Available on DVD! To buy, click on link(s) below and help keep this site afloat (commissions earned)   CLICK HERE to buy from Always make sure of DVD-compatibility!!!

Several companies involved with the war effort are sabotaged or outright blown up by a ring of saboteurs led by Japanese superspy Sakima (Johnny Arthur), and the only thing in common is, that all those companies sabotaged are insured by the Worldwide Insurance Company. Not the company owner Hamilton (Howard C. Hickman) promises to deliver evidence that will lead to the capture of Sakima, but before he can, he's killed and the documents are stolen. Hamilton's daughter Alice (Louise Currie) and his partner Crane (William Forrest) promise to investigate his murder, and are soon joined by four investigators, Jim (Rod Bacon), Frank (Richard Clarke), Bob (David Bacon) and Terry (Bill Healy), sent to them by masked crimefighter The Masked Marvel (embodied by an uncredited Tom Steele, voiced be the equally uncredited Gayne Whitman, to keep the audience guessing), who's of course secretly one of them, but even his colleagues don't know which. From here on, Sakima and company try to hamper US war efforts in any way possible, with varying degrees of success, as they are often thwarted by the investigators or the Masked Marvel himself.

But how come Sakima's crimes are so closely connected to Worldwide Insurance? Why because Crane is secretly a traitor of course, and Sakima resides right under his office where Crane, Alice and the investigators routinely discuss the cases. Obviously, nobody suspects Crane until very late, and even two of the investigators, Jim and Frank, have to die in the line of duty, but eventually (and actually rather out of the blue, the Masked Marvel finds a trail to Crane and  eventually is quick enough to catch up with Crane and Sakima, trying to make a hasty getaway - and while Crane dies in a car crash, Sakima blows himself up with Crane's house. The Masked Marvel by the way was Bob, but it's only revealed in the last scene and is of little relevance.

Of course, The Masked Marvel is a blunt propaganda piece as propaganda movies just tend to be blunt (they're only slicker now), and of course it often suspends credibility to the limit, if not beyond ... but it's also a rather fine example of action serial filmmaking, with hardly a dull moment, many a fun idea (if not all make sense), well staged fights and stunts, plus it's also quite violent for a serial, with many an on-screen killing (including two of the serial's heroes), an especially ruthless secondary baddie (Anthony Warde) who lets several of his accomplices die if it helps his own escape, and in all quite a body count.

True, it's not essential viewing, a classic or even a hidden gem within the cliffhanger genre - but it's good entertainment all the same!

review © by Mike Haberfelner

 

Feeling lucky? Want to search any of my partnershops yourself for more, better results? (commissions earned)

The links below will take you just there!!!

Find The Masked Marvel at the amazons ...   amazon.com   amazon.co.uk   amazon.de Looking for imports? Find The Masked Marvel here ...   eThaiCD.com Your shop for all things Thai

Thanks for watching !!!