Review of Shadows and Fog (1991) by Todd L — 17 Aug 2011

Though "Shadows and Fog" is far from my favorite Woody Allen film, I can't say I didn't enjoy it. Max (Allen) is a fraidy-cat lawyer who is woken up by a band of his neighbors, and they want him to help them nab a serial strangler on the loose.

When he gets dressed, they leave, and he wanders the streets by himself. He then runs into a sword-swallower (Farrow), a hooker (Foster), and the killer himself. But when the doctor he visited earlier in the night winds up dead, the lynch mob goes out to get him.

For a great Woody Allen film, see "Hannah and Her Sisters". For a good Allen movie, see "Shadows and Fog". Yes, this isn't Allen's best film, but it is truly a lot of fun anyways.

"Shadows and Fog" is truly a black comedy and Woody really does his best to really make the genre come alive. He blends German expressionist style of filming (black and white), and at the same time presents a "Jack the Ripper" feeling throughout the movie.

Though truly this is more of a comedy, don't expect to laugh that much. The jokes often fall flat, but the actors who present them still are very good. You get some fun appearances from Madonna, Lily Tomlin, Jodie Foster, Fred Gwynne (from "The Munsters"), Kathy Bates (as a hooker, can you imagine that?), and even John Malkovich, plus the team of Woody Allen and Mia Farrow make their last film together.

I can't really decide whether this movie is all that great or not. Oh, well, I liked it. "Shadows and Fog" is really filled with well ... shadows and fog.