Willem Dafoe gives an outstanding performance as usual. The rest of the cast also performed well, including Udo Kier, who has come so far from the camp/trash Andy Warhol horror flicksFlesh For Frankenstein / Blood for Dracula 2 DVD Set Criterion PAL. I enjoyed watching him as much as Dafoe! But John Malkovich, plays John Malkovich. His acting here as in most of his movies is worst than Udo Kier in the Warhol films. By no means let this stop you from buying this movie because, not even Malkovich's terrible acting can ruin it. If you haven't seen Nosferatu with Max SchreckNosferatu (The Ultimate Two-Disc Edition), it's a must that you see it first to appreciate Shadow fully. It's as important to the enjoyment of the film as seeing Plan 9 From Outer Space before watching Ed Wood. Then see Klaus Kinski in Werner Herzog's 70's remake of NosferatuNosferatu: The Vampyre/Phantom Der Nachtfor another perfect performance.