Cloak and Dagger

Critics Consensus

No consensus yet.

64%

TOMATOMETER

Total Count: 11

55%

Audience Score

User Ratings: 9,226
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Cloak and Dagger Photos

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Movie Info

Juvenile actor Henry Thomas, late of E.T., is the star of Cloak and Dagger. Given to telling whoppers, Thomas finds himself in a boy-who-cried-wolf dilemma when he overhears two spies plotting to smuggle valuable info out of the US. When he can't get his own father Dabney Coleman to believe him, Thomas turns disconsolately to a computer game called "Cloak and Dagger" and begins to fantasize, imagining that he is in cahoots with secret agent Jack Flack, also played by Coleman. Finally coming to grips with the fact that the mythical Jack Flack cannot help him this time, Thomas takes on the spies with the help of his schoolmates, who are also "Cloak and Dagger" addicts. Cloak and Dagger is a heavily disguised remake of 1949's The Window; both are based on the Cornell Woolrich story The Boy Cried Murder.

Cast

Henry Thomas
as Davey Osborne
Dabney Coleman
as Jack Flack / Hal Osborne
Michael Murphy
as Rice
Christina Nigra
as Kim Gardener
John McIntire
as George MacCready
Jeanette Nolan
as Eunice MacCready
Eloy Casados
as Alvarez
Tim Rossovich
as Haverman
William Forsythe
as Morris
Bill Forsythe
as Morris
Robert DoQui
as Lt. Fleming
Shelby Leverington
as Marilyn Gardener
Linden Chiles
as Airport Security Chief
Robert Curtin
as Murdoch
William Marquez
as Airport Security Guard
Wendell Wright
as Airport Security Guard
Al Gomez
as Ground Crewman
Doris Hargrave
as Woman in Cafe
Gary Moody
as Man in Cafe
Eleese Lester
as Woman on Boat
John Edson
as Man on Boat
Steve Fromholtz
as Man on Boat
Charles Beall
as Alamo Guard
Stuart MacGregor
as Alamo Guard
Norman Bennett
as Texan
Corey Rand
as Building Security Guard
Nicholas Guest
as Taxi Driver
Louie Anderson
as Taxi Driver
Karen Leigh Hopkins
as Receptionist
Tammy Hyler
as Check-In Clerk
Alvaro Rojas Jr.
as Boat Captain
Steve Fromholz
as Man on Boat
Robert Traynor
as Ticket Agent
Berkley H. Garrett
as Bus Driver
Gene Ross
as Bus Driver
Earl Houston Bullock
as Navigator
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News & Interviews for Cloak and Dagger

Photos: 24 Most Destructive Movie Spies
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Critic Reviews for Cloak and Dagger

All Critics (11) | Top Critics (3) | Fresh (7) | Rotten (4)

  • "Cloak & Dagger" is never as adept or perceptive as you'd like it to be, but it's got what members of the critical fraternity traditionally characterize as "a little something."

    May 10, 2017 | Full Review…

    Gary Arnold

    Washington Post
    Top Critic

  • Cloak and Dagger is fun for adults as well as older kids, thanks to the imaginative writing (by Tom Holland) and direction (by Richard Franklin).

    Oct 29, 2012 | Rating: 4/5 | Full Review…

    Kevin Thomas

    Los Angeles Times
    Top Critic

  • The last thing we need right now is another movie about a boy caught up in the world of computer games - but ''Cloak and Dagger,'' while fitting that mold, is clever and enjoyable anyhow.

    May 25, 2004 | Rating: 3/5

    Janet Maslin

    New York Times
    Top Critic

  • For a movie so obsessed with the line between reality and make-believe, it never knows which side it wants to be on.

    Aug 13, 2014 | Rating: C | Full Review…

    Rob Vaux

    Mania.com

  • A film with much to recommend it, Cloak and Dagger feels like a Hitchcock movie produced by Walt Disney.

    Oct 29, 2012 | Rating: 3.5/4 | Full Review…
    TV Guide

  • Fantasy-adventure is exciting, but full of dark mayhem.

    Nov 23, 2010 | Rating: 3/5 | Full Review…

    Renee Schonfeld

    Common Sense Media
View All Critic Reviews (11)

Audience Reviews for Cloak and Dagger

  • Feb 24, 2012
    A cute little kids spy film, about military secrets being smuggled out of the county in Atari Game Cartages. Funny to see how basic graphics were in 1983, not a great film but should keep those under 13 amused for more then 5 minutes. I saw it on Netflix Stream. 3 Stars
    Bruce B Super Reviewer
  • Aug 26, 2011
    Great kids movie. It's a little dated, revolving around Atari games, but still good.
    Sean G Super Reviewer
  • Oct 11, 2010
    Amazing, this is kids action movie! I loved it, it's a lot of fun, and very suspenseful.
    Aj V Super Reviewer
  • Oct 04, 2010
    It has good cinematography and Dabney Coleman is great in his double role, but the boy lead, Henry Thomas, seems a little autistic at times. This is a brave kids movie in that the hero is so wrapped up in his spy-videogame world that we know it's probably not healthy, even if the stuffy adult world tells him the same thing. Cloak & Dagger is fun because it is serious about murder, with cold Hitchcockian touches that don't suggest the kids will make it out alive. The movie gets bad whenever other little touches make it seem like a Disney TV movie. The screenplay seems to suggest that these events could all be his fantasy taken too far, and then not follow through with this idea (which would have given us an ending like Total Recall's), because that might be too frightening a possibility for a younger audience. Robert Rodriguez or M. Night S. should remake it or maybe that's too obvious.
    Adam M Super Reviewer
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