Plot
In 30's New York City, the Shadow battles his nemesis, Shiwan Khan, who is building an atomic bomb.
Release Year: 1994
Rating: 5.7/10 (11,506 voted)
Director:
Russell Mulcahy
Stars: Alec Baldwin, John Lone, Penelope Ann Miller
Storyline Based on the 1930's comic strip, puts the hero up against his arch enemy, Shiwan Khan, who plans to take over the world by holding a city to ransom using an atom bomb. Using his powers of invisibility and "The power to cloud men's minds", the Shadow comes blazing to the city's rescue with explosive results.
Writers: Walter B. Gibson, David Koepp
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
-
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
Taglines:
Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men?
Release Date: 1 July 1994
Filming Locations: Alabama Hills, Lone Pine, California, USA
Box Office Details
Budget: $25,000,000
(estimated)
Opening Weekend: $11,700,000
(USA)
Gross: $32,055,248
(USA)
Technical Specs
Runtime:|
Canada:
(edited version)
Did You Know?
Trivia:
What attracted Tim Curry to this project more then anything else, was the chance to work with Ian McKellen, an actor who before, he would have given his right arm to work with.
Goofs:
Audio/visual unsynchronized:
When Margo yells at her father while he is disarming the bomb, her lips say "Pick one!" before her voice says it.
Quotes: Tibetan Kidnapper:
The clouded mind sees nothing
User Review
A misunderstood gem
Rating: 10/10
This movie got poor-to-middling reviews when it was released in 1994 but I
still hold out hope that it eventually gets its proper respect in TV and
Cable reruns, because it's a terrificly entertaining film. Maybe it just
takes a certain frame of mind or background to enjoy this movie, but I
absolutely love it and frequently go back to it when I want to see how a
dark, edgy, and FUN movie is done right.
Alec Baldwin is excellent as Lamont Cranston/The Shadow. Baldwin has never
achieved the commercial sucess many predicted for him and this movie perhaps
shows why; Baldwin doesn't play a straight protagonist. The movie begins
with Cranston as a hedonistic warlord in China and then jumps to his
reformed Shadow persona is 1930's New York, and it is Baldwin's performance,
which teeters between serious and funny, nice and cruel, that bridges the
gap.
Russell Mulcahy and crew did an excellent job creating a 1930's-noir feel to
the picture. One of my friends complained that the movie sets were "too
obviously fake", I think he missed the point. They re-created the feel of a
1930's movie set, not the 1930's itself!
The movie is a bit campy at times but thankfully maintains the dark edge of
the Shadow character, who has no qualms about killing or maiming his
opponents (hey, this guy was a bloodthirsty killer in his previous life, you
think he's going to forget how to use that power when he changes sides?).
John Lone does a nice job as the Shadow's opposite number, Shiwan Khan. The
supporting cast is excellent as well (Jonathon Winters, Ian McKellan, Tim
Curry) with perhaps the exception of Penelope Ann Miller, whose character
and performance were rather annoying, but I can live with
it.
Overall I give this movie a BIG thumbs up and recommend it to anyone that
enjoys fun movies. I've gotten a mixed reaction from friends I've
recommended it to but I think this is the kind of movie where if you like it
all, you'll love it.
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