Working under the watchful eye of Dr. Diane Fairfax (Diana Van der Vlis), Dr. James Xavier (Ray Milland) discovers a drug that allows him to see through objects. His ill-conceived self-experimentation results in a tragedy that causes Xavier to hide in a carnival, where he acts as a mentalist. While the continued use of the drug leaves Xavier unable to see the “normal” world around him, the carny barker (Don Rickles) attempts to make a profit from his talent.
There’s a good movie hiding here, but it’s not easy to find, certainly not by watching it. The low budget is far too visible. The x-ray vision effects are laughable (and headache-inducing), being little more than irritating color separations and blurs. The sets are small and insufficient, making a supposed Las Vegas casino appear to be a slightly dressed garage. But it is in the limited camera movement, simplistic shots, and repeated use of stock footage that the film’s financial woes are most conspicuous. Shot in just three weeks, another six wouldn’t have been enough.
However, a few weeks of rehearsal would have done wonders for the actors’ delivery, perhaps toning down the dialog to near conversational levels. Instead, every word is spoken as if it is the most important ever. If any of these people wanted to order take-out, it would be stated with the same breathy, over-enunciation and intensity as announcing the imminent explosion of a thousand nuclear warheads.
It is this emphasis that sinks the film. With the goofy effects, awkward lines, and such silly scenes as Xavier doing a poor rendition of the twist as he looks through other dancers’ clothing at a party (in an entirely G-rated way), X might have gotten by as cheap fun. But it takes itself so seriously. Even with the semi-clever idea of the protagonist ending up first in a sideshow, and then as a “healer,” this isn’t a deep film. When the ability to see through cards somehow gives Xavier repeated blackjacks, it becomes obvious that thinking during this picture will only cause problems.
Milland plays Xavier as a one-note cliché, making this a sad viewing experience. Here is the man who won the academy award for The Lost Weekend, and shined in Dial M for Murder, the noir classic The Big Clock, and the iconic ghostly masterpiece, The Uninvited, anemically trudging through this schlock. He deserved better.
X is generally sold under the title The Man with the X-Ray Eyes.