While it may seem that most movies that are somehow connected to a comic book end up being very successful, there have been several there ended up not doing well at all. I have seen several of those and some of them were really bad. There were some others that were actually good and it was too bad that those movies didn't end up doing better. I think that The Shadow falls into the group of the ones that were pretty good even though it did have a few issues.
Lamont Cranston was living in Tibet controlling most of the opium fields. He wouldn’t hesitate to use violence to make sure that he kept his control. One night he was kidnapped and taken to Talku, a powerful holy man, who said that Lamont was going to be redeemed. Talku intended to instruct Lamont in how to use the darkness inside himself to fight evil. He learned how to control the minds of others and make himself invisible except for his shadow.
Seven years later, Lamont was living the life of a playboy in New York City while also fighting crime as The Shadow. He recruited the people he saved to work as his agents and would call on them later when he needed their help. One of those men, Mo, knew that Lamont was the Shadow and he served as his driver. Lamont wasn’t sure how to react when he met Margo Lane, a woman with her own abilities who was able to read his mind. He also had to deal with Shiwan Khan arriving in town. He had also trained under the Talku, though he had not been redeemed as Lamont had been. Shiwan had a plan to take over the world. He used his abilities to take control of Margo’s father Reinhardt, a somewhat absent minded scientist who was working on an implosive device.
The character of the Shadow was first the narrator of a radio show before getting a magazine devoted to the character. The Shadow radio show first started airing on September 26,1937. The radio show first introduced that he had power over the minds of other people and he could make himself invisible. Orson Welles was involved in some of the radio shows. The character has also been featured in pulp novels, a comic strip, and different comic books. The Shadow even turned up in a few Batman comics and was considered an inspiration by Batman. There were four movies made in the late 1930s and into the 1940s. Sam Raimi has expressed interest in making another Shadow movie. He tried to get the rights in the late 1980s. Raimi now has the rights to the character and is hoping to make a movie that he feels will do justice to the character.
I felt that The Shadow had an interesting, somewhat complex plot. There was a lot going on throughout the movie. Time was taken as the movie began to Lamont while he was in Tibet and how he started his path to redemption. Not much of that period of his life was shown before the movie jumped forward seven years to show Lamont using his abilities with mind control to fight crime in New York City. I’m not sure how long he spent training with Talku, but I’m guessing the training took some time. Once the movie was focused on what Lamont was doing in New York City, it wasn’t long before Shiwan Khan arrived in town and started putting his plan into motion. Margo and his father were also connected to what was going on as was Farley Claymore, Dr. Lane’s assistant. The way things were introduced did make the pace a bit slower, especially since there was so much going on and so many things to set up or introduce. Some people will probably feel that the pace was too slow and be bored. I thought the slower pace worked very well for the movie.
There was a bit of action in The Shadow, but it wasn’t an action packed movie. Anytime that Mo was driving Lamont around town, he tended to drive like he was in some sort of race and it is probably a wonder that he hadn’t been in some accidents. There were a couple of short car chases. Most of the action came from some fights and confrontations that Lamont had with others. Most of the time he used his mind control to get things done, but he also carried a pair of guns that he wasn’t shy about using if he felt the situation warranted it. There was a little bit of violence in a few scenes, usually when Lamont had to actually fight someone. The violence wasn’t extreme or graphic, so it should bother anyone. There was also a bit of mystery in the movie that helped to keep things interesting even though it could have been stronger.
There were several magical elements that turned up throughout The Shadow. Lamont could control people’s minds and he did it many times throughout the movie. He had trained with Talku, a holy man, to learn the ability. It wasn’t said for sure, but it seemed like he was using hypnotism on people. He was able to use his ability to turn invisible so that people couldn’t see him. He also used his power to change his appearance a bit when he was working as the Shadow. Shiwan Khan had the same mind control abilities and even seemed to be more powerful with certain aspects of it. Margo also had some sort of psychic ability as well since she was able to read Lamont’s mind, though she wasn’t as talented with it. I did enjoy those elements of the movie. Things could have been more interesting if some more attention was given to those things.
Except for the first few minutes that showed Lamont in Tibet, The Shadow was set in New York City in the 1930s. From the things I have read about the character since watching the movie again, it seemed like most of the stories, comic books, radios shows, and movies that featured the character were set in that time period. The locations, vehicles, and costumes did look for the time period. There were some amazing visuals with the buildings and the costumes, especially the dresses that Margo wore. The movie really did have a great look that remained consistent throughout. There were some scenes that had darker lighting, but that fit in with what was going on even though it did make it slightly harder to tell what was going on.
There were some hints of romance between Margo and Lamont in The Shadow, though not a lot was shown or explored in that direction. They were drawn to each other when they first met, though Lamont quickly decided that he should keep his distance because she was able to read his mind. It did seem like they shared more than that psychic connection. She wanted his help and she wasn’t frightened away as she learned things about him. He tried to keep her out of his investigation, but she insisted on being involved and she ended up being helpful a few times. The two had good chemistry and they did banter a bit, which did help to lighten the mood a few times. Some of what they said was a little cheesy, but it worked for the most part. There weren’t any sex scenes or nudity in the movie. The PG-13 rating was for the action and violence, which was very mild compared to what turns up in movies now that are rated PG-13.
Lamont was a complex character. He was still trying to make amends for what he had done when he lived in Tibet and ruled as an incredibly cruel man. He hadn’t been interested in redemption at first, but it still worked and he was very determined to use his ability with mind control to fight crime. He lived a double life, seeming to be a playboy who liked to go out on the town and only Mo knew that he was actually the Shadow. Alec Baldwin handled the part well. One of the people he used to get information from was his uncle Barth, a police officer. Jonathan Winters only turned up in a few scenes as Barth.
Margo had her own special ability that she didn’t fully understand when the movie started. As it progressed, she was able to use it better. She was able to take care of herself in most situations and she insisted on being included instead of made to wait behind. Penelope Ann Miller handled the part really well. Reinhardt was a brilliant scientist, but he was a bit absent minded about other aspects of his life which made it easier for Shiwan Khan to manipulate him. He even forgot which color was which at times. He seemed like a kind man. Ian McKellen was good in the part even though he didn’t have much to do. Tim Curry was wonderful of Farley, Reinhardt’s assistant who didn’t care about what was right. He just wanted to gain more power.
Shiwan Khan was actually the last descendant of Genghis Khan, and he had a plan to take over the entire world. He had trained with Talku as well, but he used his ability with mind control for evil instead of good. He was not a nice guy and he made a decent villain. John Lone did fine with the part. Mo frequently turned up, usually to drive Lamont somewhere. Mo was someone that the Shadow had helped and he was now very loyal. Peter Boyle was fine in the part.
Main Cast
Alec Baldwin - Lamont Cranston/The Shadow Peter Boyle - Mo Tim Curry - Farley Claymore John Lone - Shiwan Khan Ian McKellen - Dr. Reinhardt Lane Penelope Ann Miller - Margo Lane Jonathan Winters - Barth
Russell Mulcahy - Director
I first saw The Shadow many years ago. I’m not sure if I had rented the VHS or found it on television. I recently found it on one of the movie channels I get and decided to watch it again. I’m not sure if there is a DVD version of the movie available or not.
I thought that The Shadow was entertaining overall and had an interesting plot. It did have some issues with pacing and a few cheesy lines, but it was still a decent movie.
This review is part of elvisdo’s 2008 Funny Pages Write-Off since the Shadow has appeared in various comic books over the years.
"Who knows what evil lurks in the heart of men? The Shadow knows." Based on the long- running radio program this atmospheric feature follows the explo...More at Family Video
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