Cloak & Dagger (1984)

For years, Dick Ebert has been crowing about "Cloak & Dagger" — the video game angle, the spycraft, the majesty of the San Antonio River Walk. Now it's time to see if this 1984 version of a children's movie still holds up.

Starring the late Dabney Coleman, "Cloak & Dagger" transports us to a world where boys kill grown men, berets stop bullets and little girls can carry bombs through airport security.

If all this sounds fun, it is. But there's a sadder side to "Cloak & Dagger." It's a film that made the Shat Crew realize Henry Thomas was doomed to always play a child from a broken home, some guys get to swear sweatpants to work and the parents of Gen X didn't care very much about their children.

Plot Summary:

In the 1984 adventure thriller Cloak & Dagger, directed by Richard Franklin, Henry Thomas stars as Davey Osborne, an imaginative 11-year-old boy with a passion for spy games and video games. Living with his father, Hal Osborne (Dabney Coleman), a busy Air Force officer and widower, Davey often retreats into a fantasy world where he imagines himself as a secret agent on daring missions, guided by his imaginary friend and video game hero, Jack Flack, also played by Coleman.

When Davey stumbles upon a murder and discovers that a cartridge of his favorite game, "Cloak & Dagger," contains secret government information, he is thrust into a real-life spy adventure. As he tries to convince the adults around him that he has uncovered an international espionage plot, Davey finds himself pursued by dangerous agents who will stop at nothing to retrieve the cartridge. Armed only with his quick thinking and inspired by his imaginary hero, Jack Flack, Davey must navigate a world filled with danger and deception to survive.

Along the way, he is joined by his best friend, Kim (Christina Nigra), and together, they must outsmart the sinister spies who have infiltrated his hometown. As the line between fantasy and reality blurs, Davey realizes that he can’t rely solely on his imagination and must summon real courage to confront the threats facing him and protect those he loves.

Cloak & Dagger is a unique blend of childhood adventure, suspense, and 1980s nostalgia, featuring a story that captures the thrill of espionage while exploring themes of bravery, friendship, and the power of imagination. Tune in to our podcast review to revisit this underrated gem and find out if its mix of fantasy and real-life danger still entertains modern audiences today.

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