Cloak & Dagger (1984)

A young boy and his imaginary friend end up on the run while in possession of a top-secret spy gadget.

Director:

Richard Franklin

Writers:

Tom Holland (screen story), Tom Holland (screenplay)

Stars:

Henry Thomas, Dabney Coleman, Michael Murphy

3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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

Storyline

11-year-old Davey, whose mother is dead and whose father doesn't spend nearly enough time with him. So the boy loses himself in video games--and even has an imaginary friend, a super-resourceful secret agent. When he accidentally comes into possession of a spy group's secret plans, and winds up on the run from them, he must learn to rely on himself and his imaginary pal to save his skin. But, in the end, Dad proves to be his real hero.

---

Plot Keywords:

child protagonist | child kills an adult | prostitute | kiss | attempted child murder | 

---

Taglines:

Davey Osborne is playing for keeps.

---

Genres:

Action | Adventure | Crime | Family | Mystery | Thriller

---

Did You Know?

Trivia

The elderly couple in the film, John McIntire and Jeanette Nolan, were actually married in real life for approximately 56 years until his death in 1991.

---

Goofs

Direction that the Cloak & Dagger game faces when, Jack Flack tosses it to Davey, changes.

---

Quotes

Davey Osborne: [into walkie-talkie] Jack Flack to Lady Ace. Come in, Lady Ace.
Kim Gardener: [into walkie-talkie] Yeah, Davey. What is it?
Davey Osborne: Come on, Kim. Play right.
Kim Gardener: Fine. Fine. Lady Ace to Jack Flack. Do you read me?
Davey Osborne: Loud and clear. I'll proceed to the building and you follow me in.
Kim Gardener: This is what I meant by "embarrassing".

---

Alternate Versions

In the theatrical release of the film, there is a much longer scene showing Davey and Kim's arrival at the tower building. This includes Davey running and hiding behind pillars and telling Kim that the security guards are "sentries". When Davey pulls out his ink gun, one of the guards asks if he and Kim are lost, then realizes they are playing a game and directs them to the 7th floor "game division". This is the same guard Davey later reports a murder too, and this previous encounter gives more insight into why the guard did not believe Davey's story.

---

Connections

References Pole Position (1982)

User Reviews

Classic for kids, enjoyable for adults

Short and sweet: I loved this movie as a kid--now I'm an adult and I still love it. Yes, the computers and games are horribly dated. Heck, my computer from two years ago is horribly dated. That doesn't change the fact that this is a solid, exciting movie which is appropriate for most school-age children without being dumb or talking down to them. I know there's nostalgia involved in this, but kids movies have gone downhill since the '80's. We had The NeverEnding Story, Labyrinth, The Dark Crystal, The Secret of Nimh, The Goonies, Cloak & Dagger...what do kids today have? See Spot Run. ANYWAY, this is a good movie, your kids will probably like it (if only to see what video games were like in the dark ages) and you'll like it, too.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Russian

Release Date:

10 August 1984 (USA)

Also Known As:

El joven héroe

Filming Locations:

The Alamo - 300 Alamo Plaza, San Antonio, Texas, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$2,862,025, 12 August 1984

Gross USA:

$9,719,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

101 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1