Invisible Agent (1942)

Better Late Then Never

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.

Easily the biggest piece of Right wing non sense propaganda I ever saw.

Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

Jon Hall plays Frank Raymond, the grandson of the Invisible Man, who has changed his name from Griffin to Raymond and runs a print shop in hopes of avoiding people looking for his grandfather's formula for invisibility. When Axis agents led by the nefarious duo of Stauffer (Cedric Hardwicke) and Ikito (Peter Lorre) show up and threaten Raymond, he decides to become the Invisible Man and spy for the Allies.The least of Universal's Invisible Man films but still enjoyable. The continuity's a little sloppy. Frank is said to be the grandson of the original Invisible Man, also named Frank Griffin. But the original was named Jack. It was his brother from The Invisible Man Returns that was named Frank. Plus the original Invisible Man died without kids, unless we're to believe his fiancée in the first movie was pregnant. Anyway, it's probably best to assume Frank Griffin took credit for his brother's discovery...or, you know, don't bother explaining it at all because it's really not that important.Hall is fine but his character can be irritating at times. The film's worst scene is where he pranks Nazi Karl Heiser (J. Edward Bromberg). The whole scene is a juvenile attempt at laughs that fails badly. Bromberg's character is a perfect example of the movie's main flaw: the out of place comedy within the darker wartime plot. For the most part, Heiser is a joke and treated like Schultz from Hogan's Heroes. But then there are scenes where his darker side comes through that makes the comedy parts a poor fit. Ilona Massey looks great but her character seems to exist just to fall for Hall, even though he treats her pretty crappy. The climax of the movie plays like an action serial with the Nazis pursuing Hall and Massey as they try to escape by plane. What happens next I won't spoil but it's unintentionally silly.Two characters that actually do work are the evil Stauffer and Ikito, played by Cedric Hardwicke and Peter Lorre. These two are the best part of the film, providing a real menace to the hero. Lorre's Ikito is an especially evil character. He begins the film by threatening to chop Frank's fingers off and later ingeniously (and sadistically) catches him with a net lined with fish hooks! These great actors own every scene they're in and it's worth seeing the movie just for them.

Jon Hall plays Frank Raymond, the title character, who claims to be the grandson of the original Invisible Man(though I'm not sure how!) He still has the invisibility formula, which is desired by two Axis spies(played by Cedric Hardwicke & Peter Lorre). They threaten his life, but he escapes and informs the authorities. After Pearl Harbor is attacked, Frank agrees to enlist, and uses the serum on himself(no nasty side effects anymore...) to go behind Nazi lines to track down those two Axis agents, and thwart Hitler's war effort. He gets involved with a beautiful double agent(played by Ilona Massey), who involves him further in the Nazi schemes of conquest which he is determined to thwart... Mediocre film is less a continuation of the series than it is a well-intentioned propaganda film for the Allied war effort, which is fine, but plot is overly simplistic and comedic, though film may have some time capsule appeal.

Invisible Agent (1942) ** (out of 4) Strange mixture of sci-fi, WW2 propaganda and comedy has Universal trying to hit several genres at once but failing all around. Jon Hall plays Frank Raymond, the grandson of the scientist from the original James Whale film, who is asked by the American government to use his invisible potion to sneak behind German lines and spy on the enemy. Despite the attractive cast this here is pretty bland from start to finish. The biggest problem is the B-movie script, which is just too silly to be all that entertaining. The film's screenplay is also all over the place because it doesn't know what type of movie it wants to be. One minute it tries being all serious but then the next we get slapstick scenes like the one early on where the invisible man spills food all over a German man. The humor didn't work that well but neither does the drama because it's just so poorly written. I remember enjoying this film more as a child and perhaps this is due to me not really knowing everything I now know about the war. The "drama" the film tries to get by talking about a suicide mission attacking New York City is something I'm sure freaked people out back in the day but today it just seems rather tasteless. Hall is pretty good in the role, although he's certainly no match for Raines or Price. Ilona Massey is wasted in her non-believable role as is Peter Lorre. Sir Cedric Hardwicke delivers a fine performance as does J. Edward Bromberg. Those two almost save the film but they're not enough to make this one here a winner.

Another really big-budget sequel to the original Invisible Man, this one has a screenplay that's witty yet adventurous and packed with hair's-breadth escapes. It also provides great opportunities for some of our favorite character players including a delightful trio of treacherous heavies: Peter Lorre, J. Edward Bromberg and Sir Cedric Hardwicke. It's also good to see the lovely Ilona Massey, who made only eleven Hollywood movies between 1937 and 1960 (this is the fifth), though it's disappointing that she doesn't get to sing. Never mind, she does wear some really lovely gowns. Jon Hall is personable enough as the reluctant hero, though he fails to handle the switch in his feelings towards the heroine with complete conviction.Marin's direction is admirably fast-paced (we suspect producer Frank Lloyd took a hand in the action sequences) and other credits, including Lester White's attractive photography, are equally outstanding. Special effects fans will not go away unhappy either.