The Shadow (1994)

User Rating:

5.6/10   

Director:

Russell Mulcahy

Writers (WGA):

Walter B. Gibson (character The Shadow from stories)
David Koepp (written by)

Release Date:

1 July 1994 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Fantasy | Horror | Mystery

Tagline:

The Shadow Knows!

Plot:

In 30's New York City, the Shadow battles his nemesis, Shiwan Khan, who is building an atomic bomb.

Plot Keywords:

City | The Shadow | Bomb | New York City | 1930s

Awards:

4 nominations

Cast

Alec Baldwin	...	Lamont Cranston / The Shadow
John Lone	...	Shiwan Khan
Penelope Ann Miller	...	Margo Lane
Peter Boyle	...	Moe Shrevnitz
Ian McKellen	...	Dr. Reinhardt Lane
Tim Curry	...	Farley Claymore
Jonathan Winters	...	Wainwright Barth
Sab Shimono	...	Dr. Tam
Andre Gregory	...	Burbank
Brady Tsurutani	...	Tulku
James Hong	...	Li Peng
Arsenio 'Sonny' Trinidad	...	Wu
Joseph Maher	...	Isaac Newboldt
John Kapelos	...	Duke Rollins
Max Wright	...	Berger

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for fantasy action violence.

Runtime:

108 min | Canada:93 min (edited version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS-Stereo | DTS

Certification:

Australia:M (TV rating) | Australia:PG | Canada:14A (Ontario) | Iceland:14 (original rating) | Iceland:16 (video rating) | South Korea:15 | Argentina:13 | Finland:K-14 | Netherlands:12 | Norway:15 | Peru:14 | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 | UK:12 | USA:PG-13 | Germany:12 (video rating) | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Alabama Hills, Lone Pine, California, USA

Company:

Bregman/Baer Productions

Trivia:

The empty office with B. Jonas on the door (supposedly located in a building somewhere on 23rd Street in Manhattan) was the main drop-box for reports from The Shadow's agents in the pulps. These reports were collected by Burbank, The Shadow's contact man, who passed messages back and forth between The Shadow and his agents.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Dr. Lane disarms the bomb, he cuts the red wire. In the subsequent shot, it's whole again.

Quotes:

Dr. Roy Tam: How did you know where to find me? How did you know who I am?
The Shadow: [begins to laugh] The Shadow knows!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in International Playboys' First Movie: Ghouls Gone Wild! (2004) (V)

Soundtrack:

Original Sin (Theme from 'The Shadow')

Universal Ruined The DVD Of This Film

Before mentioning the story, I have to warn potential buyers of this DVD:

Universal Studios committed the unbelievable "sin" of photographing this is 2.35:1 widescreen but only offering it on DVD in formatted-to-TV, so you miss 40 percent of the great visuals. Not only that, they zoom the picture to fill the screen so it isn't sharp, either. I hope this situation is rectified. It's a disgrace.

As for the story, it's simply a very hokey-but very entertaining fantasy/adventure, based on the popular radio hero of the 1930s.

This is just pure escapism, not to be judged seriously because it's a dumb story. It's cartoon-like, an outlandish story that mixes action, comedy and a superhero with time-travel and all sorts of strange happenings. For someone who likes to gawk at the sights and sounds of the '30s and '40s, this is a fun film. The surround sound in here is fun, too, especially when The Shadow (Alec Baldwin) speaks.