Watch the Shadows Dance (1987)

User Rating:

3.0/10   

Director:

Mark Joffe

Writer:

Michael McGennan (writer)

Genre:

Action

Tagline:

Obsession is the deadliest weapon.

Plot Keywords:

Vietnam War Veteran | Fight Scene | Murderer | Trampoline | Karate

Cast

Tom Jennings	...	Robby Mason
Nicole Kidman	...	Amy Gabriel
Joanne Samuel	...	Sonia Spane
Vince Martin	...	Steve Beck
Craig Pearce	...	Guy Duncan
Doug Parkinson	...	Pete 'Pearly' Gates
Jeremy Shadlow	...	Simon
Alexander Broun	...	Henry
Laurence Clifford	...	Brian Simmons
Paul Gleeson	...	Peter Hastings
Mark Hennessy	...	Aloysius Askew
James Lugton	...	Tote 'Ali' Bent
Chris Truswell	...	'Fingers' Hough
Terry Brady	...	Lt. Trout
Richard Jones	...	Gary Garter

Also Known As:

Nightmaster (USA)

Runtime:

USA:87 min

Country:

Australia | Canada

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

Iceland:12 | Australia:M | UK:15 (cut) | USA:R | West Germany:16

Filming Locations:

Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Company:

Cine-Funds Limited

Goofs:

Factual errors: The end credits copyright the film under the title "Tomorrow's News" (aka Outback Vampires (1987)), which was a different Australian film made the same year.

Can't really recommend this one.

Really a shame, poor direction ruined what could have been a far better film. Solid, believable performances from a very young Nicole Kidman and a fine martial-arts actor, Tom Jennings, just aren't enough to save this. The screenplay didn't quite realize the basic concept of a bunch of older kids staying up all night to play Ninja war games in an abandoned power plant, much to the neglect of their school work. It was, to say the least, a bit muddled. There were some good futuristic elements thrown in, but not convincingly enough to play true. As to what year of school these "kids" were in, it's hard to guess. They're clearly too mature for an American high school, but then again, it's an Australian movie, set in the future.

With better editing, this movie could have been a bit more watchable, but I suspect there just wasn't enough footage shot that the editor had much choice. Some sequences were reused in pointless mini-flashbacks that really didn't belong in the film. This makes me wonder if it wasn't being padded to play on television. And the director just didn't seem to be able to tell a story. He did frame the occasional dramatic picture, but not often enough to achieve the artsy effect I think he was going for. Besides, without being able to accomplish the basics, you should be careful with the frills.

However, it's a treat to see the young Kidman. Despite the bad direction, muddled script, all the martial arts sequences executed in the dark, and her thick Australian accent, you can see what everyone saw in her, even then. Tom Jennings wasn't bad either, seemed to show a lot of potential, but I wonder what happened to him. According to IMDB, he made one more movie in '88 and then dropped out of sight.

I wouldn't recommend you go out of your way to see this one, but it lapsed into the public domain and is available very cheaply from a number of sources. I can only think of two reasons to see this: 1) You're a die-hard Kidman fan who would watch ANYTHING if she was in it, or 2) You're lazy and dishonest and looking for an obscure script to recycle for a student film project.