TrueJoshNight Truly Dreadful Film

TaryBiggBall It was OK. I don't see why everyone loves it so much. It wasn't very smart or deep or well-directed.

StyleSk8r At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

Haven Kaycee It is encouraging that the film ends so strongly.Otherwise, it wouldn't have been a particularly memorable film

Prichards12345 First of Columbia's "mad doctor" series for Karloff, this is a well produced and engaging melodrama. It's a nice role for Boris, who by this time was gravitating to the mad scientist role rather than the monster created by them! Here he is a little of both, and he shines in both modes.Karloff plays Dr. Henryk Savaard, experimenter with mechanical hearts (shades of 1936's The Walking Dead). Interrupted in the middle of restoring life to a willing human subject (as Lionel Atwill was in The Mad Doctor of Market Street a couple of years' later) he walks to the noose and of course is soon resusitated by his assistant, embarking on a mad scheme of revenge against those who sent him to the gallows.In truth the movie loses its way a little with the And Then There Were None style wrap up, especially during the abrupt climax where he destroys his mechnical heart after saving his daughter. But overall this is still a watchable and engaging horror pic.

marshalskrieg Boris Karloff plays a mad doctor(surprise!) bent on revenge. In this fast paced effort, we see Karloff emotionally bounce from dignified to devilish and everything in between. Great acting and a neat and very entertaining story. The low budget certainly did not harm this movie at all. This one has a lot of heart, no pun intended. Ironically, it is the one person closest to the doctors own heart that offers the potential victims of his revenge a small chance of a reprieve. Karloff and black and white horror go together like peanut butter and jelly. The expressive manner of Karloff, the crags and lines on his face, the intonation of his voice, the way his talents are used here, plus the prophetic medical story that is presented, all of this combine to make this barely- one- hour and well made film a not to be missed gem by any fan of vintage old school horror....

Jack Higginbotham The film concerns Dr. Henryk Savaard, a man who has found a method of bringing the dead back to life by means of a mechanical heart. When he tries the method on a human subject, a medical student who volunteered, the police interfere and he is sentenced to death as they would not allow him the chance to revive his patient. Savaard however donates his body to science, more specifically, his assistant Lang who he trusted to do the try the experiment on himself. Lang revives Savaard and Savaard then turns to revenge, revenge on the people who put him to death in the first place.Karloff is masterful here, in what I think could be, or at least one of, his finest performances. He portrays Savaard as a man who loves his craft, a man who wants to help people and see's his method of eternal life as a gift that could make mankind better and stronger than it ever was. However , Karloff also portrays a different Savaard, a man who now see's mankind as undeserving of his gift and intends to take his secret of eternal life to his grave.The films first portion is much like Courtroom-Drama and includes one of Karloff's most well delivered monologues. First of helping people and trying to make the Jury understand why he did what he did, and then threatening and promising revenge on all the people who put him to death. The second portion is a revenge-thriller where Savaard traps all the remaining people he hasn't killed already in his house. Karloff's performance here is amazing, he says he is above the law, he says they are all going to die, in what order and what time exactly. The film is really tense after that and you start to wonder how could he possibly kill off these people in an exact order and at a specific time, well he does do it and it does get quite creative but sadly, only 2 people are killed before things get complicated. Thats my only real complaint with the film, I would have liked to have seen 1 or 2 more creative deaths before the final.Overall, The Man They Could Not Hang was a fantastic film for Karloff, who portrayed one of his most interesting characters and gave a performance to be remembered.

TheLittleSongbird The Man They Could Not Hang is a very solidly done film but falls short of greatness. The ending is tacky and felt somewhat like two endings in one. The first third does take its time to get going, it sets things up well but compared to what comes after it was a little dull, while the music is rather stock and you can tell that several composers were responsible. The Man They Could Not Hang looks very good however with fluid photography and creepy settings, while the script is witty and clever with a foreboding tone that really makes its impact, and the story may be standard but it is still very neatly told with the suspense levels appropriately sinister and the fun factor deliciously entertaining. The last third apart from the ending fares by far the best, that's fun and enough to make you bite the nails. The acting is good, Lorna Gray comes off best in the supporting cast, all competent but none make the same impression that Boris Karloff. Karloff is good reason to see any film and he is the best thing about The Man They Could Not Hang. He has an effortless eerie command and does it with his usual style and dignity. The artificial heart and organ transplant stuff is also very ahead of its time, and a further source of interest. Overall, standard with a hokey ending, stock music and a slow start but lots of fun and very effective in atmosphere and as ever Karloff is great. 7/10 Bethany Cox