The Shadow (1994)

Everyone carries a little darkness inside, and what really matters is what you choose to do with it. Russell Mulcahy's "The Shadow" received mixed reviews when it opened in 1994, but this lavish production works overtime to honor the spirit and style of the vintage pulp novels and radio shows that made the character a household name in the 1930s and '40s. Alec Baldwin stars as Lamont Cranston, a former warlord who arrives in New York after a brutal life in Tibet, now reformed and trained in the mysterious power to cloud men's minds. As the Shadow, he stalks the city's darkest corners fighting crime, until he faces his deadliest challenge yet: Shiwan Khan (John Lone), the last descendant of Genghis Khan, who has hatched a plan to conquer the world. Khan's scheme involves a treacherous weapons expert (Tim Curry), an absent-minded scientist (Ian McKellen), an atomic bomb and a string of traps designed to kill the Shadow. Meanwhile, Cranston is falling for Margo Lane (Penelope Ann Miller), a striking beauty with a few mind-reading talents of her own. The stunning art deco production design steals the show whenever the plot slows down, and Baldwin is never given quite enough good material to create a truly compelling hero. Still, the film stays true to its roots, never compromising its 1930s style and setting. Even if the story doesn't grab you, the look of the film, which is never less than dazzling, is sure to keep you hooked.