Darkman

I don't write reviews, i'm open minded about all films and was excited to check this out, from a perspective of someone watching it twenty years after release. Liam Neeson has come a long way since this and thankfully so because I even googled him saying this was one of his less desirable movies on reflection. Firstly the plot is riddled with humorous holes, though the first fifteen minutes play out actually well, the film isn't sure whether Darkman is a superhero or not. The fact he can set up a lab so quickly by himself with no money in a couple of days is debatable, inconsistencies often occur with masks and how long they last for, we're told 99 minutes, yet other scenes show him with a cupboard full of these things. Cut to end scene where everyone is shooting guns at nothing, even the bad guy in the end is 2 feet from Darkman with a big gun and after a dozen shots still misses him. One scene has him lose it over a pink elephant, whether it's supposed to be humor is uncertain, if it was serious then it's sooo dumb. As I said after a while you cringe and feel embarrassed for the actors. With Sam Raimi behind it there is a huge Xena feel to it with its silly action, then it's confused with making it dark and almost horror like in other scenes. The 'Quick and the Dead' by Raimi is a far cry better than this. In the end I was disappointed and kind of glad I watched it by myself. There's nothing I can really save from this movie, again twenty years ago it was probably the bomb but I doubt it, Godfather, Rocky, Star Wars all pre-date that and they were much better. Batman and Robin is less stupid, and sadly that's saying something.

Raimi's dark/violent superhero-prelude to his Spider-Mans. I liked the ambition here, and the fact that there's clearly an artistic vision of what the film should be. It's also fun to spot some details similar to his later superhero adventures, and there's also tons of good uncompromising eighties stuff some parts of the film remind me of. Unfortunately the film looks cheap on a regular basis which is pretty off-putting and there's some unintentional goofiness involved. Rating: 5/10

I liked this movie because it showed the consequences of being vengeful. Peyton Westlake was a scientist who experimented with artificial skin and hoped to perfect it to help burn victims. When he was mutilated and burned beyond recognition by Robert Durant. He turned his experiment into a weapon of revenge. He would disguise himself as his enemies and turn Durant's criminal organization against itself. As he goes through this Westlake becomes Darkman. He no longer cares about helping humanity, but only about getting revenge. His soul loses everything that made him a man, and in the end he's a killing machine. He's just as bad as those who made him that in the first place. But that's why I liked the movie. It doesn't glorify vengeance seeking, instead it shows the reality and consequences. Seeking revenge doesn't just hurt your enemy, it hurts you as well.

A genuine bad movie. I had some higher expectations, since this was on the Sci-fi top 100 on IMDb. But I have never been so disappointed. Really bad acting. What a waste from such superb actors as Liam Neeson and Frances McDorman. And the whole movie is plain ugly. Everything is about killing or molesting people in a cruel manner. Both the bad guys and the "good" guy does that. There is no point in this, and there is nothing realistic going on. The story sucks and the moral of the story? I don't know. I have voted for more than a thousand movies an this is only the third that I find so bad, that I have to give it a 1 of 10.

