Shadows And Fog (1992)

In an unnamed middle European city, a serial killer (Michael Kirby) randomly stalks the the foggy streets during the night looking for victims. A nervous timid man (Woody Allen) is coerced into joining a vigilante mob to hunt down the killer but he doesn't know what his responsibilities are. As he becomes detached from the mob, he must stand on his own during the long night ahead. Based on his one act play DEATH, this is one of Woody Allen's most undervalued films. Dismissed by critics upon its initial release and ignored by audiences, Allen's Kafkaesque B&W film is a tribute visually to the German expressionist films of the silent and early talkie era. The film's emphasis is less on comedy than an exercise in style and theme of a nightmarish world where an ordinary citizen is compelled to perform his societal duties but without being told what they are. Not all of it works but if you're willing to hang in there, there's much to appreciate. The massive cast includes Mia Farrow, Jodie Foster, Madonna, Lily Tomlin, John Malkovich, John Cusack, Kathy Bates, Julie Kavner, William H. Macy, Donald Pleasence, Kate Nelligan, John C. Reilly, Fred Gwynne, Kenneth Mars and Philip Bosco.