Movie Review: The Devil's Mask (1946)

Synopsis: After famed explorer Quentin Mitchell goes missing on an expedition in South America, his wife, Louise, hires private detectives Jack Packard and Doc Long because she believes her stepdaughter Janet and Janet's boyfriend Rex Kennedy plan to kill her. Meanwhile, Janet and Rex believe Louise murdered her husband with the help of Quentin's partner, Arthur Logan.

Things take a deadly turn when an assailant with a blowgun kills Louise's butler and the family dog, who always barks at strangers, remains quiet, raising the possibility of Quentin still being alive. The answer may come from a mysterious shrunken head discovered as cargo on a crashed plane.

Who's in it? The movie stars Jim Bannon, Michael Duane, Barton Yarborough, Anita Louise, Mona Barrie, Frank Wilcox and Paul E. Burns.

Review: I had planned on watching a different movie this morning but as I was looking for it, I came across The Devil's Mask and was intrigued enough by the description to give it a try instead. After watching it, I can honestly say it was a great choice.

The thing I liked most about this movie is, other than Packard (Bannon), Doc (Yarborough) and maybe Janet (Louise), it wasn't clear who could be trusted. Louise Mitchell (Barrie) might have hired the detectives, but it could easily have been a ruse to hide the fact she murdered her husband. Or it was possible Logan (Wilcox) murdered his partner because he was in love with Louise and she didn't know anything about it. 

In addition, Janet's boyfriend, Rex (Duane) seemed like a good guy but also had a habit of acting suspicious while her "uncle" Leon (Burns) seemed a bit shifty but also wasn't in South America when Quentin went missing nor had a clear motive to attempt to kill Louise and/or Logan before killing the butler.

I also liked how the movie kept Quentin's status in doubt, both by having him disappear rather than be confirmed dead in South America and by having a headless body and shrunken head that might be him but not conclusively. The dog not barking and Janet believing she saw her father during the blowgun attempt were both compelling evidence but also something that could prove to be a red herring.

While a lot of movies like this tend to rush the ending to the point it doesn't do the rest of the film justice, this movie allowed itself enough time to do the ending right. This includes finding a hidden clue that reveals the killer and a final showdown that builds suspense and makes you wonder how many of the main characters will survive (though one death, I won't reveal which, did seem unnecessary). It was enough to keep me interested until the very end and certainly better than just having the bad guy confess without a fight because the movie is out of time.

Final Opinion: It's a somewhat unique and intriguing crime drama with a good mystery and sense of danger. I enjoyed watching it and would recommend it.

My Grade: A

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Here are some reviews of other movies from 1946:

Movie Review: Don Ricardo Returns (1946)

Movie Review: Shadow of a Woman (1946)

Movie Review: Dick Tracy vs. Cueball (1946)

Movie Review: House of Horrors (1946)