The Shadow (1994)

WHO KNOWS WHAT EVIL LURKS IN THE HEARTS OF MEN?

Thirty years ago this past summer, director Russell Mulcahy (Highlander, Ricochet) presented the answer to that question with a heavily hyped, lavish adaption of the popular radio show and comic strip of the same name from the '30's and 40's.....and audiences didn't seem to care, neither did critics for that matter.  However over time, this art-deco fantasy action thriller has garnered a bit of a cult following thanks to it very strong cast, catchy score (from the late, great Jerry Goldsmith) and some undeniably fun images and set pieces.  Alec Baldwin stars as Lamont Cranston, millionaire playboy who also moonlights as....The Shadow, fighting crime and getting to the bottom of evil conspiracies throughout his home city of New York.  John Lone co-stars as the main villain Shiwan Khan (a distant descendent of Genghis Khan), Penelope Ann Miller also co-stars as mysterious psychic Margo Lane, along with Sir Ian McKellen as her father Dr. Reinhardt Lane.  The stacked cast also includes Tim Curry, Jonathan Winters, and Peter Boyle.  It's time to find out.....what THE SHADOW knows..... :o   

See below for a link to the official Taylor Dane video of a truly original song performed for this film's soundtrack:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CXpWfd1BNkQ

Host: Geoff Gershon
Edited By Ella Gershon
Producer: Marlene Gershon

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Transcript

THE SHADOW - 1994

Directed by Russell Mulcahy         

Starring Alec Baldwin, John Lone, Penelope Ann Miller, Peter Boyle, Ian McKellan, Jonathan Winters, Sab Shimono, Brady Tsurutani, James Hong, and Tim Curry

Genre: Comic Book Adventure (Audio clip)

An early '90's sorta-comic book movie adaptation in the retro '30's noir vein of The Rocketeer and Dick Tracy...starring dashing, young Alec Baldwin as Lamont Cranston...directed by the guy who gave us Highlander and Ricochet...with a screenplay by the writer who just did Jurassic Park, Carlito's Way, and Death Becomes Her...with scenery chewing supporting turns from Tim Curry (!), John Lone, Peter Boyle, and Penelope Ann Miller....and with a yet another balls-out score from the late, great Jerry Goldsmith...and how did it take me so long to see this?

What a goofy, fun, bat-shit piece of pulp fiction this was...which surely got lost in the Summer '94 blockbuster shuffle opening smack between The Lion King and Forest Gump and also getting over-shadowed (pun intended) by two actually successful (rare for the '90's) comic book adaptations, The Crow and The Mask, opening around the same time. I completely get why this film didn’t connect film - it didn't have the hook of a lithe Gothed-out Brandon Lee doing somersaults or an elastic-faced Jim Carrey enhanced by CGI...nope THIS film has Alec Baldwin trying to look sinister with a goofy prosthetic nose under a scarf. :o

It's just weird and all over the map and yet it worked for me - besides that ghastly prosthetic, every other aspect of this film looks and sounds great from the '30's sets to gorgeous dresses worn by Miller playing mysterious psychic Margo Lane who also strikes up a romance with Lamont….. to the surprisingly (for '94) well-rendered visual effects to Goldsmith's pounding score featuring a very hummable central theme. The dialogue is often very cheeky but you have the right types of actors who are game to have some fun with it. Just one sterling example of a deadpan exchange between Baldwin and Miller. (Audio clip) 

Beyond that, there's a good deal of action and while it lands firmly in the camp of '89 Batman physics, it's still quite fun to watch - this is the same Russell Mulcahey who gave us Highlander seven years earlier and he had already proven that you could generally pull off the most outlandish action with the right actors who know how to sell it. And it says a lot that at one point we see a sweaty, cackling Tim Curry spinning around while shooting a Tommy Gun....and that's not even among the top five craziest moments....

Best Needledrop (best song cue or score used throughout runtime of film): 

Now about that score from Jerry Goldsmith…..using a mixture of orchestral instruments and some synth, he delivers a rousing main theme for the title character which we hear played throughout – it’s just gorgeous, delivering a nice balance of mystery, danger, AND romance.  When my wife first heard this, she remarked that it COMPLETELY rips off Danny Elman’s Batman theme from a few years prior…..and while they are not dissimilar (especially that main five note motive at the core of it), I still feel like this theme stands on its own. (Audio clip)   

