X
- 1990
- R
- Universal Pictures
- 1 h 36 m
- 1990
- R
- Universal Pictures
- 1 h 36 m
Summary A hideously scarred and mentally unstable scientist seeks revenge against the mobster who ruined his life.
Directed By: Sam Raimi
Written By: Chuck Pfarrer, Ivan Raimi, Daniel Goldin, Joshua Goldin, Sam Raimi
- 1990
- R
- Universal Pictures
- 1 h 36 m
- 1990
- R
- Universal Pictures
- 1 h 36 m
Darkman
65
8.4
Where to Watch
Summary A hideously scarred and mentally unstable scientist seeks revenge against the mobster who ruined his life.
Directed By: Sam Raimi
Written By: Chuck Pfarrer, Ivan Raimi, Daniel Goldin, Joshua Goldin, Sam Raimi
Where to Watch
Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 15 Critic Reviews
65
60% Positive
9 Reviews
9 Reviews
33% Mixed
5 Reviews
5 Reviews
7% Negative
1 Review
1 Review
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 15 Critic Reviews
65
60% Positive
9 Reviews
9 Reviews
33% Mixed
5 Reviews
5 Reviews
7% Negative
1 Review
1 Review
The film works because Raimi's motor-rhythmed pop sensibility was ready to take off in this movie, and does, in a series of wonderfully hyperkinetic comic-strip lurches. [24 Aug. 1990, p.34]
Darkman is funny, but it’s no joke; it’s the work of a man who underlines the conventions of adventure stories and horror because he enjoys them, and knows that even when rendered tongue-in-cheek, they’re timeless.
User Score
Universal Acclaim
Based on 261 User Ratings
8.4
84% Positive
220 Ratings
220 Ratings
11% Mixed
28 Ratings
28 Ratings
5% Negative
13 Ratings
13 Ratings
User Score
Universal Acclaim
Based on 261 User Ratings
8.4
84% Positive
220 Ratings
220 Ratings
11% Mixed
28 Ratings
28 Ratings
5% Negative
13 Ratings
13 Ratings
Pretty innovative. 3d printers in 1990, excellent latex effects, Liam Neeson as leading man comic character. Very much ahead of it's time. Editing is crisp, to have as much plot as it does in 90 minutes is a testament. Photography looks very good and all characters are developed relatively well. All performances are solid, Neeson shows excellent range. The idea of building a new city on the carcass of an old one is straight out of Robocop, but the movie feels fresh anyways. Somehow it feels like Evil Dead too.
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What no plot summary of Darkman can provide is how much director Raimi ("The Evil Dead") brings to the party. In addition to giving us a conflicted hero - more disturbed than Batman - Raimi fills every action sequence and even routine plot scenes with fresh images that reflect his Darkman's rage. [24 Aug. 1990]
What many American movies do well these days -- action, violence, hell-for-leather street spectacle -- Darkman does better. That may be praise enough. [24 Aug. 1990, p.F10]
It's a fairly effective melodrama with an inventive visual design, swift pacing and convincing performances by Liam Neeson (as Westlake/Darkman), Frances McDormand (as Westlake's girlfriend) and Larry Drake (as the heavy). [24 Aug. 1990, p.4]
Darkman sustains mild interest throughout, but it never takes off, partly because a real-estate scam, gangland shootouts, city corruption and a love story clutter up the sad story of Westlake's strange mutation.
Darkman is a spectacularly ill-conceived combination of Batman and The Phantom of the Opera. [24 Aug. 1990, p.6]
Darkman has amazing action, stylish visuals and great acting from a clever cast. The screenplay was
written by Sam Raimi and the story is engrossing. The movie has an old school style and the movie
looks newer than it is A+.
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Darkman is a film that is dripping with 1980s-1990s cheese with awful special effects, but manages to overcome that with a fantastic performance from Liam Neeson and a very good superhero origin story. Directed and conceptualized by Sam Raimi, the film is well-written and well-plotted and does a great job siding you with Neeson's character, Darkman. As a superhero film, it plays out largely as it would in a comic and shows Raimi's willingness to adapt his original character to the conventions of the genre. While the special effects do hold the film back, the heartfelt and very well designed character and make-up effects do make up for that negative. Plus, the film is so well-directed by Sam Raimi's sure hand that it is nearly impossible to not enjoy this. A very good time, Darkman is a down-to-earth superhero movie that has a human heart and a human exterior, which makes it all the much better.
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When scientist Peyton Westlake is attacked by gangsters and horribly burnt, he uses the synthetic skin he has developed to take on the appearance of others in order to gain revenge. Sam Raimi brings his usual exaggerated style to Darkman, but this is a movie that never seems to get out of B-Movie territory. It’s not without it’s merits, and fans of Raimi’s previous work (such as The Evil Dead) will likely find plenty to enjoy, but it just doesn’t quite come together successfully.
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Liam Neeson gives his worst performance ever in this. The script seems like it was written by a 9 year old. The special effects are garbage, even for 1990.
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Awards
Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, USA
• 5 Nominations
Sitges - Catalonian International Film Festival
• 3 Wins & 4 Nominations
20/20 Awards
• 1 Nomination
