Lights Out Movie Reviews
Copyright (c) 1994, Bruce Diamond
All rights reserved


        Ŀ
           THE SHADOW:  Russell Mulcahy, director.  David Koepp,   
           screenplay.  Starring Alec Baldwin, John Lone,          
           Penelope Ann Miller, Peter Boyle, Ian McKellen,         
           Jonathan Winters, Joseph Maher, John Kapelos, Sab       
           Shimona, and Tim Curry.  Universal.  Rated PG-13.       
        

          "The weed of crime bears bitter fruit" is the lesser-known
     quote associated with the radio production of THE SHADOW, and
     it's refreshing to find this attention to detail in this smart-
     looking big screen version of the detective's adventures.  I
     listened to six radio episodes (six of the Orson Welles' shows)
     prior to attending the screening for this film, so I'll try not
     to lapse into a "they did this wrong/they did this right" mindset
     for the review.  For what it's worth, I *like* what the film-
     makers did with THE SHADOW, even the casting of Alec Baldwin as
     Lamont Cranston, but wasn't left completely satisified.  A film
     like this should engage the viewer completely in the experience,
     a "joy ride from hell" feeling, leaving you breathless and woozy
     afterwards.  Tim Burton's BATMAN (1989) tried to generate this
     rush of excitement, but failed, for me at least.  And while I
     enjoy THE SHADOW more, it still lacks something.  Bear with me
     while I try to discover what that "something" is.

          Expect the inevitable comparisons to BATMAN and THE CROW
     from earlier this year; the film's look is very stylish and goes
     a long way to creating a palpable atmosphere for the detective's
     adventures.  The production design reels us in from the start,
     following Cranston's time as an opium lord in China to his study
     with a Tibetan monk in the powers of the mind.  But the design
     really kicks it when Cranston, as The Shadow, begins haunting the
     neighborhoods of New York City, hunting down the evil prevalent
     in the late '30s/early '40s of Gotham.  Hmm . . . Gotham.
     There's another tie between Batman and The Shadow; New York City
     served as the model for Gotham City (and for Metropolis, as well,
     but that's another hero for another day), just as the pulp hero,
     The Shadow, served as one of the models for the comic book hero,
     Batman.  Lamont Cranston, after returning from the Orient and
     turning his back on his evil past, is the archetypical "wealthy
     insomniac playboy," as Baldwin describes The Shadow's alter-ego
     in interviews.  Cranston develops "the power to cloud men's
     minds" (and women's, we surmise) from his teacher, effectively
     rendering himself invisible through hypnosis.  THE SHADOW
     develops our hero's mental powers further than originally set in
     the radio series and the pulps -- Cranston can now read minds on
     a limited basis and possesses a rudimentary telekinesis.  At
     first, the supernatural extravagances annoyed me, but I relaxed
     into them as a natural extension of The Shadow's abilities.
     Other divergences from the established Shadow mythos also irked
     me on the surface (Margot Lane is *not* supposed to be tele-
     pathic, the Commissioner -- originally Weston, not Wainwright --
     is *not* his uncle, and The Shadow worked in concert with the
     police, not outside of their cooperation), but they're such small
     differences (as opposed to the liberties taken with BATMAN) that
     it doesn't really matter.  All of these elements, including the
     Doc Savage-like network of associates, featuring Peter Boyle as
     an affable cabbie and Sab Shimona as a scientific advisor, serve
     to enhance The Shadow's aura of power.

          So, THE SHADOW looks and feels right, but still contains a
     problem at its core.  The tension between Cranston and Shiwan
     Khan (John Lone), the last descendant of Genghis Khan, provides
     the action for the film, and their frequent meetings are wonder-
     fully staged, from joking respect for each other's abilities
     (Khan beards Cranston in the hero's hidden headquarters) to the
     effects-filled mental confrontation in the villain's elaborate
     lair.  As a side note, the lair includes a tilting floor
     reminiscent of a scene in another pulp hero's big screen excur-
     sion, FLASH GORDON (1978).  While Khan presents a powerful force
     for The Shadow and his cohorts to overcome, the supporting
     players in this slightly-campy action drama seems disappointingly
     thin.  Margot Lane's (Penelope Ann Miller) instant kinship and
     attraction to Lamont Cranston, and vice versa, is realistically
     portrayed within the confines of this "world"), but Lane lacks
     depth.  Cranston himself, aside from his escapades in the Orient,
     lacks a background for the audience to draw on.  When the leads
     lack a solid foundation for their characters to stand on, it
     becomes harder for the audience to understand and/or sympathize
     with them.  This same thinness haunted BATMAN and to a lesser
     extent, THE CROW, which makes me think that, even though the
     filmmakers may like and respect the characters they adapt for the
     big screen, the fact that they're "comic book" or pulp heros
     means they don't need to be as real as characters in other
     dramas.  I have to disagree, and only hope that future films in
     this series (if THE SHADOW hits big, you know a sequel or several
     will follow) will flesh out Cranston, Lane, and the others more
     satisfyingly.

          There, I told you I'd get at the core of what left me empty
     about THE SHADOW.  If such concerns don't bother you, then I can
     recommend this picture to you without reservation.  Otherwise,
     consider yourself warned.

     RATING:  $$$
