Review of The Illustrated Man (1969) by Mick T — 06 Dec 2008

So this is one of those movies of my youth that I am now revisiting as an adult. The film, staring the great Rod Steiger and based on a collection of short stories by Ray Bradbury, was a staple of the Saturday afternoon movies I loved so much when I was a kid and I can vividly remember being creeped out buy its eeriness.

Steiger gives a powerful performance as a hobo searching out the women who covered his entire body with what he refers to as "skin illustrations." When gazed upon each "illustration" tells a sci-fi story of its own and they all intertwine nicely with the running storyline of the hobo character like multiple episodes of the Twilight Zone shown back to back.

Sure, the special effects are lame compared to our 21st century standards but the acting is superb and the storytelling crisp. I just read that Zack Snider, the director of 300, is working on a remake.

He has some big shoes to fill.