So much average

Good movie but grossly overrated

Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.

Watch maker Peter Lorre moves from Europe to NYC in search of 'the American dream'. Within minutes of arrival he's pickpocketed, but friendly police inspector Don Beddoe sets him up with a room in a cheap hotel. That night the hotel burns down, and Lorre ends up with facial burns. When he's released from the hospital, he cannot find a job due to his disfigured face. Just when he's about to commit suicide, he comes across petty thief George E. Stone. Due to his watch making craft, Lorre discovers he has a knack for robberies, and soon he's the leader of a small gang. Lorre finally has enough money to pay for a facial mask while saving up for a facial reconstruction operation. While Beddoe is tasked with investigating the robberies, Lorre meets the blind Evelyn Keyes, who sees him for what he is, not for what he looks like. After Lorre finds out the operation is useless, as all his facial nerves were fried in the hotel fire, he decides to leave his criminal life behind and move to the countryside with Keyes. But the gang won't let him go that easily.Lorre loses almost everything within a day of his arrival to the States and once he is almost back on top again, he loses even more. A very bleak and cynical look at the American dream, this movie was apparently billed as 'horror' but it's really more of a proto-noir. Keyes ('Johnny O'Clock', 'The Prowler') has a small role but she does well, Beddoe's ('The Night Of The Hunter') role is almost like a bit-part unfortunately. The rest of the cast are decent enough, but this movie belongs to Lorre. He is excellent and displays a wide range of emotions. Lorre has a lot of noir credentials, but with this movie sandwiched inbetween 1940's 'Stranger On The Third Floor' and 1941's 'The Maltese Falcon', Lorre already ensured his name in the noir hall of fame.Director Robert Florey ('The Crooked Way') keeps the movie moving at a brisk pace, with DoP Franz Planer ('99 River Street', 'Criss Cross') adding some nice noir photography to the movie. It doesn't have all the 'necessary' noir traits, but if you are looking for a bleak & downbeat proto-noir, look no further. The print I saw was pretty beat up, I would love to see this with better quality. 7/10

This is a low-budget movie... very short. It could've been trite or stupid or dull; however, the acting of Peter Lorre can turn a bad idea into an effective movie.And, that was the case with this movie. He starts the movie as an optimistic immigrant just arrived in America. An accident changes him into something different. Something hard and formidable. He becomes a criminal mastermind.No crimes are actually shown (probably due to the budget). Most of them are alluded to or shown as being planned. The change in the main character's personality makes this movie. The fact that he is wearing a mask that looks kind of like his pre-burned self, makes the movie a little disturbing.Lorre's character redeems himself in the most vengeful way possible. The ending was so abrupt, the last actor with lines was almost cut off mid-sentence.I recommend this movie...

Popular B-Movie and a Cult item because it was Directed by the Always Interesting and Creative Robert Florey and Starred icon Peter Lorre. Both the Actor and Director are at Their Best here Despite Lorre's Tantrums about the Script. He unwittingly Created a Great Character in a Low-Budget Film that is Beloved and among His Best.The Skimpy Budget and Shooting Schedule would Not Allow the Plot to be Developed and some of the Story may seem Contrived and Forced but Overall it is Gripping Movie making with a Good Supporting Cast including Evelyn Keyes as a Blind Innocent and George E. Stone as Lorre's sympathetic Friend.It's Touching when it Needs to be and Horrific at times. The Film is One of those Lesser Efforts that Emerges Beyond its Limitations and manages to be Amazing in its Striking Simplicity. The Ending is Tragic and goes Against the usual Early WWII Optimism. This should at least be Considered a Forerunner to Film-Noir because of its Powerful Imagery and Downbeat, Gut-Wrenching Story.

Face Behind the Mask, The (1941) *** (out of 4) Peter Lorre's excellent performance highlights this entertaining, if predictable, melodrama from Columbia and director Florey. In the film Lorre plays Janos Szabo, a immigrant who comes to America to earn enough money to bring the woman he loves over so that they can be married. Soon after his arrival his face is horrible disfigured in a hotel fire and he gets to see the ugly side of the country because no one will give him a job or even look at him. He eventually meets a friend (George E. Stone) who talks him into a life of crime so that he can raise enough money to get a new face but soon he meets a blind woman (Evelyn Keyes) who might make him think differently. There's a lot of plot going on in this film but there's no denying that Lorre gives an incredible performance and it makes this thing worth viewing no matter how predictable the screenplay is. There's really nothing here that will come out of left field as we get Lorre's character built up as such a great guy and then we get the accident and then we get the crime and of course he'd just happen to meet a blind girl, which itself turns into a couple more predictable moments. One doesn't mind this as the film does have some very good moments including the actual fire sequence as well as the aftermath when Lorre finally sees his new face. As for Lorre, there's no question this here is one of his strongest performances as we believe him as the good guy getting off the ship and we can also believe him and the anger of what has happened to him. I think the film would have benefited from his bad side behind a lot darker than the film allows but I'm sure this was watered down so that the romance side of things could flourish. Keyes is also very good in his role as the blind girl and Stone, best known for his Boston Blackie films, is very good as well. Don Beddoe adds nice support as the cop who helps Lorre and James Seay is nice as the rival. Florey's direction is very good throughout and especially during some of the darker moments right after the accident. The director does a pretty good job at handling the various aspects of this film and pulls everything together well enough to keep the film going. This is a good film but not a classic one. I think with a little tinkering of the script we could have had something even better but as is, it's great to see Lorre in a role he can do so much with.