Behind the Mask

1932

Crime / Horror / Mystery / Romance

4
IMDb Rating 5.9/10 10 468 468

undercover coffin drugs federal agent pre-code

Plot summary

A Secret Service agent nabs a scalpel-happy doctor who runs drugs in caskets.

Director

John Francis Dillon Photo
John Francis Dillon

Top cast

Edward Van Sloan Photo
Edward Van Sloan as Dr. August Steiner / Dr. Alec Munsell / Mr. X
Boris Karloff Photo
Boris Karloff as Jim Henderson
Constance Cummings Photo
Constance Cummings as Julie Arnold
Jack Holt Photo
Jack Holt as Jack Hart aka Quinn
720p.BLU 1080p.BLU
629.49 MB
1280*958
English 2.0
NR
23.976 fps
1 hr 8 min
Seeds 1
1.14 GB
1444*1080
English 2.0
NR
23.976 fps
1 hr 8 min
Seeds 4

Movie Reviews

Reviewed by Coventry 6 / 10

Ambitious '30s mystery/thriller

Ah, there's nothing like a good old-fashioned creepy & atmospheric horror tale from the early nineteen-thirties starring the almighty Boris Karloff! Be forewarned, however, that this "Behind the Mask" is not really a horror movie and that Karloff in fact only plays a supportive character – albeit quite a menacing one. Does that mean that the film isn't worth checking out? Nope, not at all, because "Behind the Mask" definitely does contain quite a few sinister twists and details in its overall very ambitious and compelling crime/mystery screenplay. A whole bunch of elite federal agents are trying to unravel a large-scaled drug smuggling network led by the nefarious Mr. X. Special agent Jack Hart takes the identity of small thug Quinn and goes undercover in a state prison where he meets Jim Henderson (Karloff); one of Mr. X's principal henchmen. The organization of Mr. X is most certainly evil, as the criminal mastermind also runs an unorthodox clinic where the patients are murdered and their coffins stuffed with narcotics. The script from the hand of Jo Swerling – also the writer of Hitchcock's "Lifeboat" – superficially seems extremely ambitious, but rather many elements are nevertheless tacky (like the forced love-story between the secret agent and one of the minions' daughter) and/or predictable (for example the identity of Mr. X is not really that secretive). Top-billed stars Boris Karloff and Jack Holt are decent enough, but the show is stolen by Edward Van Sloan in a fiendish double role, and by Bertha Mann! She depicts a creepy maid who's strategically put in the house of Dr. X's unreliable collaborators. She closely observes everyone in the house and reports to her employer via a radio installation in her room.
Reviewed by Ale fish 5 / 10

Efficient thriller re-teaming Karloff & Van Sloan shortly after the success of 'Frankenstein.'

What must have started life as a pretty ordinary crime picture is dressed up for the box office with some of the popular flourishes of the day such as electronic gadgets and a mysterious criminal mastermind.Karloff gives excellent value as villain's chief henchman and thankfully gets plenty of screen time.Although director and cast were all well experienced in pictures, the performances tend to be on the dull side, particularly Jack Holt in the lead. The pace of individual scenes is a little slow too, almost as if everyone concerned were making a conscious effort to hold back from the excesses of the silent days.No classic, but you could do worse.
Reviewed by dbborroughs 7 / 10

Good crime thriller keeps you sitting on the edge of your seat to the end

Jack Holt escapes from prison and follow the advice of his friend Boris Karloff to go see a certain man if he wants to remain free and make lots of money. Holt does so and soon finds himself working for a mysterious Mr X, who is running a large criminal operation. Holt however is no cook, he is instead a federal agent seeking to break a drug ring.Made prior to the release of Frankenstein this is a film with Boris Karloff in one of his henchmen supporting roles. He's good but a bit over active. The real star here is Jack Holt who was a big star in the silent days and who's career slowly faded once sound came in. I've always liked Holt and felt he was under appreciated by most people who know who he was (The problem is that most people have no idea at all who he was). Holt here is a rugged leading man and a nice man of action. He is in short the perfect hero.The film itself is quite good. Going from big house, to country house to doctors office, this is a thriller that keeps you guessing and keeps you interested. Its nice to see a movie that isn't so formulaic that you can connect the dots and know who is doing what before you're told. The action when it comes is well done and there is generally a good amount of suspense, especially in the final moments as it is uncertain if or how out hero will escape the villains clutches.Worth searching out and perfect for a nice double or triple feature on a dark and stormy night.
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