Darkman (1990)

A brilliant scientist left for dead returns to exact revenge on the people who burned him alive.

Director:

Sam Raimi

Writers:

Sam Raimi (story), Chuck Pfarrer (screenplay)

Stars:

Liam Neeson, Frances McDormand, Colin Friels

3 wins & 8 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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

Storyline

Peyton Westlake is a scientist who has discovered a way to produce synthetic skin. This could revolutionise skin grafting, except for one minor glitch; the synthetic skin degrades after 100 minutes of exposure to light. When gangsters attack Peyton, he is horrifically burnt, and assumed dead. In his quest for revenge, Peyton, aka the Darkman, is able to take on the appearance of anyone (using the synthetic skin,) but he only has 100 minutes per disguise.

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Plot Keywords:

scientist | mask | cat | helicopter | revenge | 

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Taglines:

They destroyed everything he had, everything he was. Now, crime has a new enemy and justice has a new face.

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Genres:

Action | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Did You Know?

Trivia

Ivan Raimi: alongside John Landis as a doctor in the burn ward.

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Goofs

During the scene in the lab when Peyton and his assistant discover that the synthetic skin is photosensitive, they alternate using the microscope though neither of them re-focuses the lenses. No two people have exactly the same eyesight and given the magnification used, they would almost certainly have to adjust the lenses for their own eyes after they use it. Yakitito also keeps his glasses on while looking at the microscope but this could be down to his excitement at the discovery.

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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. What's it matter! Just another tough guy, that's all.

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Crazy Credits

The opening credit sequence is full of dark clouds and brief images of Darkman. The second A in the title is shaped like Darkman's silhouette.

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Alternate Versions

German VHS versions were cut by a few seconds to secure a "Not under 18" rating.

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Connections

Referenced in Nostalgia Critic: Mission: Impossible II (2018)

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Soundtracks

Dancing Freak
(uncredited)

User Reviews

Mission Impossible "stole" two scenes from this movie...

Stumbled upon this movie backtracking Liam Neeson movies. Frances McDormand & Sam Raimi upped my hopes.

Otherwise an average movie of the 90s, I found these 2 absolute steals by the Mission Impossible franchise from this 1990 movie:

1. The hooking of helicopter so that it crashes - MISSION IMPOSSIBLE 1

2. The henchman kills his own mate thinking it to be the hero but its actually his mate who is taped behind the hero's mask - MISSION IMPOSSIBLE 2

What do you think guys??

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

24 August 1990 (USA)

Also Known As:

Darkman

Filming Locations:

Lower Bay Station, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Box Office

Budget:

$14,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$8,054,860, 26 August 1990

Gross USA:

$33,878,502

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$48,878,502

Company Credits

Production Co:

Renaissance Pictures, Universal Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1