Cloak & Dagger told the story of the little boy who cried, “Government spies are selling out the country and I have the video game to prove it!” In this loose reworking of 1949’s The Window (which was in turn based on a Cornell Woolrich short story), an eleven-year-old boy with a vivid imagination got himself into more trouble than he could’ve imagined.
Davey Osborne is the tale-spinning son of widowed military officer Hal Osborne. When Davey gets handed a special copy of the video game Cloak & Dagger by a dying spy, he discovers a plot to sell vital U.S. secrets to enemies abroad. But who’ll believe him? No one, it seems, as Hal and the other adults think it’s simply another case of Davey’s overactive imagination.
Davey’s imaginary hero, Jack Flack, shows up to lend a hand, but he can only carry the boy so far. Once reality sets in, it’s up to Davey’s natural ingenuity and determination to get himself and his friends out of the villains’ clutches.
Henry Thomas, fresh off his starring role in the megablockbuster E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial, starred as Davey, and Dabney Coleman played the dual role of Hal Osborne and Jack Flack. Along with Tron and WarGames, Cloak & Dagger was one of the first Hollywood films to acknowledge the growing popularity of video games. But more importantly to its young fans, the movie acknowledged an older and greater truth: nobody ever listens to kids, even when murderous double agents really are out to kill them.
Cloak and Dagger was the first movie I rented when I got a VCR. I love this movie!
Yes, really liked this movie when I was a kid. Saw it in theater and then many times rented on VHS. Had Elliott from E.T. and video games, so had my interest. Fun movie and Dabney Coleman was great as well. I remember the first time I visited San Antonio that I recalled some of the locations in the film which was cool as well. Cloak and Dagger provides great nostalgia for me.