The Phantom (1996 film)
| The Phantom | |
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original movie poster
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| Directed by | Simon Wincer |
| Produced by |
Alan Ladd, Jr. Robert Evans |
| Written by | Jeffrey Boam |
| Based on |
The Phantom by Lee Falk |
| Starring | |
| Music by | David Newman |
| Cinematography | David Burr |
| Edited by | O. Nicholas Brown Bryan H. Carroll |
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Production
company |
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| Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
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Release date
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Running time
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100 minutes |
| Country | United States Australia |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $45 million |
| Box office | $17.3 million (domestic) |
The Phantom is a 1996 American superhero film directed by Simon Wincer. Based on Lee Falk's comic strip The Phantom, the film stars Billy Zane as a seemingly immortal crimefighter and his battle against all forms of evil. The Phantom also stars Treat Williams, Kristy Swanson, Catherine Zeta-Jones, James Remar and Patrick McGoohan. The film's plot is loosely inspired by three of The Phantom stories, "The Singh Brotherhood", "The Sky Band" and "The Belt"; but adds supernatural elements and several new characters.
Principal photography began in October 1995 and concluded on February 13, 1996. The film was shot in California, Thailand and Australia.
The Phantom was released on June 7, 1996, and received mixed reviews from film critics. Despite financial disappointment in its theatrical release, the film has since enjoyed success on VHS and DVD.
In the early 16th century, a young boy helplessly witnesses his father's death at the hands of Kabai Sengh, the ruthless leader of the Sengh brotherhood who attacked their ship. The boy jumps overboard and is washed ashore on an island called Bengalla where he is found by tribesmen who take him to their village. There he is given the Skull Ring and swears to devote his life to the destruction of piracy, greed, cruelty and injustice. In adulthood, he adopts the identity of "The Phantom", a masked avenger. The role of The Phantom is passed on from father to son through centuries, leading people to believe in a single, immortal figure and accordingly nickname him "The Ghost Who Walks" and "The Man Who Never Dies".
In 1938, Kit Walker (Billy Zane), the 21st Phantom, finds a man named Quill (James Remar) leading a mercenary group in the jungle. The group is searching for one of the Skulls of Touganda, which grants its owner a tremendous destructive power. The Phantom saves the native boy they had kidnapped to be their guide and captures Quill's men, leaving them to be picked up by the jungle patrol while their leader escapes. Quill—revealed as a member of the Sengh Brotherhood, and the man who killed Kit's father (Patrick McGoohan)— flees with the Skull and returns to the United States.
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