where he is working on his own science project. He had been hired to work by Mr. Welles only because of the recommendation of his older brother Dr. Scott Nelson (Robert Lansing), who is more stable and is a respected scientist.
Tony is returning unemployed to see his sober-minded, demure brother, who heads a research team for the Fairview Research Center, where "the ne'er-do-well" is offered a job by him. Scott has just completed a successful experiment creating an impenetrable metal that is stronger than steel. But the research center head, who had nothing to do with the success of the project, Mr. Carson (Stehli), grabs all the credit for himself, barely mentioning Scott and his research team -- consisting of his girlfriend, the attractive lab assistant Linda Davis (Lee Meriwether) and the sneakily ambitious Roy Parker (Strauss).
Linda is attracted to Tony and immediately two-times Scott, waiting only for Tony to find the right moment for him to tell his brother. Scott learns from Tony that he invented a Force Field box in which he conducted an experiment proving a wooden pencil could go through a piece of steel, which he steals from his locker, discovering that matter can be transferred through him, giving him supernatural power. What he doesn't count on, are the experimental side effects, which consists of deadly impulses such as egomania, greed and the need to kill. It also causes him to age very rapidly as his system is drained of its life-force.
Being indestructible and now able to walk through walls when he is in the 4th dimension stage, he robs a bank and accidently kills his physician Dr. Schwartz by just touching him and discovers he can keep young by stealing the other person's life-force by killing them. The weird thing about that, is Schwartz who was a young man has rapidly aged and appears in his death to be a man in his 90s. It seems that a year's worth of energy takes place in a second and gives Scott this superpower.
Lansing does a convincing job of going from a noble scientist only interested in helping humanity and not interested in personal gain to a base villain. He is now being hunted down by his brother, who feels guilty that he invented the machine that made this tragedy possible and by Merwether, who feels she has the best chance of getting close to him and eliminating him, and by the police, who are concerned that dead people are popping up all over town.
The crudest line of dialogue in this hokum sci-fier, is a question asked by Meriwether to Lansing: Do you want to be remembered as a creator or a killer? Of course, by that time in the story, Lansing's brains have been fried and he's too far gone to be brought back to sanity, never mind answer the question.
REVIEWED ON 3/9/2001 GRADE: C+
Dennis Schwartz: "Ozus' World Movie Reviews"
http://www.sover.net/~ozus
ozus@sover.net
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