Beanbioca As Good As It Gets

Odelecol Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

Erica Derrick By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

Guillelmina The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

gorf The Shadow Strikes is the complete opposite of the serial that came out three years later. The serial was exciting and fast-paced, The Shadow Strikes a bit boring and slow. This version of the Shadow looks nothing like the one on the pulp covers. He doesn't even cover his face.There are no fight scenes or shootouts either. It's just a regular crime movie with a guy who's supposed to be The Shadow. I wouldn't mind a Shadow movie without fighting or shooting, but the crime solving stuff in this movie is just uninteresting. There isn't much entertainment to be found here.I also found the plot a bit confusing. Maybe it's because I almost fell asleep during the movie, and sometimes had to rewind it because I missed important things. I almost fall asleep just by thinking about the movie. There are some positive things about The Shadow Strikes. There's no graphic violence or sex. The main character and his sidekick are likable people. It's a movie about people who fight evil. Lamont "Granston" has a cool mustache. Too bad the rest of it is so darn uninteresting. Oh, well...maybe the sequel called "International Crime" is better.If you want a good Shadow movie, watch the serial or the 1994 movie...or just listen to the excellent radio show. If you want a good mystery/crime movie, just watch any of the Sherlock Holmes movies with Basil Rathbone.

classicsoncall So, does anybody know who killed Caleb Delthern and Winstead Comstock? The newspaper headline stated that 'Amateur Criminologist, Granston, Solves Baffling Case'. Maybe they should have let the viewer in on the little secret. Are we supposed to believe the butler did it? Maybe Charlie Chan should have been along to wrap things up in methodical fashion the way he always did at the end of his films.I guess this just wasn't the type of movie I was expecting with The Shadow mentioned in the title. It was merely another detective story of the era with a couple of black hat and cape scenes bookending the story to capitalize on the Shadow name. That's not to say that it was entirely unwatchable, but it helps to have a high tolerance for severely wooden acting and totally implausible situations. Like why was The Shadow at Attorney Randall's office during the opening scene in the first place? Did he know a couple of safe crackers would be there, or did he happen to be in that building at just the right time to foil a robbery? See what I mean? Say, did you notice right after Kelly whisked the two thieves away to the station, Captain Breen encountered 'Randall' (Rod La Rocque) picking up the documents that had fallen on the floor during the attempted robbery. All the ones he had in his hand were neatly folded with a stack of envelopes, which he placed back on the floor when Captain Breen (Kenneth Harlan) walked in. However when Henry (Norman Ainsley) entered the room, the first thing he picked up was a long unfolded sheet of paper.Speaking of Breen, was there ever a detective that followed poorer protocol? Talk about compromising a crime scene, he lets a couple of reporters do anything they want at the Delthern murder scene, while he leaves the room!Too bad gambling boss Grossett didn't have a larger role, I kind of liked his smarmy character. Actor Cy Kendall had the perfect size and demeanor to play a heavy, which he did in 'B' Westerns as well as crime films like you see here.In summing up, I don't see any reason to recommend this one, even for die-hard Shadow fans, because the character's persona and mystique is all but absent. This one may know what evil lurks in the hearts of men, but I wish he had given us a hint. And to top it all off, young Jasper got away with his gambling debt scot free!

Hitchcoc I own a few of the old radio shows this is supposedly based on, and I find them delightful. The Shadow is that dark hero who gives up a personal life to lurk in the darkness. He understands the minds of criminals and is able to make his way into their lairs and root them out. His voice is one of threat and he strikes fear into criminals. This is just a police drama with a rather lame plot about a will and who will inherit a bunch of money. We know he is the Shadow, but instead of a wide network and reputation, he seems just like a guy in a coat. He has a sidekick who does a lot of his bidding, there are hidden microphones and unannounced entrances into rooms, but, overall, it's pretty dull. I would imagine the fans, who grew up with the radio character, must have been pretty disappointed.

vollenhoven For anybody who enjoyed the last movie update of the Shadow, this movie might be a bit of a shock. The movie lacks the character of the Shadow, twice we see the man and even then he lacks the magic and is just a man with a coat and had whom's face you don't see. Never you see why he strikes fear in the hearts of criminals.It looks like a detective story with as an afterthought the character of the Shadow thrown in. The story is about Lamont taking the identity of an out of town lawyer and in doing so he gets involved in a murder plot. As usual it is about big money to be inherited and gambling. And even the evil gangster in this movie is laughable, he seems to do his own things instead of his men, which proves his downfall.As a mystery, nice ending, as a Shadow movie a tad disappointing.