I think very highly of Edgar Ulmer's work in general. Some of his work for Universal in the 30's is the standard of great horror for generations to be sure. This lamentable science fiction production; however, is not a part of that legacy. A convict is sprung from the state pen to be part of a series of radioactivity tests that will allow him to become transparent and thus allow him to steal some important minerals for his benefactor. Problems arise when this man - called Joey Faust(allusion connected) - has issues with his new found "boss" and the woman who stays with the boss. Marguerite Chapman plays the woman that would double-cross her own mother rather effectively as does Douglas Kennedy do a fair job as the transparent man. Jack Griffith as his foil will do but is less than stellar to be sure. This is a cheap movie with virtually no budget. The science fiction aspects are tenuous at best. The script is very weak as well. Ulmer does a serviceable job behind the camera, but he really does not exhibit any innovative techniques here that helped establish him decades earlier. A shame to be sure, because despite its budget and lack of strong talent, I really thought he could do more with the material than was given. The acting is really not very good but it is always nice to see Boyd "Red" Morgan in action once more. I'm sure this film helped Ulmer "disappear" amongst the directorial ranks subsequently.
Review of The Amazing Transparent Man
