The Invisible Killer

Now, don't expect too much from this Poverty Row 'cheapie'; it was made by PRC, one of the poorest of the poor - and yet this murder yawn DOES have some very nice points for fans of the genre: a quite realistic depiction of the gambling racket with all its crossing and double-crossing, a pretty inventive murder method, and a VERY entertaining 'love-hate' relationship between a tough cop and an even tougher girl reporter, who's always a step ahead of the police...

You think you've seen all that before? Well, but probably not in THIS literally DRASTIC way: Sue, who's a true-bred police reporter and would risk ANYTHING (even her life) for a hot murder headline, even goes so far as to knock her flatfoot 'boyfriend' out when he wants to keep her from digging deeper into that dangerous gangster story!! All in all, Grace Bradley as Sue is the very core of the otherwise pretty average movie - one of the greatest (and yet one of the least known to the wider audience) reporter heroines of classic crime movies - which leaves us all with a REAL mystery: WHY didn't she become a big star?? She would most CERTAINLY have deserved it.

But from a director as Sam Newfield, don't expect too much please. Prepare your software to watch this grade Z movie destined, I presume, to remote countryside or small Texas or Oklahoma towns. It is fast paced, not boring at all but predictable, as you can easily guess. I was prepared for this picture and I also know Sam Newfield's style, that means nothing special, just a lame plot for a corny directing and acting. This could be any small budget director's work. Only destined to die hard goers of this kind of stuff. From time time, it's not so unbearable to watch this. But only from time to time.

This film is pretty much what you'd expect from a murder mystery film from Monogram--a spunky reporter (in this case she's a lady) and insanely difficult and complicated murders.

Sue Walker (Grace Bradley) is a reporter who wants the guys to respect her, so, like Lois Lane, it means being brash and trying to scoop everyone else on a case involving gamblers. And, like MOST B- mysteries of the age, that means she will end up investigating a murder case like she's one of the cops! In this case, folks are dying...but the coroner isn't sure how. They've been poisoned but who and how are they doing it?

Overall, the film is exactly what you'd expect from such a film--the usual clichés and the usual suspense. No real surprises here and certainly not a film for those who cannot cut it a lot of slack. Passable low-budget entertainment and nothing more.

Perky gal reporter Grace Bradley (as Sue Walker) and police detective Roland Drew (as Jerry Brown) butt heads, banter romantically, and try to solve a series of murders connected to a gambling racket. This low-budget crime drama begins with its highlight, as officer Drew attempts to pull over Ms. Bradley for speeding; the "chase" effectively introduces the lead characters and their relationship. Later, Bradley shows some female muscle when she decks Drew; with pain and pleasure, he remarks, "What a gal!" Despite the promise of the title, there is no "Invisible Killer"; perhaps, this refers to poisoning, the killer's favorite murder method - "odorless and tasteless, works on the membrane of the nose and mouth." The story is as engaging.

*** The Invisible Killer (11/14/39) Sam Newfield ~ Grace Bradley, Roland Drew, Boyd Irwin

In my head, it always seems as if every movie made in the 30s and 40s is good and worth seeking out. Stuff like "The Invisible Killer" prove that dreadfully boring, rubbishy, and utterly pointless movies have always existed. Apart from a man who picks up the phone and spontaneously drops dead, there's absolutely nothing interesting happening here. Heck, even that scene itself is fairly lame. There's only talking, talking, talking. Endless talking. Whenever they are not bickering with an over-ambitious and intrusive female reporter (Grace Bradley), two police detectives must look for a killer within an illegal gambling ring. 62 minutes rarely lasted this long.