


From the director who later gave the world CASABLANCA (ahem), DOCTOR X is a lot of fun for a while but ultimately its many inherent flaws catch up with it. The titular Doctor (Lionel Atwill, naturally) seems promisingly sinister or capable but ultimately accomplishes nothing except getting some people murdered (unintentionally!). The alluring central murder mystery (lunacy! brain surgery! cannibalism!) has to cheat to deliver a twist. Entirely too much time is invested in a nonsensical and irritating romantic subplot (siiiiiiigh) involving the incredibly off-putting pencil-necked male lead Lee Tracy. I've seen him in other early 30s flicks but once Spencer Tracy and Jimmy Cagney arrived on the scene, Hollywood thankfully showed Lee the door.
I don't think I was even aware that DOCTOR X was shot and initially released in Technicolor until I started watching it and read the title card about Industrial Light & Magic's work to restore the original visuals. Heck, DOCTOR X is so saturated with lurid color (mostly green), it might as well be the first Argento-style giallo! I turned off my brain after a while and just enjoyed looking at it.
...well, Michael Curtiz was good at putting his budget onscreen, anyway.