Movie Review: Doctor X (1932)
Synopsis: After a serial killer both murders and cannibalizes another victim in New York City, police suspect the culprit is one of the scientists at a medical academy. They agree to allow the head of the academy, Dr. Jerry Xavier, an opportunity to apprehend the killer himself and he decides to run a series of psychological tests, both on himself and his colleagues. Meanwhile, reporter Lee Taylor is nosing around the academy, hoping both to get a scoop and for romance with Dr. Xavier's daughter, Joanne.
Who's in it? The movie stars Lionel Atwill, Lee Tracy, Fay Wray, Preston Foster and Leila Bennett.
Review: I've had Doctor X saved to my library for several weeks and started watching it some time ago only to be interrupted and not get back around to it. I finally had a chance to see the full movie this morning and, overall, it was a good, if imperfect, film.
This is the type of movie that makes me watch pre-code films whenever I get a chance. You don't see too many classic movies discuss things like cannibalism and sexual perversions and in this case, those things made this film stand out quite a bit.
The thing I liked most about this film is there is no clear-cut winner in the "who is the serial killer" sweepstakes. I had my suspicions, which proved to be correct, but just about every scientist at that academy, including Dr. Xavier (Atwill) himself, had a serial killer vibe. Heck, there was even one that studied cannibalism and another that studied the impact of the moon on a person's psyche, two things that related to the killer.
The decision to make the killer reveal himself by measuring heartrates as the murders were recreated was an intriguing one. It was a pseudoscience that made some sense on paper but also had the potential to create a false positive and I wondered if it would be a situation where it fingered the wrong guy. At minimum, the tests, the recreated murders and the suspense about who would turn out to be the killer kept things interesting and, at times, a bit thrilling.
My only real complaint about the movie was I think the part about Lee Taylor (Tracy) snooping around and investigating wasn't necessary. If anything, his comic relief and his attempts to land Joanne (Wray) detracted from an already solid film.
On that note, I will forgive the filmmakers for underutilizing Wray since this movie was made prior to her breakout role in King Kong. The movie does, however, once again serve as another reminder of how her career never quite reached its full potential (at least in my opinion).
Final Opinion: It's a good mystery movie with some macabre elements you don't normally see in classic films. It's worth taking the time to watch if you have an opportunity.
My Grade: A-
____________________________________________________________________
Here are some reviews of other Lionel Atwill movies:
Movie Review: Captain Blood (1935)
Comments
Post a Comment