Rating of
2.5/4
The Shadow knows ... this is a pretty good movie
The M.O.W. - wrote on 08/02/08
"Lamont Cranston" (Alec Baldwin) was a murderous opium dealer who was brought to a Tibetan mystic who knew his true identity. He was taught for seven years how to "cloud the minds of men" to where they only see his ("Cranston") shadow. After his training, he goes to 1930's New York City, where he assumes the role of a playboy by day, and the vigilante known simply as "The Shadow" by night who uses a network of what he calls "agents" to keep him informed on "what evil lurks in the hearts of men." One of those in his network is a cab driver (Peter Boyal), who drives "The Shadow" around the city.
"The Shadow" has been fighting the local gangsters -- until now. "Shiwan Khan" (John Lone), the last descendant of Ghengis Khan, who was also received the same training by the mystic. "Khan" plans to take over the city by using an atomic weapon big enough to destroy "The Big Apple". He then plans to take over the world.
As "Khan" is in the begining stages of his plans, "Cranston" meets local socialite "Margo Lane" (Penelope Ann Miller). He is instantly attracted to her, but discovers her psychic abilities, which she is unaware of, are strong enough to uncover his secret identity. Her father has created a device that would help in "Khan's" plans.
Now, "The Shadow" has to save "Lane's" father, the city and defeat "Khan" once and for all.
This movie is not at all as bad as the audiences in 1994 thought. The performances of almost the entire cast is strong, it has an authentic 1930's feel, good action scenes and good special effects. It also has a pretty high body count, with a minimal amount of blood.
Baldwin, Miller and Lone have the strongest performances and the most character development. The supporting cast is also good, but many of them are not developed quite as well as the main cast.
The look of the movie is nice. The clothing, cars and other props look pretty authentic to make it feel as if you are looking at something from the 1930's. The lighting uses lots of shadow to give the movie some sense of mystery.
The special effects are quite unique in this movie. Mostly, the special effects appear as fog when "The Shadow" is on screen or when something is appearing to those coming out of a hypnotic phase.
The only problem I could see in the film is that many of the characters were poorly developed. Another thing that was poorly developed was the blooming romance between "Lane" and "Cranston" was barely touched upon.
This one might be worth renting for a Friday night.
