First of all, I think this is an excellent film. It's perfect for its targeted juvenile audience and can be appreciated by adults as well. The question I want to raise is how "real" is the little boy Davey's imaginary friend Jack Flack. Throughout the film he is presented as an imaginary playmate whom nobody but the boy can see. Then, toward the end, a couple of incidents occur that make you believe that Jack Flack may have a certain level of reality beyond the boy's imagination. First, there is a scene in which Davey is running along the Riverwalk in Austin. There are a number of sidewalk cafés located there. It is late at night and the area is deserted except for Davey and the killers chasing him. Jack Flack is sitting at a table drinking a cup of coffee and offers Davey some advise as he passes by. Davey runs on and as the killers pass the table, it is of course empty but the coffee cup is still there. Shortly thereafter, Davey is cornered by a killer. Davey has a pistol and attempts to threaten the killer, who laughs. Jack is standing next to Davey, unseen by the killer. Davey keeps talking to Jack and glancing at him. The killer Is confused by this and tries to see to whom he is speaking. Jack moves away from Davey and calls to the killer, who fires at a shadow or something he thinks he might have seen. When Jack goes down, Davey fires at the gunman, killing him. Jack stands up but Davey is angry that he has been forced to kill a man and tells him he doesn't want to play any more. Jack says, "You're just the same as your father. We used to play Cowboys and Indians but then he got mad and broke his toys." At that point Jack begins to "die". Before he does, he tells Davey, "You're the best playmate I've ever had." To me, these instances indicate that Jack inhabits a level of existence that goes beyond imagination. He is some sort of trans-generational immortal entity that passes from parent to child. Or maybe I just never wanted to give up my toys. That's why I cried at the end of Toy Story 3.
Review of Cloak & Dagger
