Bigger Than Life

Directed by Nicholas Ray, Bigger Than Life follows a mild-mannered schoolteacher (James Mason’s Ed Avery) as his personality begins to demonstrably (and aggressively) change after starting a course of cortisone. Filmmaker Ray, working from Cyril Hume and Richard Maibaum’s screenplay, delivers a languidly-paced yet progressively engrossing drama that’s been suffused with a host of engaging, compelling attributes, including Mason’s often spellbinding performance and Joseph MacDonald’s striking cinematography, with the irresistibly lush atmosphere ensuring that the narrative’s often ludicrously over-the-top bent never becomes as problematic (or campy) as one might’ve anticipated. And while the its first half remains quite watchable and entertaining, Bigger Than Life doesn’t transform into an enthralling piece of work until it progresses into a final third rife with unexpectedly (and impressively) horror-forward elements – with the sinister, disturbing vibe heightened by Ray’s almost gothic visual sensibilities. (There is, for example, a terrific shot wherein Ed’s shadow looms large over his terrified young son.) It’s a thrilling stretch that is, unfortunately, capped off with a lackluster and entirely unconvincing upbeat conclusion, which does, in the end, cement Bigger Than Life‘s place as a predominantly satisfying (albeit rather erratic) piece of work from Ray.

***1/2 out of ****