Gripping story with well-crafted characters

I wanted to like it more than I actually did... But much of the humor totally escaped me and I walked out only mildly impressed.

This is a must-see and one of the best documentaries - and films - of this year.

The movie really just wants to entertain people.

Nicely atmospheric Japanese Sci-fi Horror by Toho productions which sees a supposedly dead soldier getting revenge by killing off those crooks who left him for dead, by using a teleporting machine to locate and then finally dispose of them on by one. However a police detective and reporter are on the case in trying to stop this indestructible killer. "Secret of the Telegian" has a clever gimmick, striking special effects (mainly involving the life matter transmitter) and an interestingly complex little tale engulfed with mystery and darkness, however while there are some eerie visuals and a creepy villain (just listen to that cackle) who lives in the shadows. It's just not as fun as it could have been. Too bad as it starts off strange, but there are some really slow passages and its script is dry as can be. Even when it came to the action, it's rather streamlined with plenty of foot chases despite the distorted villain being able to teleport, but the best moments occur when it's leading up to the stylistic deaths. There's something ominous about its tension through those scenes and the music beautifully complements it with its haunting cues. The photography is smoothly projected and the art direction (with some obvious back-lot sets) is rich in details. I see some people mention about a black & white version, but try to get your hands on the colour film. Looks great! Yoshio Tsuchiya, Akihiko Hirata and Yumi Shirakawa give solid performances and the direction is tersely layered.

Like the other two reviewers (so far), I liked this film. Like is not love, however. I had some questions about a train explosion, and the specifics of his teleportation (sometimes he runs away, sometimes he climbs in a machine) - but these items of continuity may be from watching the English-dubbed, black & white TV version. The sci-fi elements are sparse, mostly well done, and the film functions fairly well as a detective thriller. I wish they had beefed up the teleport sequences, as it would have really helped. Also, I cannot call this film "scary" - just a little dark. Of definite interest for fans of the genre, and a little bit hard to find these days. I, too, long for the full-length color version.

Probably one of the creepiest and scariest sci-fi from Toho. A former, vengeful soldier uses a matter-transmitting device to transport himself to his enemies so he could do away with them. A reporter and the detectives get mixed into the plot and they aim to stop this "Teleport Madman" before he continues his killing spree. This is one of the more dull and dark stories from writer Shinichi Sekizawa, who was known for his more light-hearted and positive screenplays. Jun Fukuda, known for his crime dramas, did well directing. Sei Ikeno's music score was eerie and added suspense to this thriller. With some heart-pounding terror, this movie is not short on believable special effects. Featuring veteran Toho actors Akihiko Hirata, Yoshio Tsuchiya, and Yumi Shirakawa, this movie is a good one to scare away the kids.Grade B

A creepy film. A soldier teleports himself around with a teleportation device and kills his enemies where ever they try to hide then steals some gold. This realy scared me the first time I saw it when I was 8. I would really like to find a color version of this.