Crimewave (1985)

Director:

Sam Raimi

Writers:

Ethan Coen (written by) &
Joel Coen (written by) ...

Release Date:

25 April 1986 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Crime | Horror

Tagline:

Extermination is not just a business. It's a way of life.

Plot:

A pair of whacked-out cartoon-like exterminator/hitmen kill the owner of a burglar-alarm company, and stalk the partner who hired them...

Plot Keywords:

Nerd | Hit By Car | Technician | Strong Man | Punched In The Face

Cast

Louise Lasser	...	Helene Trend
Paul L. Smith	...	Faron Crush
Brion James	...	Arthur Coddish
Sheree J. Wilson	...	Nancy
Edward R. Pressman	...	Ernest Trend
Bruce Campbell	...	Renaldo 'The Heel'
Reed Birney	...	Vic Ajax
Richard Bright	...	Officer Brennan
Antonio Fargas	...	Blind Man
Hamid Dana	...	Donald Odegard
John Hardy	...	Mr. Yarman
Emil Sitka	...	Colonel Rodgers
Hal Youngblood	...	Jack Elroy
Sean Farley	...	Jack Elroy Jr
Richard DeManincor	...	Officer Garvey

Also Known As:

The XYZ Murders (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

83 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:14 | Australia:M | New Zealand:R16 | Finland:K-16 | Norway:16 | UK:PG | USA:PG-13 | West Germany:12

Filming Locations:

Detroit, Michigan, USA

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

During the storm scene, a newspaper proclaiming "STORM! City in Chaos" is shown. A smaller headline reads "Military seals off Tennessee murder site. Time-space disturbance discovered." This is a reference to Sam Raimi's previous film The Evil Dead (1981) and its sequel Evil Dead II (1987), which Raimi was writing at the time.

Goofs:

Errors in geography: While the majority of the exterior shots were filmed in Detroit, towards the beginning of the film, the night time distant shot of the city (in red glow) right before the storm hits, is clearly Chicago, as the Sears Tower is quite prevalent in the shot.

Quotes:

Vic Ajax: [after Nancy nearly got run over by the Exterminators] You maniacs! I've never seen anything like that... are you All right?
[Tries to open the door for her]
Vic Ajax: Oh, you've got the key!
Faron Crush: [the car backs up, and Crush comes out] One more thing child... don't you *ever* call me a maniac!
[Punches Vic in the face and bursts into maniacal laughter]

Movie Connections:

Spoofs The Terminator (1984)

Soundtrack:

William Tell Overture

A wonderful mess

Sam Raimi followed up the superb video nasty 'Evil Dead' with this; 'Crimewave' (AKA The XYZ Murders), a hugely enjoyable screwball slapstick comic book of a film, with not a few homages to The Three Stooges and classic Looney Tunes cartoons.

The plot is loose and largely an irrelevant excuse for madcap chases, crazy caricatures and playful one-liners. Sam Raimi shows just as much enthusiastic visual spark as in 'Evil Dead', despite a fraught production. The Coens' script is inventive, funny and faster than a speeding bullet, showing some of the flair that would present itself in 'Raising Arizona'.

Although the central performances of nerdy lead man Paul Smith (who looks like he walked out of a Troma film) and (comparatively bland) heroine Louise Lasser are adequate and entertaining (particularly Smith's 'Ren & Stimpy' style expressions), it's Bruce Campbell who steals the show in a small role as Renaldo the Heel. I'm a huge Bruce fan, from the 'Evil Dead' flicks, to 'Maniac Cop' and even the more recent 'Bubba Ho Tep'. 'Crimewave' sees him at his most OTT, his sleazeball best ("So I'm a heel! So what of it?"). He should have been cast as the lead, all things considered, but the studio interfered. The man is 10 times Jim Carrey and far more charismatic; it's a shame he never hit the mainstream, but he will always been the darling of the cult film circuit.

Overall the film is bizarrely satisfying, genuinely funny and fittingly playful in direction, writing and performances. While it may not be the most elegantly composed film, it's miles above the other bland films of the desperate film decade that was the 80s. Perhaps not one for the average film fan, but for guys like me it's an absolute treat. Well worth seeking out on the elusive Chinese DVD (try ebay).