Review of The Beast with Five Fingers (1947) by Antonius B — 09 Oct 2018
This film has two good things going for it - a few scenes with a disembodied hand scrambling about on its own, which is creepy especially for 1946, and of course, Peter Lorre. Unfortunately, they're not enough to overcome poor storytelling and a very weak script.
The pace of this film is tedious for about the first hour, and it's padded with filler and a silly romance. Other than Lorre, the rest of the cast is mediocre. The tone of the film is off as well, with cheesy superfluous things tossed in like howling outside in the night and a silly epilogue going for B-movie camp value, but taking away from what would have been better darker.
The special effects are excellent and how the film resolves itself with Lorre is interesting, so it's a shame the film wasn't in better hands. A better one with both Lorre and murderous, severed hands from a pianist, though with a different premise, is 'Mad Love' (1935).
This review of The Beast with Five Fingers (1947) was written by Antonius B on 09 Oct 2018.
The Beast with Five Fingers has generally received positive reviews.
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