The Shadow Do!

I re-watched The Shadow (1994) to see if it was as bad as I remembered. I didn't actually remember much; my feelings were mostly based on the Narrative. As the story goes, when Dick Tracy was a hit, studios assumed that audiences were clamoring for movies based on 1930s comics and radio shows. This movie and The Phantom proved them wrong. But were they that bad? I didn't think Dick Tracy was very good, so I figured I'd check.

It starts with Lamont Cranston (Alec Baldwin) as an opium-running warlord in 1920s Afghanistan - so evil that when James Hong takes Baldwin's bookkeeper hostage, he shoots through him and kills both. Then he is kidnapped and taken to meet the Tulku, a lama who has the power to cloud men's minds. He takes Baldwin as an apprentice, and ...

Seven years, later, New York City. Some hoods have got Sab Shimono in cement overshoes, ready to toss him in the river. Comes a disembodied laugh - it the Shadow! Shimono is rescued and made a part of Baldwin's secret organization, as explained bu Peter Boyle, a taxi driver who is another friend of the Shadow.

Who in real life is Lamont Cranston, wealthy socialite, meeting his father at a nightclub. Father is the police chief, played by Jonathan Winters (played straight, too). But when Penelope Ann Miller as Margo Lane, shows up, he has to get to know her. Later, we find out that her father, Ian McKellen, and absent-minded scientist, has gone incommunicado. Something to do with his shady assistant, Tim Curry?

No, it's John Lone as Shiwan Khan, a student of the Tulku who has gone bad. He plans to finish the work of his ancestor, Genghis, and rule the world. 

I think that puts all the pieces in play. I'd say the plot is good enough - It's a little weird to see Lone and his henchmen walking around NY in Mongol armor, but whatever. The casting is obviously fine - Miller in particular has a great period look. In fact, the whole movie has a great Art Deco feel, with old taxis, fancy night clubs, and a secret skyscraper lair. 

About my only issue is with Baldwin - he's just a little too creepy. Of course, this version of the Shadow knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men because he had an evil heart. But it comes on maybe a little too heavy.

Anyway, I find this movie to be overall good fun. Now I want to see if The Phantom is any good