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Crime Wave

  • 1985
  • 1h 20m
IMDb RATING
6.8/10
690
YOUR RATING
Crime Wave (1985)
AdventureComedy

A young director intent on making "the greatest color crime movie ever" can't seem to finish his script--he has a beginning and an end, but he can't quite figure out the middle. The daughter... Read allA young director intent on making "the greatest color crime movie ever" can't seem to finish his script--he has a beginning and an end, but he can't quite figure out the middle. The daughter of his landlord, excited to have a real "movie person" living nearby, tries to help by pu... Read allA young director intent on making "the greatest color crime movie ever" can't seem to finish his script--he has a beginning and an end, but he can't quite figure out the middle. The daughter of his landlord, excited to have a real "movie person" living nearby, tries to help by putting him in touch with a man who wants to collaborate on a script--the strange "Dr. Jolly... Read all

  • Director
    • John Paizs
  • Writer
    • John Paizs
  • Stars
    • Eva Kovacs
    • John Paizs
    • Darrell Baran
  • See production, box office & company info
  • IMDb RATING
    6.8/10
    690
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • John Paizs
    • Writer
      • John Paizs
    • Stars
      • Eva Kovacs
      • John Paizs
      • Darrell Baran
    • 23User reviews
    • 13Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
  • Photos14

    Crime Wave (1985)
    Crime Wave (1985)
    Crime Wave (1985)
    Crime Wave (1985)
    Crime Wave (1985)
    Crime Wave (1985)
    Crime Wave (1985)
    Eva Kovacs and John Paizs in Crime Wave (1985)
    John Paizs in Crime Wave (1985)
    Crime Wave (1985)
    John Paizs in Crime Wave (1985)
    Crime Wave (1985)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Eva Kovacs
    • Kim
    John Paizs
    • Steven Penny
    Darrell Baran
    • Ronnie Boyles
    Jeffrey Owen Madden
    • Skip Holliday
    Tea Andrea Tanner
    • Dawn Holliday
    Mark Yuill
    • Stanley Falco
    • (as Mark Hunter)
    Neil Lawrie
    • Dr. C. Jolly
    • (as Neal Lawrie)
    Bob Cloutier
    • Mr. Brown
    Donna Fullingham
    • Mrs. Brown
    • (as Donna Fillingham)
    Mitch Funk
    • Young Dad
    Angela Heck
    • Young Mom
    Aaron Anderson
    Alan Baker
    Sandra Birch
    Wavne Birch
    Martin Bresin
    Martin Bresin
    • Supervisor
    Nick Burns
    Blain Covert
    • Director
      • John Paizs
    • Writer
      • John Paizs
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      There were often no more than three crew members on set, and sometimes only John Paizs himself.
    • Quotes

      Kim: Next, Steven showed me a tape-recording of a speeding car that lost control and smashed a camera he borrowed from the National Film Board of Canada. He lost $2000, and when his movie came out almost nobody liked it.

    • Connections
      References The Public Enemy (1931)

    User reviews23

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    10/10
    A joyous enterprise
    An absolute peach of a film about a "quiet man" Steven Penny (played by director John Paizs himself) and his desires to pen the greatest colour crime movie ever told. His attempts are lovingly documented by his chipper and inquisitive neighbour Kim (Eva Kovacs), who becomes fascinated by Steven after reading scraps from his discarded screenplays, which Steven has thrown to the trash. For you see, Steven is a tormented artist. He can write the beginnings and endings of screenplays, but not the middles... and what screenplays they are! They tell sordid tales of hapless and violent Elvis impersonators; murderous Amway recruits; self-destructive self-help gurus! Yet, however sordid these cutaways become, the film retains a giddy innocence amidst the darkness. It also achieves a feat that very few films achieve, which is to use kitsch in a way that is wholly earnest and sincere, rather than ironic. The whole film has the feel of an after-school special, or those awkwardly mannered edutainment titles reserved for the classroom, but the spirit of parody remains wholly affectionate and the film is often touching and beautiful. This is especially impressive for a film with such strong meta-fictional elements, since it would be easy for such an exercise to become distanced and cynical. However, when Kim educates the viewer about persistence of vision, passing on the knowledge given to her by Steven, we are simply caught up in the joy of it, rather than smirking some knowing smirk as to how clever-clever the enterprise is. With the entrance of criminally insane script doctor Dr. Jolly (Neil Lawrie) the film threatens to become rather dark, yet still retains a lightness of touch. It's a magical piece of filmmaking, quite unlike anything you've ever seen before, one infused with the joys of filmmaking, friendship and the wonder of childhood with the experience of being an adult. It's a beaut.
    helpful•9
    1
    • adamwhybray
    • Sep 3, 2012

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • September 11, 1985 (Canada)
    • Country of origin
      • Canada
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Die Killerakademie
    • Filming locations
      • Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
    • Production company
      • Favorite Films
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 20 minutes
    • Color
      • Color

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