The Face Behind the Mask

Janos Szabo (Peter Lorre), a skilled watchmaker and hopeful immigrant from Hungary, arrives in New York City only to face severe disfigurement in a hotel fire that leaves him unable to find employment due to his grotesquely scarred face. In extreme poverty, Janos resorts to safecracking, eventually becoming the leader of a gang of thieves who attempt to kill him after they believe he betrayed them to the police. After surviving an attempt on his life, Janos lands a private plane and lets out its fuel, dooming himself and his enemies to death in the Arizona desert.