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.

1932's "Behind the Mask" was the earliest Columbia title included in the hugely successful SON OF SHOCK television package of the late 1950s, reteaming Boris Karloff and Edward Van Sloan following the just-completed "Frankenstein" (shooting wrapped Nov 21 1931). Headlining is the studio's top workhorse, Jack Holt (father of Tim), playing an undercover FBI agent posing as a convict, pumping information from Jim Henderson (Karloff), part of the dope smuggling ring run by a mysterious 'Mr. X.' The somewhat dim Henderson hardly taxes Boris, who virtually disappears at the midway point (we later learn of his offscreen capture); the real revelation is seeing Edward Van Sloan in dual roles- he looks like himself in two scenes as Dr. Alec Munsell, involved in the FBI investigation, but is unrecognizable in heavy beard and glasses as Dr. August Steiner, chewing the scenery with great relish. It's a juicy, scene stealing villain, sounding very much like an evil Van Helsing, able to lawfully dispose of enemies through surgery on the operating table, rather than wielding a knife in the street, which would only attract attention. Lovely Constance Cummings finishes her third film opposite Karloff, following "The Criminal Code" and "The Guilty Generation," while Thomas Jackson, shortly after his successful pursuit of Edward G. Robinson's "Little Caesar," surprisingly comes to a bad end. Jack Holt went on to work with Bela Lugosi in a later Columbia, 1935's "The Best Man Wins" (and with John Carradine in 1942's MGM "Northwest Rangers"). Many viewers, particularly Karloff fans, grouse that it's not really a horror film, but there's certainly enough horrific touches to qualify for SON OF SHOCK, a solid pre-code melding of crime and chills. "Behind the Mask" made one appearance on Pittsburgh's Chiller Theater, July 8 1967 (followed by 1961's Mexican "Bring Me The Vampire").

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.

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.