And BONUS for the closing credits: an original rock-opera gem which has absolutely NOTHING to do with the rest of the movie. 😄 It’s might seem silly in retrospect but this WAS kind of a thing during the ‘90’s with soundtracks, a trend which kicked off with Prince’s soundtrack album for Batman in ’89…..a very popular album of nine songs, ONLY three of which were actually featured in the movie or even the closing credts.  Yes it was the era of albums filled with “Music INSPIRED by….” the film being highlighted.  Same thing happened with Dick Tracy and Madonna’s Breathless album….the most popular single from that album, the ever-catchy “Vogue” was not heard at all throughout the movie….just like Prince “Batdance” from the year prior.  (Audio clip)   

Now this song from New York’s own bombastic ‘90’s pop idol Taylor Dane is also notable as it was produced by the late, great Jim Steinmen….the legendary producer also behind notable rock-opera hybrids from the likes of Bonnie Tyler, Meat Loaf, and…..yes those highly catchy rock anthems performed by the fictional Ellen Aim in previous episode Streets of Fire.  You just know Steinmen’s songs when you hear them….and like those others, this one goes bat-shit in the best way possible with lyrics which allude to the story of The Shadow.   For a better visual representation of how well this song works for the movie, you should check out the official video which I’ll include a link to in the notes for this episode.  One of THE great forgotten soundtrack songs of the ‘90’s, this one is titled, “Original Sin. “ (Audio clip)     

Wasted Talent (most under-utilized talent involved with film):

Amidst a pretty stacked supporting cast of talented actors there is disappointingly one who doesn’t really register with his performance through no fault of his own.  I’m referring to the LEGENDARY Oscar-nominated actor of numerous memorable genre films AND stage Sir Ian McKellan – at the time of filming, the actor was 54 though not yet the household name he would become at the beginning of the following decade portraying both Magneto and Gandalf.  Which is not to say he wasn’t doing memorable stuff around this time period including a great acid turn as a more modernized Richard III just a few years later on-screen.  He was already leaving in impression with smaller roles in stuff as varied as Six Degrees of Separation, Last Action Hero, and the pretty ground-breaking HBO film “And The Band Played On…” – literally all three of those came out the year before in ’93. (Audio clip) 

Alas his role here as Dr. Reinhardt Lane, a somewhat sequestered scientist who also happens to be the father of Penelope Ann Miller’s Margo….there’s just not much to it on the page.  He’s a doddering man of science who’s on the verge of achieving a technological breakthrough…and he just not given much to do beside being all doddering and scientific.  McKellan’s not BAD per se but it was just unusual for an actor of his caliber to completely blend into the movie….. (Audio clip) 

Trailer Moment (scene or moment that best describes this movie):

Apparently within the fantastical world of this movie, Baldwin’s Lamont has developed a network of informants over the years….troubled individuals whom he would often “save” from their sins as The Shadow…..and then as ongoing payment for his services, they would remain in debt to him for life, providing him with information whenever requested that would help him with ongoing investigations.  This is all visualized in a pretty memorable sequence about 35 minutes into the movie…..when we see a police officer sneaking away from a crime scene to a nearby building…..where he uses his special Shadow red ring to enter and then inserts a hand-written note into a clear pipe. (Audio clip)  

We then follow this note as the camera swoops alongside it, following its journey through a series of pipes spread ALL over the city often stretching between skyscrapers…..with all notes being fed to a central clerk in a room FILLED with pipes, who then pushes a button to signal Lamont on HIS red ring, resulting in him then SPRINGING into action.  Hey look it might not be as elegant as the Bat-signal or Dick Tracy’s watch or Iron Man being alerted in his helmet by Jarvis…..but it’s nutty and fun and fits in perfectly with the overall playful vibe of this movie. (Audio clip)  

MVP (person or people most responsible for the success of this film):

Along those lines….while this may not be a comic book/superhero origin story on the level of say an Iron Man or Batman Begins coming from the vision of those filmmakers, it’s still highly enjoyable and also represents the gonzo vision of its director.  And if you have seen his original Highlander from 1986 starring Christopher Lambert – a film which developed QUITE the cult following since then and grown on me quite a bit – you can KIND OF seeing what Mulcahy was going for here: a fantastical, somewhat timeless hero’s journey mixing low-tech inventiveness with the supernatural.  This features a story which hits more often than it misses and is almost never less than fun to watch play out….for directing one of the more underrated comic book adaptations of the ‘90’s, Russell Mulcahy is the MVP. 

Final Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5

So WHO knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men?  Check out this mid ‘90’s gem to find out! 

Streaming on Apple TV Plus

And that ends another KNOWING review!