Stumbled upon this movie backtracking Liam Neeson movies. Frances McDormand & Sam Raimi upped my hopes.

Otherwise an average movie of the 90s, I found these 2 absolute steals by the Mission Impossible franchise from this 1990 movie:

1. The hooking of helicopter so that it crashes - MISSION IMPOSSIBLE 1

2. The henchman kills his own mate thinking it to be the hero but its actually his mate who is taped behind the hero's mask - MISSION IMPOSSIBLE 2

What do you think guys??

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

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!