Leofwine_draca
Sam Raimi's inventive, wild action film is a difficult one to define. Part tragedy, part melodrama, part horror, part science fiction and part horror, there is even a broad streak of humour, which, as Raimi fans will no doubt guess, owes much of its inspiration to THE THREE STOOGES. DARKMAN is a highly entertaining film, made all the more remarkable when one considers what has been done with the low budget.Every penny has been spent on bringing the visual effects to the screen, and they're all present and correct. Much of the SFX is unrealistic looking, which is to be expected from the budget, and back projection figures predominantly. I have no problem with this, however, as all effects are at least passable. There are a number of early and impressive computer graphics too, mainly in the shape of synthetic noses and faces, as well as lots of explosions at the end of the film in an exciting action sequence. Indeed action fans are advised to watch this film alone for the helicopter 'ride' at the end. This sequence is very entertaining, and other shootouts and gun battles add to the action score.When watching the film, it soon becomes clear that there are many, many inspirations and references to other films, such as PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, DOCTOR X, HOUSE OF WAX, ROBOCOP, THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME, THE ELEPHANT MAN, BATMAN, many more too. It just adds to the fun as you see these visual references. Speaking of visuals, expect the film to be chock-full of Raimi's trademark wacky stuff, such as POV shots from gun barrels and many bizarre psychedelic sequences.The cast is a dream come true for the cult fan, featuring just about anybody who knows Raimi and a whole lot more. In fact there was hardly a single person I didn't recognise. The female lead, Frances McDormand, is better known to audiences for her role in the Coen brothers' FARGO, while the evil villain, Larry Drake, has appeared in dreck like DR GIGGLES. Both cope well with their respective roles, with McDormand the more believable of the two, Drake acts more in a comic book way, especially with his special cigar cutter (a great device for some truly wince-inducing sequences). Liam Neeson is the surprise hero, and it's good to see Neeson in a role like this before he was famous and he acts very well, conveying pathos and feeling as well as some choice comic dialogue. I loved the way he had a hoarse throat after the explosion.The rest of the cast is basically star studded. Bruce Campbell gets to make his expected cameo appearance in a very clever way at the end of the film, while Jenny Agutter also puts in a surprise appearance. Criminals making up Drake's gang include Nicholas Worth and Dan Hicks (INTRUDER), as well as Ted Raimi as a young, mean, sadistic pervert.DARKMAN may be both clichéd and too over the top, with an out of place melodramatic score, but somehow all the ingredients gel together very well to produce a startling, inventive minor classic of the genre, with lots to watch and look at and many innovative scenes. Better than its origins, definitely. I can only wish Raimi had kept making films like this instead of rubbish like FOR LOVE OF THE GAME; stick to what you're good at, man!
jrkkearney
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.
Bene Cumb
There are so many superheroes out there that they have lots of similarities vis-a-vis appearance and behavior - thus, the plot and/or depiction should contain catchy angles. I think the team under Sam Raimi has succeeded in this: although Darkman has obvious references to e.g. Shadow, Zorro and Phantom of the Opera, the result is good and interesting to follow, with good character actors (Liam Neeson, Frances McDormand, Larry Drake, above all), and all this in the style of older film noir. There are not too many supernatural things, but decent fight between good and evil, honesty and greed, where losses are suffered by both sides. And as the creators realized their technical options, then the movie is watchable even today even by admirers of digital effects (apart from a helicopter chase, perhaps). The pace is even, and less than 1,5 hours is just the length for pensive entertainment, without ridiculous profundity or protracted tearful scenes.
