Review of Darkman (1990) by Jason D — 06 Jul 2010

Does anybody remember when Sam Raimi made good films? Sure, the Spidermans are a bit nifty (though way too mainstream and manufactured) and Drag Me to Hell, no matter how many people ignored the truth and opted to give it great reviews, stunk to hell.

Let's not forget the awful baseball movie and the ho-hum Katie Holmes flick. Yes, many moons ago, there was a time when Raimi's balls were the size of volcanic mountains that created large bursts of creative lava jizz that he poured onto film celluloid to give to his legion of devoted followers, all of whom were already salivating at the mouths after he delivered his iconic Evil Dead trilogy.

Raimi had higher aspirations, especially when it came to superheroes. Before Raimi ever went to the dark side of Hollywood, he was crazy enough to develop his own new, unique superhero named Darkman, played with great gusto by a young Liam Neeson.

A scientist who eagerly wants to create living tissue, Neeson is driven to succeed, but when his girlfriend Frances McDormand uncovers shady corporate dealings, Neeson is the one who is brutally beaten and burned to a crispy faceless monster that feels no pain and whose emotions run wild with anger, sadness, and REVENGE! On his shitlist is a villainous crime syndicate led by the awesome Larry Drake, along with cronies that include none other than genre icons Ted Raimi (Sam's brother), Nicholas Worth (Don't Answer the Phone) and good ole Dan Hicks (Evil Dead 2).

A lot of great Raimi stylistic tricks, nods, and odes run rampant throughout this cult-classic, making it one of the best films to come out of the dreaded 90's. It's a hell of a film that, agreeably, has aged considerably, but has stood the test of time when it comes to badassery.

It's an awesome flick and a true testament to what Raimi used to be...which is awesome! I want THAT Raimi back, but I doubt that will ever happen. Sigh. Still...I have my precious Darkman. Great film.