DVD Review: Shadows and Fog (C+)

Shadows and Fog (1992)
Directed by Woody Allen
Starring Woody Allen, Mia Farrow, John Cusack, John Malkovitch, Madonna, Jodie Foster, Lily Tomlin and Donald Pleasance
MPAA: PG-13
Grade: C+

Review by Scott Standish

Woody Allen churns out a lot of movies (about one a year) and one of the pitfalls of being so prolific is that its hard to continually produce groundbreaking work. The man behind such American classics as Manhattan and Annie Hall stumbled a bit with the Bergman-esque Shadows and Fog back in 1992, but it's still worth checking out on a cold rainy evening.

Woody plays Max Kleinman, a neurotic (surprise!) book keeper that is roused from bed late one night by a group of men in search of a killer on the loose. They want Max to help them find the strangler but refuse to give him the instructions he needs to really do anything. Kleinman stumbles through the shadows and fog (of course), meeting up with strange characters thoughout the evening.

Mia Farrow co-stars as Irmy, a sword swallower that has left the circus to get away from her philandering clown boyfriend (John Malkovitch). Madonna has a short (thank god) yet sweet appearance as a Marlene Dietrich wanna-be, and John Cusack puts in a nice performance as a rich student that falls for Irmy. Donald Pleasance, David Ogden-Steirs, Jodie Foster and Lily Tomlin round out the usual star-studded Woody Allen cast.

Shadows and Fog is an entertaining black and white drama with some interesting ideas but it certainly ranks somewhere in the middle of Mr. Allen's best. For the Woodman's fans only.

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