Darkman (1990)

User Rating:

6.3/10   

Director:

Sam Raimi

Writers (WGA):

Sam Raimi (story)
Chuck Pfarrer (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

24 August 1990 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Crime | Horror | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

Now, Crime Has a New Enemy, And Justice Has a New Face!

Plot:

A hideously scarred and mentally unstable scientist seeks revenge against the crooks who made him like that.

Plot Keywords:

Scientist | Revenge | Lawyer | Mask | Car

Awards:

2 wins & 5 nominations

Cast

Liam Neeson	...	Peyton Westlake / Darkman
Frances McDormand	...	Julie Hastings
Colin Friels	...	Louis Strack Jr.
Larry Drake	...	Robert G. Durant
Nelson Mashita	...	Yakitito
Jessie Lawrence Ferguson	...	Eddie Black
Rafael H. Robledo	...	Rudy Guzman
Dan Hicks	...	Skip (as Danny Hicks)
Ted Raimi	...	Rick (as Theodore Raimi)
Dan Bell	...	Smiley
Nicholas Worth	...	Pauly
Aaron Lustig	...	Martin Katz
Arsenio 'Sonny' Trinidad	...	Hung Fat
Said Faraj	...	Convenience Store Clerk
Nathan Jung	...	Chinese Warrior

Runtime:

96 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Canada:14A (Ontario) | Portugal:M/16 | Germany:18 | UK:18 (re-rating) (cut) | Finland:K-15 (uncut) (DVD rating) | Finland:K-16 (cut) (VHS version) | France:-12 | South Korea:18 | Australia:M | Finland:K-18 | Norway:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 (original rating) (cut) | USA:R | Singapore:PG | Germany:BPjM Restricted

Filming Locations:

3rd Street Tunnel, Downtown, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Renaissance Pictures

Trivia:

Peyton does not use the correct type of microscope to look at the piece of nose skin. To see the cell as he did, a slide of the skin would have had to be prepared and viewed under a transmission electron microscope, and he appears to use a compound light microscope.

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): There is absolutely no scientific evidence to support the doctor's assertions that someone devoid of pain sensations would go insane as a result - people suffering from leprosy commonly lose the ability to feel pain or other touch sensations as their nerves deteriorate but this does not in itself cause any psychological damage.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Eddie Black: [on phone] 'Cause he's an asshole! Tell him no. Tell him no, too. Him, tell "fuck you." No, I'm gonna be here a minute. Got some guy coming up who thinks he's gonna muscle me out of my property. Just another tough guy, that's all.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Duckman: Private Dick/Family Man: I, Duckman (#1.1)" (1994)

Soundtrack:

Give It To Me

A Great Action Film That Works Because of the Characters

"Darkman" is one of those action films that succeeds because the characters remain the primary focus throughout. Scientist Liam Neeson has been disfigured in an explosion. However, he returns with the ability to produce 99-minute masks. Now he is going out and eliminating those who almost killed him. Frances McDormand is excellent as Neeson's love-interest and Larry Drake makes a great bad guy. The direction is solid and the screenplay is surprisingly smart. 4 stars out of 5.