Fantomas is the name of France's glossy riposte to both James Bond and Batman. Modeled on a French fictional supercriminal, he is dedicated to evil rather than good deeds. Fantomas steals diamonds from Van Cleef & Arpels, hijacks a gambling casino, terrorizes Paris and kidnaps blondes, all the while disguised as several law-abiding characters by means of "the most perfect artificial skin." Beneath the masks lurks another mask, a bluish-grey rubbery face girdle that gives him the fiendish aspect of a dirty Mr. Clean.
For the foggiest of reasons, both Fantomas and the hot-shot Parisian journalist who seeks to undo him are...