The Black Mask: A dusty, stage-bound mystery

Is it worth your time?

If you like movies that feel like a stage play held together by duct tape and sheer willpower, you'll probably enjoy The Black Mask. If you need snappy dialogue or something that actually moves, you might want to skip this one. It's definitely for the type of person who sits through old B-movies on a rainy Sunday just to see how many plot holes they can count.

The vibe

There is something inherently claustrophobic about these theater-set mysteries. Everyone is constantly bumping into each other in the wings, looking suspicious while holding props. I found myself focusing on the wallpaper in the background more than the actual actors, which is usually a sign that the tension isn't quite working.

The pacing is a bit weird. It starts off at a decent clip and then just kind of wanders around the backstage area for twenty minutes. Sometimes characters stop talking just to stare at a door. It felt like they were waiting for a cue that never came. 🎭

Odd little details

There is a moment near the middle where an actor is holding a cigarette that never seems to get shorter. I watched it for three straight minutes. It was more interesting than the dialogue. Also, the sound mixing is all over the place; you can hear someone breathing in the corner of the frame while the main characters are trying to have a 'tense' conversation about the killer.

It reminded me a bit of the frantic, low-stakes energy in Get-Rich-Quick Edgar, though without the charm. It's just a bunch of people in fancy clothes being mildly inconvenienced by a murderer.

Final thoughts

The acting is very... earnest. Everyone is playing it like they’re in a Greek tragedy, but the script is more of a penny dreadful. I didn't care who the killer was by the time they revealed it. I just wanted to see if the cigarette would ever burn down.

It’s fine. It’s not great. It exists, and that's probably enough for a Tuesday night. 🎞️