Raimi had wanted for years to adapt and make a film version of The Shadow. However, the studios he shopped the project around to balked at the idea: He was still somewhat unknown at the time, and there wasn't much confidence behind the comic strip's popularity. Raimi, in response, chose the next best thing--he created his own version, blending elements of the original comic book hero, Phantom of the Opera, and even a little of The Elephant Man for pathos. What came about from it--spawning two very bad sequels in the process--was a film demonstrating a filmmaker's inspiration, but one pumped through his own vivid, wild imagination; and it makes for one of the most original entries into the comic-book movie canon in the last 25 years. Still the studios had no love for this film in its finished form. They slated it for release in August 1990 at the end of the summer release cycle. You know, the same month of the year they released "Coyote Ugly"? But the film was a success garnering almost 50 million on a 16 million dollar budget. Liam Neeson plays Peyton Westlake, a scientist on the verge of inventing synthetic skin from a series of photographs of the subject. Thus disfigured people could wear his synthetic mask and be moved toward a more normal life. Peyton's girlfriend, Julie, a journalist, has found a memorandum indicating a developer she knows made a Mafia payout in connection with a development he is building. She makes the mistake of telling said developer that she has this proof of his crime, but that she doesn't have it on her. So evil developer has his psychopathic buddies go to Peyton's loft/lab, blow up the place while taking the memorandum, and in the process Peyton's assistant is blown to bits. Peyton is burned beyond recognition but lands in the nearby bay. With no ID, as a John Doe, Peyton is given really good treatment by the hospital which takes the drastic step of severing nerves that allow him to feel pain, else he would spend all of his time screaming in pain from the burns. He escapes from the hospital, and meanwhile his assistant is buried as Peyton. You'd think family or friends would come looking for the assistant, but I guess that's another film. So Peyton continues his work on skin regeneration, with his lab now acting as a kind of batcave, and things are urgent because Peyton needs this cure for himself as his face and hands are horribly disfigured. As things are he has only 99 minutes before the artificial skin decomposes. And this works for some good fun for the next part of the film, because Peyton wants revenge on top of a cure. Plus he needs money. He finds a chance for revenge and money by posing as the different people who "killed him" and then just counting on the worst instincts of these thugs - and they have plenty of them - to turn on each other. But then a mistake - Peyton lets Julie know he's alive -wearing artificial skin of course - and that memorandum that was the whole point of ruining Peyton's life? It turns up on a desk, with the coffee stain Julie put there herself at Peyton's loft, right before he died. And now Julie knows Peyton's "death" was no accident. I'll let you see how things work out from here. The real revelation here was Larry Drake as evil Robert Durant. He strokes a small furry pet wearing gloves and an apron that says "Kiss the Cook" while maintaining his collection of human fingers he has taken from people who do not pay their debts to him. The reason he was a revelation? For years before this he had played a mentally handicapped man who has been working at the law firm showcased by "LA Law". It was a kind of last request from his dying mother to the firm so her son would have a purpose in life. To go from that gentle persona to a heartless monster shows Drake had range most people did not think he had. Give it a try. The special effects have aged a bit, but the human factors make it still relevant.

DARKMAN is a comic book inspired romp, directed by Sam Raimi (of EVIL DEAD fame). The main character was created by Raimi (as well as 5-6 other screen writers) after the rights to make THE SHADOW fell through. The film THE SHADOW was eventually made, not by Raimi, and will be dealt with at a later time. Anyway, they secured Liam Neeson (who, keep in mind, was easier to get coming off of supporting roles in KRULL and NEXT OF KIN) to play the lead role; he would later go on to acclaim in SCHINDLER'S LIST. Frances McDormand, Colin Friels, and Larry "DR GIGGLES" Drake round out the cast. OK, you've got Dr. Peyton Westlake who is in the process of inventing artificial skin, some bad guys blow him up good, and through a dubious operation he now feels no pain at all. This last fact is important because he is horribly burned all over his body, a fact that he attempts to hide by wearing a very cinematic trench-coat and fedora. He takes to dispatching the said bad guys who ruined his life one by one, etc. He also tries to rekindle the flame of his lost love and perfect the fake skin, all against the backdrop of a quasi-mystery involving corporate greed. Is DARKMAN a great film?: No. Is it extremely fun to watch?: It is. With all the goofy happenings, implausible situations, mustache twirling bad guys and the melodramatic inner conflict within the main character, the film has a sense of humor and a sly self awareness. DARKMAN charges headlong through the thin material with a wonderful visual style and camp sensibility. The performances are good and there are several clever scenes (ex: the two Drakes in the revolving door), to keep you watching. It is a tongue-in-cheek precursor to what Raimi & Co. would do down the road in ARMY OF DARKNESS, and should be of interest to film buffs at least. Quick Trivia: When Liam Neeson stumbles out of the alley near the beginning of the film, he is splashed with water. The person who threw the bucket of water, was none other than Danny Elfman (who composed the score for DARKMAN). He was there visiting the set that day, and Sam Raimi felt he should be more "hands on" in the production. 7/10

This might have been big time 30 years ago but this movie is wretched. Corny acting and bad acting wrapped up in one....

