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Sunday, June 26, 2011

TRAILER - DARKMAN (1990)



Raimi wanted to direct a superhero movie since he started in film. After the success of the EVIL DEAD and EVIL DEAD II, he tried to secure the rights to THE SHADOW (am I the only fan of the Alec Baldwin film) and BATMAN. After he failed to do so he did the next best thing, he created his own superhero.

DARKMAN stars a tragic and brooding Liam Neeson as Peyton Westlake, a scientist who is attacked and left for dead by Durant, a mobster with no love for law and order. Fortunately, Westlake receives an experimental treatment that gives him super human strength but also some wicked 'roid rage. This is all bad news for Durant who gets whats coming to him and his stable of thugs.

DARKMAN is some of Raimi's best work. One of the things that often frustrates me with Raimi is his need to inject humor into horrific situations (in addition to his sometimes too cute camera techniques), but that's also what can make a great comic book film. The dark and horrific undertones are often hidden by exaggerated fights and ridiculous situations, a Raimi staple on fine display here.

See you on forty deuce,
G