The Movie
It takes just 14 minutes for a character to say the title of the movie, which is never a great sign. Add to that the presence of Dabney Coleman and the fact that this is a remake of a successful foreign film, and you find quickly that the deck is stacked against the cast and crew of The Man with One Red Shoe. Yet despite such obstacles, superstar-in-training Tom Hanks and directing vet Stan Dragoti (Mr. Mom, Love at First Bite) put together a movie that isn't painful to sit through, and can, in fact, be pretty fun at times.

Another example of the pervasive influence of the Cold War on '80s movies, this farce centers around a professional rivalry between the top spooks in the CIA. In the Middle East, Cooper (Coleman) causes one of the agency's top operatives to be arrested on drug charges, bettering his chance at becoming director. As revenge, the organization's leader (Charles Durning, The Rocky Horror Picture Show) sends Cooper's team on a wild goose chase, after a randomly-selected schmuck, Hank's violin-player Richard Drew, chosen because a prank left him wearing one red shoe. Stuck in the middle of a CIA feud, Richard finds his life turned upside down, and into a series of slapstick mishaps. At the same time, Coleman's crew is running themselves ragged to get to the bottom of this supposed superspy.

Along the way, Richard has to deal with an affair he's having with Paula (Carrie Fisher), the wife of his best friend, Morris (Jim Belushi). Plus, a female spy, played by Lori Singer (Short Cuts) in a way that can only be described as cyborg-esque, is falling for him. To say the plot is contrived would be putting it lightly, but, at the same time, Hanks' good-natured goof holds everything together. It's completely believable that he could remain calm, even when seeing the lowest-cut dress back ever made. Without his Forrest Gump-lite performance, this would have been a disaster.

While the performances are enjoyable, the directing goes beyond that of the usual '80s film. Dragoti took what could have been a standard ho-hum comedy and made an exciting and well-shot film. The use of film-noir standards like Dutch angles and heavy shadows give the movie a very stylish appearance that you don't usual get from movies in this genre. After watching it again, I feel this is an underrated film. Don't get me wrong... it's no award winner, but when it comes to remakes of foreign comedies, this is more The Birdcage than Three Men and a Baby.

The DVD
Fox has released The Man with One Red Shoe on DVD as a flipper, with a full-screen transfer on one side and a widescreen transfer on the other. Language options include English (stereo and mono), French (mono) and Spanish (mono), while the subtitles are available in English and Spanish. The menus are static, though film-themed, with no music. Four special features are included as well, but don't get your hopes up about them (see "The Extras.")

The Quality
I didn't expect much when I started this disc, but it looks fantastic, with excellent color and deep blacks. There's some grain, which is to be expected for a film that's nearly 20 years old, but nothing that will distract you. The transfer is very crisp, which is key for a film that plays in the shadows often. The soundtrack isn't the most ambitious you've ever heard, but the Thomas Newman score sounds very clear. The mono track is a bit stronger, but they both do their job well.

The Extras
Four theatrical trailers are included with this film, including the preview for the movie itself. The remaining three are Tom Hanks Fox films, Cast Away, Big and That Thing You Do!. All four are anamorphic and look great, though, of course, The Man With One Red Shoe is showing its age, but not too badly.

The Bottom Line
Tom Hanks is an eminently likable actor, but he was even more so back before he became one of the biggest stars on the planet. This film, though definitely flawed in terms of the plot, is a fun, dark spy farce, the kind of movie you really don't see made anymore (with the exception of Grosse Point Blank.) Hanks fans might want it for the sake of completion, but anyone could enjoy it. With a suggested price under $15 and an excellent transfer, this is worth picking up.

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*The Reviewer's Bias section is an attempt to help readers use the review to its best effect. By knowing where the reviewer's biases lie on the film's subject matter, one can read the review with the right mindset.