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.

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Plot Keywords:

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

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Taglines:

It began as just another harmless game he played many times. Then top secret documents fell into his hands. And real bullets started flying. Now, he's being pursued by deadly enemies. And they're not playing around. But no one will believe his incredible story. In fact, there's only one person left that can save him... a legendary agent named Flack. And time is running out.

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Crime | Family | Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

PG

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, Wide Release

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

Did You Know?

Trivia

The elderly couple in the film (John McIntire and Jeanette Nolan) both had parts in the original Psycho (1960). Director Richard Franklin directed the sequel, Psycho II (1983). Henry Thomas would later go on to play a young Norman Bates in Psycho IV: The Beginning (1990).

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Goofs

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.

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Quotes

Jack Flack: Not that way Davey! It's a dead end!

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Alternate Versions

UK versions are cut for a 'PG' rating.

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Connections

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

User Reviews

A great family movie!

Henry Thomas (E.T., The Extra-Terrestrial) made this film two years after that incredible hit. Dabney Coleman ('Tootsie') stars as his father who is a military officer. Thomas' mother has died and his father is busy with his career. In the face of this, Thomas turns to an imaginary friend in the form of a spy. With visions of his imaginary friend, he becomes involved in an espionage plot involving government defence secrets.

Children will embrace this film as all of us at that age have had imaginary friends. The movie is evenly paced and builds up to an exciting climax the way an adult thriller would say in the form of a James Bond movie but while doing this the film doesn't insult the intelligence of children --- a lot of whom are more intelligent than we give them credit for.