the shadow darkman

For filmmakers adapting a popular comic book character to the screen, one of the first questions they face must be “How faithful has this thing got to be?” Treat the original text as a bible and you deliver a dated, cornball superhero in tights. But go too far afield from the source material and you’ve suddenly have millions of fanboys planning a boycott.

The Shadow (1994) went out on a limb and stuck with a ‘30s setting complete with tommy guns, glamorous dames and wise-guy dialogue. It was a risky move by screenwriter David Koepp (Carlito’s Way, Jurassic Park) considering Dick Tracy – which mined much of the same material – was only moderately successful four years earlier and got hammered by critics (although that might have been the “Madonna” factor). But director Russell Mulcahy’s (Highlander) film seem to revel in its cornball cinematic status, set against phony backdrops and questionable special effects that almost dare you to make fun of them.

Alec Baldwin plays Lamont Cranston, a solider-turned-thug-turned caped crusader who has the ability to “cloud men’s mind,” making himself invisible to the bad guys and granting him powers of mental illusion. Equipped with these supernatural abilities and a pair of .45 caliber pistols, he defends the city from criminals big and small. In this case, he’s up against Shiwan Khan, last surviving relative of Genghis Kahn, who plans to blow up New York with an early prototype of the Atom bomb.

Baldwin makes for a charming hero, fitting right into the classic Hollywood look of the film. But his spooky off-screen laugh (an essential ingredient from the Shadow radio show) can’t help but play as cheesy and antiquated. The rest of the film is populated with familiar faces (Peter Boyle, Ian McKellar, Penelope Ann Miller) right down to the smallest roles, and everyone seems to be enjoying themselves. Which seems to be the key to enjoying The Shadow, an intentionally retro mess that redeems itself with an “anything goes” attitude.

Produced four years earlier, after director Sam Raimi failed to secure the rights to direct The Shadow himself (if IMDB is to be believed), Darkman (1990) stalks through a lot of the same antihero territory. After being disfigured by a psychotic mobster, scientist Peyton Westlake (Liam Neeson) uses his invention for revenge, producing Mission Impossible-style masks that allow him to take on anyone’s appearance. He’s also immune to pain and quite athletic when he has to be. Unfortunately, his masks only hold their shape for a limited amount of time; meaning he can’t use them hide his mangled mug from the woman he loves (Frances McDormand).

Darkman was Raimi’s follow-up to the cult success of Evil Dead 2. And, as he has often admitted, it’s far too ambitious for the budget he had. But, warts and all, it’s an endlessly inventive film starting with its central character. Unable land an actual superhero, Raimi went out and invented one himself. Sort of a mix between the Shadow and the Phantom of the Opera, Liam Neeson brings a lot to the role, playing up the romantic tragedy yet adapting to Raimi’s Three Stooges sensibility.

Even though the seams show a little too often and the bad guy isn’t much of a threat, Darkman features some incredible stunts and Raimi’s signature camerawork. Looking back, the film’s sense of humor is too bizarre for mainstream audience’s to swallow. Raimi had to scale that back with the first Spiderman before he hit the big time. Yet Darkman remains an ingenious little footnote in the history of comic book superheroes…even though it never appeared on the printed page.

Each title is sold separately but they go together like peanut butter and jelly! Both has appeared on blu-ray before from Universal, but Shout Factory adds a number of extras that fans will want to watch for. The Shadow includes a 30-minute making of gathering most of the main participants (who all say they signed on because of Koepp’s script) along with trailers and still gallery. Meanwhile Darkman is a true collector’s edition, sporting interviews with Liam Neeson, Frances McDormand and Larry Drake, more input from the make-up guys and production designer, storyboards, trailers and an audio commentary from director of photography Bill Pope. Raimi himself is curious absent except for a vintage press kit that promoted the film at the time of its release.