The Phantom (1996)

The Phantom, descendent of a line of African superheroes, travels to New York City to thwart a wealthy criminal genius from obtaining three magic skulls which would give him the secret to ultimate power.

Director:

Simon Wincer

Writers:

Lee Falk (characters), Jeffrey Boam

Stars:

Billy Zane, Kristy Swanson, Treat Williams

3 wins.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Billy Zane	...	The Phantom / Kit Walker
Kristy Swanson	...	Diana Palmer
Treat Williams	...	Xander Drax
Catherine Zeta-Jones	...	Sala (as Catherine Zeta Jones)
James Remar	...	Quill
Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa	...	The Great Kabai Sengh
Bill Smitrovich	...	Uncle Dave Palmer
Casey Siemaszko	...	Morgan
David Proval	...	Charlie Zephro
Joseph Ragno	...	Ray Zephro
Samantha Eggar	...	Lily Palmer
Jon Tenney	...	Jimmy Wells
Patrick McGoohan	...	Phantom's Dad
Robert Coleby	...	Capt. Philip Horton
Al Ruscio	...	Police Commissioner Farley

Storyline

Four hundred years ago, a young boy witnessed his father's death during an attack on their ship by the bloodthirsty Sengh Brotherhood. He was washed ashore on Bengalla Island where he swore to devote his life to bring down piracy, greed, cruelty and injustice. He became The Phantom, a masked avenger whose role was passed down for father to son, leading people to believe in an immortal figure called "The Ghost Who Walks". The 21st successor to the role of Bengalla's resident superhero must travel to New York City to prevent a power-hungry businessman from obtaining three magic skulls that would give him the secret to ultimate power.

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Plot Keywords:

cult film | interwar period | character name as title | the phantom character | psychotronic film | 

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Taglines:

The ghost who walks. The man who cannot die.

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Comedy | Fantasy

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for action/adventure violence and some mild language

Did You Know?

Trivia

The two red float planes used by the villains in the film are Grumman G-164 Sea Cats, converted from wheeled G -164 Ag Cats, an aircraft specifically developed by Grumman for industrial crop spraying.

Both aircraft were previously used Australia as crop dusters; for filming they had their hoppers removed and an extra seat fitted for joyrides and had floats added for scenic flights. After the film work was finished both returned to their dusting jobs.

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Goofs

When the Phantom is chasing the three grave robbers through the jungle. He grabs one and pushes him into a rather large tree, roughly the diameter of the guys body. When the bad man hits the tree, it gives way.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Title card: In case you forgot...
Phantom's Dad: It all began a very long time ago, when a merchant ship was set upon by pirates of the Sengh Brotherhood. A small boy watched helplessly as his father was killed by the pirate leader, the Evil Kabai Sengh. He jumped overboard, and was washed ashore on a mysterious jungle island called Bengalla. It seemed like a case of out of the frying pan and into the fire, but the Touganda tribesmen meant the boy no harm. They scooped him up and carried him to their village....

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Crazy Credits

The film title appears from the Phantom's skull ring.

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Connections

Referenced in The Blockbuster Buster: Tarzan & the Lost City (2012)

User Reviews

Good Clean Entertainment

I liked it. It was refreshing to watch an action/adventure feature that wasn't filled with unimaginative four-letter words or eyefuls of naked female flesh. It is a classic, easily recognizable "good vs. evil" adventure, with readily identifiable heros and villains. I would class it more with "The Rocketeer," rather than with the Indiana Jones movies, even though it has much of the same look. It offers no reason to cover the kids' eyes or mute the volume, nor will adults be bored. The movie doesn't really drag anywhere, and even offers a few lively flashes, in short: Simply enjoyable.

Details

Country:

Australia USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

7 June 1996 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Phantom

Filming Locations:

USA

Box Office

Budget:

$45,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$5,072,346, 9 June 1996

Gross USA:

$17,323,326

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$17,323,326

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures, The Ladd Company, Boam Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1