ThiefHott Too much of everything

Konterr Brilliant and touching

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

Kidskycom It's funny watching the elements come together in this complicated scam. On one hand, the set-up isn't quite as complex as it seems, but there's an easy sense of fun in every exchange.

mark.waltz Silent and early talkie star Rod La Rocque lacks in real screen magnetism in this murder mystery where he's involved in the family scandals with a rich man, shot and killed through a window as they spoke. The murdered man had made threats to disinherit certain family members, giving plenty of people motive for murder. There's even more suspects as this convoluted mystery gets underway, with presumed members of the underworld doing their best to get their hands on the will. It's slow, pondering, creaky with long pauses, and only passably acted. The insinuations of a series never came to fruition, fortunately, perhaps because of the success of the unrelated radio series, and mostly because of the obvious necessity to replace La Rocque had they decided to go that route. Only a minor actor playing an amusingly tough butler gives this any spark, with the romantic and family angles of the mystery never interesting enough to really get the audience to be in invested in really caring "Who done it".

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.

MartinHafer This is the first Shadow movie. However, I have already seen this film's sequel, "International Crime", so I guess I am doing it a bit backwards. I had hopes that this would be a better film than the next one, as "International Crime" was a bit dull. And, fortunately it is in most ways.The plot involves The Shadow, Lamont Granston, inexplicably posing as a lawyer and getting sucked into a murder mystery. When the fake lawyer (Granston) is called to create a new will for a rich guy, in the middle of their conversation the guy is shot dead!! During the investigation, organized crime and the various beneficiaries in the will are all considered suspects--but the real culprit and his reasons are revealed at the end.Granston (Rod La Roque) is The Shadow in this film. However, the character's name in the radio shows and pulp magazines was Kent Allard but he sometimes posed as Mr. Cranston. Why the film got this so wrong is beside me, but what's worse is that almost NONE of the original character (begun in 1930) is present other than his occasionally donning a cloak and fedora. In other words, his weird psychic power to cloud men's minds is gone--and Granston, frankly, is indistinguishable from later characters like The Saint or The Falcon. In other words, he's just another bored gentleman amateur detective. Now this isn't bad--but it's NOT The Shadow in any meaningful way. In fact, at the end of this film, Granston reveals who he is!!! Yet, he returns for more films--which makes no sense. It's all pleasant and entertaining--especially since La Rocque was great as a glib gentleman and man about town. And, compared to other detective B-movies it's pretty good--with decent writing, acting and production values. Just don't expect anything 'Shadowy'!

FieCrier The Shadow has a mustache?!The film doesn't really introduce either Lamont Cranston or The Shadow, but seems to assume the audience knows them already. Editing and cinematography are pretty poor, as is the writing and acting. Cranston/The Shadow is surprisingly careless, doesn't laugh, doesn't say "Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men...The Shadow knows," or "the weed of crime bears bitter fruit," and appears to lack "the power to cloud men's minds." He evidently has only one servant, not a whole network.A subplot involving the mystery of Cranston's father's death is barely explored and seems an afterthought, despite the film's suggesting this may have been the reason for the genesis of The Shadow.Still, it's sort of fun.