Darkman

In the wake of the hugely successful 1989 summer release of Batman, the big-budget comic book film is the newest blueprint for instant success (at least in the minds of Hollywood moguls). While Darkman's budget was nowhere near Batman's, the film did respectable numbers at the boxoffice. Written and directed by cult favorite Sam Raimi (whose first two films, Evil Dead and Evil Dead 2, are mini-masterpieces of stylish horror camp), Darkman owes its heritage to Gaston Leroux's classic tale Phantom of the Opera. Liam Neeson delivers a touching performance as Peyton Westlake, a young genetic scientist who's caught in the middle of a mob real estate transaction, and ends up horribly disfigured (his face is mostly eaten away by acid). Westlake was working on a holographic technique to create synthetic skin and body parts and, following the attack, he goes into hiding in an old tower, where he feverishly works on perfecting his experiments. Although Westlake is able to create facial masks from photographs, his creations dissolve after 100 minutes. By gathering pictures of the men who destroyed his life, he is able to put on their faces and infiltrate the band of thugs--taking his revenge one bad guy at a time. While there's nothing terribly inventive about Darkman's story, director Raimi has peopled the film with offbeat characters, inventive revenge scenarios, and his own brand of macabre humor (in one memorable sequence, Darkman has his victim underground, beneath a sewer manhole cover--popping the lid, he bobs the thug up and down, while cars above dodge this strange nocturnal apparition). Tamer than Raimi's earlier films, Darkman still retains much of their flavor, while being more accessible to a wider audience. A rousing good horror film. Highly recommended. (R. Pitman) [DVD Review—Sept. 4, 2007—Universal, 2 discs, 276 min., R, $19.98—Making their second appearances on DVD, this double-disc set includes 1990's Darkman, 1994's Darkman II: The Return of Durant, and 1995's Darkman III: Die Darkman Die. While all three films sport fine transfer, the set includes no DVD extras besides trailers. Bottom line: if you own the first Darkman on DVD, there's no reason to add this extra-less set with the lame sequels; if not, then this is definitely worth picking up, especially for low price.] [Blu-ray Review—June 8, 2010—Universal, 96 min., R, $26.98—Making its first appearance on Blu-ray, 1990's Darkman sports a good transfer with DTS-HD 5.1 sound, but no extras. Bottom line: a contemporary horror classic makes a fine debut on Blu-ray.]