The Flash is a 1992 superhero movie based on the DC Comics The Flash character, starring James Spader, Talisa Soto, Tom Cleary, Ryan Bettis and Tim Dane and directed by David Ponnegan. The movie was a box-office success, being one of a handful of major summer of 1992 releases (as compared with the crowded, cut-throat slate the previous year) despite garnering mixed reviews and established Spader, Soto and Cleary as bankable stars going into the 1990's. The movie focused on the battle between Barry Allen/Flash (Spader) and Len Snart/Captain Cold (Cleary) in a more realistic take on the comic book's storylines.