Review: The Shadow

We begin in Tibet in the 1920s, where a black-hearted warlord (played by that wonderful Asian actor Alec Baldwin) who is taught by Tibetan monks to turn his frown upside down. Or something like that. Anyway, cut to years later in New York, and that same rogue is now called Lamont Cranston. He now spends his nights fighting crime as the mysterious, mind-controlling vigilante known as ‘The Shadow’. However, ‘The Shadow’ is about to meet his match in the form of Shiwan Khan (John Lone), who like his ancestor Genghis Khan, is hell-bent on ruling (and presumably enslaving) the world. This plan seems to involve Shiwan Khan getting into the head of a top nuclear physicist (Sir Ian McKellen) to construct a nuclear device for him. Penelope Ann Miller plays McKellen’s daughter, Margo Lane, whose help Cranston/Shadow enlists. Tim Curry plays a slimy, lascivious scientist in cahoots with Khan, and who has designs on Margo. Joseph Maher and Max Wright turn up as museum curators, Ethan Phillips is a museum security guard, Peter Boyle is Cranston’s loyal cab driver, and Jonathan Winters is the police commissioner.

 

I can remember thinking this 1994 Russell Mulcahy (“Razorback”, “Highlander”, “Ricochet”) superhero/comic book movie was a tad too cheesy when I first saw it on a plane as a teenager, and that impression pretty much holds true at age 35. However, it does now have the added interest of seeming like a dry run for Christopher Nolan’s “Batman Begins” when you think about it. The hero’s backstory and even the film’s villain have similarities with “Batman Begins”. You’d think former music video director Mulcahy would be perfectly suited to this genre, and indeed it does mostly look terrific, as you’d expect from the director of “Razorback”. However, there’s something a little too lightweight about the treatment and Mulcahy never quite gets the tone right. The film seems to uncomfortably try to pass itself off as something akin to “Batman” (which the character actually predates), “Dick Tracy” or “The Rocketeer” when for all money it seems like “Batman Returns” should’ve been the stronger influence on this. So the film just doesn’t quite come off at the end of the day.

 

Not only is the relationship between Lamont Cranston and Margo Lane a bit of a rip-off of Bruce Wayne/Vicki Vale, but you’d swear Cranston’s bachelor pad was directly stolen off the set of Tim Burton’s “Batman”. All the phony-eyed hypnotism stuff is just too silly and doesn’t mesh with the rest (The character started off in radio serials, and probably played a lot better there and subsequently on the printed page). I mean, one scene of someone being hypnotised to shoot someone is right out of “The Naked Gun!” for cryin’ out loud. Could no one see that? It’s almost a direct steal. Hell, you could argue that the characters played by Penelope Ann Miller and Sir Ian McKellen are straight out of “Top Secret!”. What in the world is goin’ on here? I will say, though, that there’s one scene involving the hypnotism stuff that is at least interesting to ponder: The villain has hypnotised the entire city to ignore the fact that he has constructed a huge evil lair. Yes, it’s kinda stupid given you’d feel its presence if you bumped into it, but still it’s kind of a cool idea actually. It’s a shame more isn’t done with that, actually.

 

There’s something fascinating here with the title character and his dark, rogue past, but that stuff seems to be de-emphasised (I will confess to not being acquainted with the character, so perhaps the stuff I’m complaining about actually comes from the previous incarnations, but that doesn’t make that stuff interesting). Ironic given I’m not a fan of the Christopher Nolan “Dark Knight” trilogy (nor the more ‘realistic’ comic book films of recent years in general, for that matter), but this is definitely the one film in this genre crying out to be darker. I mean, I wouldn’t say Lamont Cranston was a villain who turns into a superhero, but he’s certainly a selfish rogue turned superhero, which is rather unusual in cinematic superheroes.

 

The film does have its positives, as it looks pretty terrific and it’s not a boring film, just a lumpy and unsuccessful one.  The cinematography by Stephen H. Burum (“Rumble Fish”, “The Untouchables”) is as good as you’d expect in a Mulcahy film. In fact, aside from some dodgy FX (indicative of being an early-mid 90s films. That period has dated faster than seemingly any period in cinematic history in terms of FX), the film looks terrific, nice and shadowy as befits its title character and world. The production design is excellent, the film being a mixture of Asian mysticism and film noir that was pretty fresh at the time. Ace composer Jerry Goldsmith (“The Omen”, “Planet of the Apes”, “The Blue Max”, “Star Trek: First Contact”), meanwhile does a typically excellent job, not too far from Danny Elfman (“Batman”) territory without quite ripping him off.

