Cathardincu Surprisingly incoherent and boring

Tedfoldol everything you have heard about this movie is true.

Arianna Moses Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

Derrick Gibbons An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

MartinHafer Although the film has Boris Karloff in it, he is not the star. Jack Holt stars in the movie though today few would recognize this star of the 1920s and 1930s. He died relatively young and his son, Tim, is more well known today.The film begins with Holt and Karloff in prison and they are talking about getting out--Holt is planning on breaking out and Karloff says he has some friends who will get him out, but is a bit evasive about what this means. A bit later, you see Holt pretending to escape--he apparently is some sort of government agent. Here is the crazy part--to make it look more realistic, he actually shoots himself in the arm in a scene that is a bit hard to watch. A short time later, Holt is able to insinuate himself into a criminal gang, as they buy his story about the escape. It seems that Holt's job is to infiltrate the gang headed by the mysterious 'Mr. X'! For the most part, this is a mindless sort of adventure film--the sort that makes no sense but has one crazy cliff-hanger sort of scene after another. It makes for a brainless but interesting sort of movie--the sort that kids at the time would have liked and parents would have tolerated (or at least tried). When seen today, however, I can't see anyone particularly enjoying this tripe--especially since Karloff lovers like myself just won't get enough of the actor's performance to make it worth our time. Cheap and silly--with little to recommend it.

Michael_Elliott Behind the Mask (1932) ** 1/2 (out of 4) Columbia action picture has Jack Holt playing Secret Agent Jack Hart who goes undercover in a prison and befriends the henchman (Boris Karloff) of a maniac passing off various narcotics on the street. Hart isn't able to find his identity but he begins to grow suspicious of a doctor (Edward Van Sloan) who seems to be hiding a few things. Footage from the same studio's THE CRIMINAL CODE was used here as well as several sets from that film so fans of that film might be curious to check this one out, which turns out to be fairly entertaining even though a stronger director probably would have gotten more out of it and raised it beyond its "B" movie roots. What works best is the cast, which also includes Constance Cummings as the lose interest for our main hero. She's pretty good in the film and has wonderful chemistry with Holt whose as stiff as ever but still manages to turn in a good performance. It appears people either love Holt or hate him but I'm somewhere in between. I have often been put off by his stiffness but I think it actually suits his character here quite well. Karloff gets a pretty good role and manages to be in the majority of the first half of the picture. He too makes the film worth checking out as he proves once again that he could do a wide range of roles and didn't require make up to do them. Fans of FRANKENSTEIN will certainly like seeing him and Van Sloan together again. The story itself is pretty simple and straight forward and really doesn't add too many twists or shocks that can't be spotted from a mile away. The film runs a fast paced 68-minutes, which doesn't leave the viewer too many dull moments. Again, I think a stronger director could have rises the material up some but fans of the cast will certainly want to check this one out.

dbborroughs 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.

bensonj This is real Saturday matinée serial stuff, the nonsense plot complete with a drug-running gang of baddies in thrall to a nameless boss that they contact by leaving a message on a primitive Dictaphone's answering machine. Holt is pathetic as a secret service man supposedly infiltrating the gang. Van Sloan plays a villainous M.D. who, for no reason that's apparent, spends his spare time hovering in a room with flashing lights and a Jacob's ladder. His make-up and accent have a distinctly Semitic (or anti-Semitic) shade, but his is the only performance of much interest in the film. The finale does have a nice moment. As Van Sloan prepares to perform a fatal operation on Holt, without anesthesia, he says, "You will be able to bear the pain as I cut through your skin" (demonstrating long cut with finger). "It is only when I cut into your inner parts that you will realize that you are HAVING AN EXPERIENCE!" He then quotes Nietzsche on unbearable pain, and says, "We will find out if this is merely an aphorism." In a intentionally cute switch, it is the girl who saves the nearly nude man bound to the operating table. (That's about all the talented Constance Cummings is given to do in this film.) The explanation of her sudden appearance–"How did you get here?" "His gun dropped to the floor and I grabbed it."–is about as perfunctory as the rest of the film. Is the leader of the Citizens Reform Committee secretly the head of the gang? What do YOU think?