Not as bad as I have read. It always surprises me how Ulmer managed to come up with different camera set-ups considering his budgets and time tables, allowing the editors to add some rhythm to the films he directed. The main problem with "The Amazing Transparent Man", in my opinion, is not Ulmer's direction. He was always resourceful even in the worst conditions, and signed quite a few good movies, as "People on Sunday", "The Strange Woman", "Strange Illusion", "The Black Cat", "The Naked Dawn", "Detour", "Ruthless" and my favorite, "Bluebeard". The problem is Jack Lewis' unfocused script, a too verbose tale about power madness, materialism, lust, raw evil and the danger of atomic experimentation. Everybody here can't stop talking, even when the running time is so short. Surely the script should have had 30 pages full of dialogues and more dialogues. Thankfully it is over fast.

Ulmer manages to take zero money, unknown actors, a script with more plot holes than swiss cheese and pull you in from the first 30 seconds. And keep you there. I know it seems over the top silly to those who cut their movie teeth on CGI, but the story and the moral are in there. It's also a good look into the mindset of a nation post WWII, in a Cold War. And into the thought process of an Austrian Jewish Refugee. Very simple little film, but kept my attention throughout and it will leave you with many questions swirling around inside. Many of these low budget filmmakers like Corman and Castle and Ulmer gave us much more than newer directors would think possible with precious few dollars. They are worth investing the time to watch their films and study their struggles to produce the best possible on a shoestring. A film does not need $200 million to tell a good story.

Bitter and crazed ex-military officer Paul Krenner (an excellent performance by James Griffith) forces kindly scientist Peter Ulof (a sturdy turn by Ivan Triesault) to create an invisibility process using radiation. They proceed to break volatile safe cracker Joey Faust (robustly played with venomous aplomb by Douglas Kennedy) out of jail so he can steal more radium, but things don't go according to plan. Director Edgar G. Ulmer, working from an engrossing script by Jack Lewis, relates the compelling story at a steady pace and maintains an appropriately serious tone throughout. Margueritte Chapman does well as greedy and treacherous moll Laura Matson. The bank robbery set piece is a lot of fun (Faust turns visible again in the middle of the gig!) and the thrilling conclusion ends with a literal explosive bang. Both Meredith M. Nicholson's sharp black and white cinematography and Darrell Calker's moody score give this picture a cool film noir-style atmosphere. The special effects are admittedly rough, but overall decent and acceptable. The tight 57 minute running time ensures that the movie never becomes dull or overstays its welcome. A neat little flick.

Being in the mood to watch a short,snappy ,fun film on this leap day I decided to take a look at some ultra cheap triple feature DVDs that I had watched parts of during Haloween.As I got to the last two DVD's,I noticed one which I had watched the first two features of, (Attack Of The Giant Leeches and Revolt Of The Zombies)but had never got round to taking a look at the final film on the disc.Finding out that the movie had a running time of 58 minutes,I decided to get myself set for what would hopefully be a film that featured everything that I was after for a days viewing.The plot: Getting broken out of jail by old flame Laura Matson,convict safe cracker Joey Faust starts to wonder where Laura is planning to take him.Soon after Laura has finished driving Joey away in a getaway car she takes him up to a strange looking lab.Desperate to find some sort of normality Joey looks round the lab until he catches a glimpse of a crazy looking scientist!.Trying to get a grip on the situation that's accruing around him,Joey meets a new individual at the lab called Paul Krenner,who due to having a grand military vision wants to perform some "tests" on Joey which will cause him to become invisible.View on the film: Since seeing the films extremely low IMDb rating,my first expectation was that the screenplay by Jack Lewis would be filled with an almost endless supply of "technobabble" which I have disappointingly often come into contact with when watching these types of movies.Happily Lewis actually spent almost the whole film (bar the ending-which hits the movies message down like a hammer!) leaving the plodding exposition behind and instead making a pretty fun gangster spin on The Invisible Man that moves at a really brisk pace.For his work on the film director Edgar G. Ulmer (who also directed the Film Noir/Horror classics Detour and the 1934 The Black Cat) gives what was to be his second to last American film (the other one being Beyond The Time Barrier) a wonderful feeling of everything but the kitchen sink,where if you are not keen on the moody gangster sections of the film,you only have to wait a few minutes before something new comes into view.Although most of the "Invisible" effects do look dated,Ulmer is cleverly able to include an effects scene that still looks pretty good now that involves the layers of a test rat being seen as it slowly starts to become invisible.Joining in on the films anything goes attitude is the very good cast with Marguerite Chapman (whose very last film was this one) giving Laura Matson a nice untrusting side whilst Ivan Triesault gives the normally stern scientist/doctor a wacky side as Dr Peter Ulof.