Cloak & Dagger (1984)

User Rating:

6.2/10   

Director:

Richard Franklin

Writers:

Tom Holland (screen story and screenplay)
Tom Holland (screenplay)

Release Date:

10 August 1984 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Family | Adventure | Crime | Thriller | Mystery

Tagline:

Davey's hero was imaginary . . . but the enemy agents were real!

Plot:

11-year-old Davey, whose mother is dead and whose father doesn't spend nearly enough time with him....

Plot Keywords:

Spy | Video Game | Espionage | Hero | Imaginary Friend

Awards:

3 nominations

Cast

Henry Thomas	...	Davey Osborne
Dabney Coleman	...	Jack Flack / Hal Osborne
Michael Murphy	...	Rice
Christina Nigra	...	Kim Gardener
John McIntire	...	George MacCready
Jeanette Nolan	...	Eunice MacCready
Eloy Casados	...	Alvarez
Tim Rossovich	...	Haverman
William Forsythe	...	Morris (as Bill Forsythe)
Robert DoQui	...	Lt. Fleming
Shelby Leverington	...	Marilyn Gardener
Linden Chiles	...	Airport Security Chief
Robert Curtin	...	Murdoch
William Marquez	...	Airport Security Guard #1
Wendell Wright	...	Airport Security Guard #2

Runtime:

101 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:14 | Australia:PG | USA:PG | West Germany:16

Filming Locations:

Glendale Galleria, Glendale, California, USA

Company:

Universal Pictures

Trivia:

Because the Atari 2500 version of wasn't complete during filming, the cartridge props are actually other 5200 games with a "Cloak & Dagger" label stuck on them. The arcade game was complete by that time, and the signal was piped into Morris's monitor whenever he played. You can actually see the upright game cabinet standing next to Morris's computer setup.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Davey calls Kelly Field Air Force Base from the phone booth, he asks for "Master Sgt Hal Osbourne", but near the end of the film, Hal identifies himself as a Staff Sgt. Given his age, the former is more likely, which would be an E7 pay grade.

Quotes:

[last lines]
Davey Osborne: How'd you escape?
Hal Osborne: Jack Flack always escapes.
Davey Osborne: I don't need him anymore. I've got you, Dad.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Miami Vice: Made for Each Other (#1.18)" (1985)

A Little Seen Gem

CLOAK & DAGGER is a wonderful film from the '80s, a touching story about a boy who has an overdeveloped imagination, largely due to his mother being dead and his father being a career military man who often seems too busy for his son. The boy, Davey, has an imaginary friend by the name of Jack Flack who looks just like his dad. His imaginary spy games and tall tales tend to get on his father's nerves, and there is talk of sending him to a psychiatrist. When Davey actually does witness a horrible murder and is given a video game cartridge with top secret plans encoded inside, he tells his father about it and of course he doesn't believe him. He thinks it's just another one of his son's tall tales. Davey soon realizes that it's up to him and Jack Flack to get out of this alive, and a deadly game of cat and mouse ensues with the spies who are after the game cartridge. This film is great in large part due to the gifts of Dabney Coleman. In a duel performance here, he's equally perfect as both Col. Osborne, buttoned up military guy, and as Jack Flack, the idealized, slicker version of the same man. It's really a great father-son movie, with plenty of action to entertain even the dimmest of children. Obviously inspired by the Bobby Driscoll classic THE WINDOW, CLOAK & DAGGER is a timeless classic for the whole family to enjoy.