Haphazard Stuff | The Spirit (1987)

http://haphazardstuff.com/TheSpirit1987

Detective Denny Colt is one of the finest, upstanding, incorruptible cops that has arrived in Central City. Knowing Colt will cause them a lot of headaches when he grows suspicious of some bizarre activities at the city’s museum he’s gunned down and left for dead by a pack of nefarious criminals.

However, Colt survives the attack and decides to use his supposed death to his advantage. He grabs a fedora, puts on a mask and vows to continue to fight crime. He’s no longer bound by the rules of the law either! The criminals of Central City better watch out for The Spirit!

Sam J. Jones returns to my superhero series as our lead hero once again. After bringing to life Flash Gordon, Jones steps into the mask of another popular hero from the earliest days of superhero history. Legendary comic artist Will Eisner’s creation was one of the most popular and beloved characters during the 1940’s. The Spirit would be pushed to the side by more colorful, powerful characters through the years, so when ABC aired a proposed pilot film for The Spirit it might have caught audiences a bit off guard.

The movie was mostly ignored and forgotten by audiences. Eisner himself was said to have been disappointed with the final result. Not surprisingly the television series never happened, but the 74 minute movie remains.

Trying to balance a campy fun, tongue-in-cheek, adventurous tone on a limited budget, the story moves the character from his 1940’s dark noir setting to a more brightly lit present day 1987. The Spirit must try to stop a series of art thefts and fraud at the city museum with only some help by Commissioner Dolan and a streetwise kid. Oh, and Dolan’s beautiful daughter Ellen might need some saving too.