The Shadow (1994)

In 1930s New York City, The Shadow (Alec Baldwin) battles his nemesis, Shiwan Khan (John Lone), who is building an atomic bomb.

Director:

Russell Mulcahy

Writers:

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

Stars:

Alec Baldwin, John Lone, Penelope Ann Miller

4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Alec Baldwin	...	Lamont Cranston / The Shadow
John Lone	...	Shiwan Khan
Penelope Ann Miller	...	Margo Lane
Peter Boyle	...	Moe Shrevnitz
Ian McKellen	...	Reinhardt Lane
Tim Curry	...	Farley Claymore
Jonathan Winters	...	Police Commissioner Wainwright Barth
Sab Shimono	...	Dr. Roy 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

Storyline

Based on the 1930s pulp fiction and radio drama series, this movie pits the hero against his arch enemy, Shiwan Khan (John Lone), who plans to take over the world by holding a city ransom using an atomic bomb. Using his powers of invisibility and "The power to cloud men's minds", The Shadow (Alec Baldwin) comes blazing to the city's rescue with explosive results.

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Plot Keywords:

villain | tough guy | hero | good man | good woman | 

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Taglines:

Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men?

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Crime | Fantasy | Mystery | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for fantasy action violence

Did You Know?

Trivia

In Philip José Farmer's books "Tarzan Alive" and "Doc Savage: His Apocalyptic Life", the Shadow's girlfriend, Margo Lane, was rumored to be the sister of Superman's girlfriend, Lois Lane. Margot Lane debuted on the radio in 1937. Coincidentally, the actress who played Lois Lane in the Christopher Reeve Superman movies is Margot Kidder.

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Goofs

The two door guards with an elevator in front of them are shot with arrows. When the second guard gets shot, it's obvious that the arrow isn't fired but appears from under his coat (released with a spring).

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Quotes

Moe Shrevnitz: [puts a ring from the Shadow on Tam's finger] Don't ever take it off.
Dr. Roy Tam: [confused] Who *are* you?
Moe Shrevnitz: [holds up his hand with an identical ring on it] Somebody who owes him their life... somebody just like *you*.

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Connections

Referenced in Renegade Cut: Superheroes and Orson Welles (2013)

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Soundtracks

Some Kind of Mystery
Written by Diane Warren
Performed by Sinoa Loren (as Sinoa)
Produced by Jellybean Benítez for Jellybean Productions, Inc.
Arranged by Johnny Mandel

User Reviews

Excellent adaptation, highly enjoyable

I don't really understand the bad rep this movie has gotten. Sure, its not "high art" (then again, Shakespeare, Dickens and Herodetus weren't meant to be, or perceived as, high art when they were written). What The Shadow was, and remains, in my eyes, is one of the best super-hero adaptations ever (the best until X-Men came out, in my opinion).

I'm not terribly familiar with the old radio drama Shadow, so I can't speak as to the details, but the feeling, the essence of the movie fits with what I've experienced. Much more importantly, it stand out well on its own.

Special effects play a major part, but are not of the over-played. Action is well done, and acting is acceptable, though rarely outstanding (the Shadow's cabbie Shrebnitz is an engrossing exception).

What really makes this movie stand out is the layering. Plots, characters, backgrounds, all are complex. The movie's basic plot is well-paced, occasionally a bit slow, but it makes up for it with the incredible wealth of details it packs in. Watching the movie, one gets the sense of an incredible amount of backstory for each character (little things, like the family life of some of the Shadow's agents, barely glimpsed, or even just the complex web of those agents across the city), or that around the corner there lies a world to explore.

This movie can be difficult to classify, which may lead to its unpopularity. Clearly its not a drama, not is it a comedy, nor even entirely an action. Scifi or fantasy are both possible descriptions, but they fail. The Shadow is comicbook style, in the truest sense of the genre. Complex characters, pull-pounding action, some jokes, some drama...it all mixes together. If you can get a bead on the style, its a very enjoyable movie, far ahead of most other super-hero films (Superman, Batman, the Phantom, etc.)

I recommend watching it, but only with an open mind.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 July 1994 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Shadow

Filming Locations:

Pantages Theatre - 6233 Hollywood Boulevard Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$25,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$11,713,845, 4 July 1994

Gross USA:

$32,063,435

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$48,063,435

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Pictures, Bregman/Baer Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

108 min 93 min (edited)

Sound Mix:

DTS-Stereo DTS Dolby SR

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1