Given that Batman “plagiarized” The Shadow in his early days, it seems only fair that the latter returns the favor down the line. Certainly, the Dark Knight had far eclipsed his fellow pulp hero (created by writer Walter B. Gibson in the 1930s) by the end of the 20th century. Nevertheless, Director Tim Burton’s ‘Batman’ is a box office sensation in 1989, it was all the incentive Hollywood needed to reimagine the paterfamilias of noir-flavored vigilantes (particularly those who enjoy waxing darkly poetic and sneaking into big cities to thwart evildoers at night) for the big screen.
Enter 1994’s “The Shadow,” a movie that looks like a million bucks (aside from the unfortunate 1990s CGI). Well, it should be: It was directed by Russell Mulcahy (who directed landmark music videos starring Fleetwood Mac, Bonnie Tyler and Elton John before breaking out as a filmmaker with 1986’s “Highlander”) and filmed by Stephen H. Burum, the cinematographer behind the evocative black-and-white visuals of “Rumble Fish” and the slow-motion marvel that is the shootout on the Union Station stairs in “The Untouchables.” Add to that a brilliant, over-the-top production design by Joseph C. Nemec II (“Terminator 2: Judgment Day”), and the film depicts The Shadow’s backyard in 1930s (approximately) New York City as an “Art Deco nightmare,” to quote Roger EbertEnthusiastic review of the film.
But in this case, Ebert was one of the rare critics to have appreciated “L’Ombre” and his crusade to surpass the dark superhero atmosphere and psychological visuals of Burton’s “Batman.” Even Alec Baldwin, operating at the height of his action star powers as the titular crime fighter, with an ensemble cast including illustrious names like Ian McKellen and my man Tim Curry, couldn’t save the film from failing both critically. And commercially.
The Shadow knows if she deserves her fate
Different films took various approaches to adapting pre-WWII pulp heroes in the ’90s, as studios chased the ghost of Tim Burton’s “Batman.” Where 1990’s “Dick Tracy” brought more emotional nuance to its square-jawed namesake, the flop “The Phantom” directed by Billy Zane in 1996 embraced its underlying fantasy. Then you have “The Shadow,” a heightened mishmash of screwball comedy and hard-boiled supernatural adventure that feels like it could have come out of the 1930s (with, I’m sorry to say, a bit of casual orientalism). This was apparently what screenwriter David Koepp, then fresh off the screenplay for “Jurassic Park,” intended as well (minus the orientalism).
Maybe that’s why “The Shadow” doesn’t really work in a post-Burton “Batman” world. His story is fairly blasé (although it does involve mystical flying daggers and invisible luxury hotels), while Alec Baldwin as Lamont Cranston – the slick-haired New York playboy who secretly fights criminals as The Shadow using psychic powers he developed overseas (like you) – is a proto-Bruce Wayne who lacks the distinct quirks that made Michael the Caped Crusader Keaton in Burton’s ‘Batman’. interesting. In fact, most of the heroes in “The Shadow” could use more personality, including Penelope Ann Miller as Cranston’s romantic interest and Ian McKellen as his temperamental scientist father. It’s the villains who are the most fun, particularly John Lone as the sneering, power-hungry descendant of Genghis Khan and, obviously, Tim Curry as the sweaty, scheming scientist.
At the same time, Ebert was right: “Style and tone are essential in a film like this,” as he noted, and “The Shadow” certainly has that. That wasn’t enough to distinguish it in a sea of ”Batman” wannabes in 1994, but when it comes to old-school pulp hero adaptations, you could absolutely do worse. Isn’t that true: “The Spirit?” »