 

Alec Baldwin seemed to be trying to pass himself off as a romantic leading man for a while there, and to be honest I actually prefer him in that lane than the sleazy villains he also often played, before settling into the terrific character actor he has now become. Playing the somewhat ant-hero Lamont Cranston is a really good fit for him as it allows him to play a the protagonist without being Dudley Do-Right. He’s not an actor really known for his voice, like a Tim Curry for instance (or Orson Welles, who narrated a radio version in the 30s), but he does good work here nonetheless and tries his best with the vocal stuff. Meanwhile, the makeup here used for Cranston’s alter-ego amusingly makes Alec look like a cross between William and Daniel Baldwin. It’s the damndest thing (There’s a touch of Liam Neeson in Sam Raimi’s underrated “Darkman”, too). I’m not a Penelope Ann Miller fan, but she has the right look and vibe here as the leading lady. She certainly fits right into this 20s/30s-era world. Peter Boyle is good fun too, as Moe, one of Cranston’s loyal helpers.

 

Unfortunately, John Lone just doesn’t cut it as the film’s main villain, Shiwan Khan. I’ve never quite figured out why filmmakers kept casting Lone in films. He did alright in the title role of “Iceman”, but otherwise, he’s incredibly bland as an actor. As a villain, he lacks any menace or panache whatsoever, and in a film that sees Tim Curry (not to mention James Hong) go begging as a secondary slimeball picking up sloppy seconds, that’s criminal. Whatever ‘it’ is, Lone didn’t have enough of it, and that’s completely obvious here. I’ve never been a fan of fish-out-of-water deals where ancient or alien beings turn up in modern settings, as it often leads to lame comedy. This isn’t the worst example of such a thing, but nonetheless Shiwan Khan is forgettable and non-threatening. He’s one of the biggest flaws in the film, as he is completely uninspired and you keep waiting for Christopher Lambert to come along and lop his head off with a sword. By the way, listen to Lone in this, dear reader and tell me he’s not basing his vocal intonations on co-star James Hong. It’s uncanny! The film has a giant supporting cast, but aside from Boyle, none of them really stick around long enough to make much of an impression, though in Tim Curry’s case it’s certainly not through lack of trying. Jonathan Winters is supposed to be a comic genius. Here he’s about as subtle an actor as Don Rickles. Not a compliment. Stop trying so damn hard, dude! I’m convinced that Ethan Phillips has based his performance as a museum security guard on Paul Marco’s dopey Officer Kelton from Edward D. Wood’s “Plan 9 From Outer Space”. I just can’t work out why he’s doing it. The other thing that struck me during his one scene in the film was how much of a shame it was that Mulcahy didn’t find more for the talented Joseph Maher (the Brit alcoholic with the dog on an episode of TV’s “Seinfeld”) and Max Wright (of TV’s beloved-by-me “ALF”) to do. But you could say the same thing of Sir Ian McKellen, James Hong (excellent, but underused), Al Leong (the Fu Machu-esque henchman in a zillion action films), and Toshishiro Obata (“Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles”). You can say that of Andre Gregory most of all, given the bum role of a superhero switchboard operator! Honestly, I’ve seen all-star disaster movies that have given their cast meatier roles than this film does. Look out for the hideous, outdated end theme by Taylor Dayne of all people (who knew she was still around in 1994?), and penned by the one and only Jim Fucking Steinman of “Rocky Horror” fame.

 

Here’s one superhero re-boot one would genuinely like to see, instead of doing “Spider Man” for the 10^th time. This one’s just too lumpy and uncertain in tone, has some pretty dated FX and spends too much time trying to be like everyone else. There’s something here, but it never really pulls it all together into a solid whole, nor does it forge its own clear identity. Still, it’s better than “Dick Tracy” and “The Phantom”, right? The screenplay is by David Koepp (“Jurassic Park”, “War of the Worlds”, “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull”, “Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit”), based on a character created by Walter B. Gibson.

 

Rating: C+