review for Adventures of Smilin' Jack: The Torture Test on AllMovie

The resolution of chapter 11's peril proves a complete cheat. Jack (Tom Brown) was quite visibly hit by Fraulein Von Teufel's (Rose Hobart) bullets and disappeared from view with a pained expression. But in chapter 12, the hero bounces back like another jack-in-the-box a with a triumphant "Ha! You missed!" All that, of course, doesn't really matter; what Universal serials lacked in veracity, they made up for with good performances and interesting locales, all courtesy of the studio's roster of supporting players and its large and varied back lot. But the screenwriters could have been a little more inventive concerning the "Mandon Ordeal." Walking on hot coals seems more like a test of willpower that an instrument of torture and is actually practiced in several cultures. Smilin' Jack had certainly endured worse perils than this one.