Scientist Peyton Westlake is working on a synthetic skin that will provide a normal life for those suffering with skin disorders from injuries etc. His work is interrupted when his lab is attacked by gangsters andhe is beaten and left for dead in his lab and is blown up, however he is fished from the river and is treated. Westlake's damage has left him horribly mutated and with no nervous system. An angry shadow of his former self he escapes and continues his work while planning revenge on those who did this to him. An early example of Sami Rami's comic book work – this was one of his first tries at a mainstream hit. The story is pure comic book but it allows for a much darker mood than many other blockbuster types (stand up the Batman films!) and it's better for it. The plot also focused on the damage done to the characters so as to prevent it all being comic book stuff. Rami's use of the swinging, rushing camera angles helps give it a real comic feel without taking away from the action. He also blends fantasy comedy really well to make it amusing. If you've seen Evil Dead then you'll know exactly what I'm talking about. Neeson is good as Darkman simply because he is quite a dull man and his transformation in an angry crazed avenger is made more startling. McDormand is good but a little vapid in her role. Larry Drake is actually very good as one of the main villains (Durant) especially when he was best known at the time for a mentally handicapped character in LA Law (Benny)! Friels also gives a great OTT performance as the businessman Strack, and if you're interested in such things there are lots of cool cameos. John Landis and Jenny Agutter provide an `American Werewolf' connection – with Agutter caring for a dangerous man undergoing physical changes, Ted Rami is in it and Bruce Campbell shows his face. Overall it isn't very serious, but Rami manages to deliver comic book comedy fantasy and comedy without losing the dark, violent edge that the messed up character needed. Are you paying attention Joel Schumacher?

******SPOILERS****** Left for dead after he was blown out of his laboratory offices by the Durant Mob who were looking for a document that would be devastating to their boss Louis Strack, Colin Friels, a big time city land developer. Peyton Westlake, Liam Neeson, is recovered from the river and brought to the local hospital. In an effort to keep the pain of his injuries bearable the nerve endings to his brain were severed, but by doing that it greatly enhanced his emotions, love hate and rage among others. Those strong emotions soon came into play when he he broke out of the hospital looking first for his girlfriend Julie, Francs McDormand, and then the Durant mob and their boss Louis Strack to whom Julie worked for Strack's firm as his law partner. Left with his mind as well as his body horribly deformed. Westlake living in a deserted factory went back to his project of developing synthetic skin to replace the burns that he received from him being attacked by the Durant Mob. The best that he could do, like before him being burned, was that the skin would last for less then 100 minutes before it would dissolve and become useless. With an unstoppable fury Westlake/Darkman takes out his rage at the Durant Mob whom he smashes to bits and then confronts Strack and, who after telling Darkman that he doesn't have the conscience to do it, drops him some 650 feet to his death from a building site of his on the city waterfront. Strack obviously didn't know that Darkman put away Durant, Larry Drake, and his boys without any trouble to his conscience at all. Unlike most comic super hero's Darkman didn't have a secret identity and doesn't get the girl that he loves at the end of the movie. Darkman unlike most comic book hero's is not really a crime fighter. The bad guys that Darkman takes care of in the movie were for personal reasons not for the elimination of crime from society. These are the reasons that makes Darkman unique and why the audience can personally identify with Darkman more then with most of the comic book super hero's put on film: Darkman wasn't out to save the world from evil, he was out to avenge the evil that was done to him.

"Darkman" is one of those action films that succeeds because the characters remain the primary focus throughout. Scientist Liam Neeson has been disfigured in an explosion. However, he returns with the ability to produce 99-minute masks. Now he is going out and eliminating those who almost killed him. Frances McDormand is excellent as Neeson's love-interest and Larry Drake makes a great bad guy. The direction is solid and the screenplay is surprisingly smart. 4 stars out of 5.