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 | prosthetic leg | cult film | fake shemp character | 

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Taglines:

Who Is Darkman? Find Out This August.

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Genres:

Action | Crime | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

24 August 1990 (USA)

Also Known As:

Czlowiek ciemnosci

Filming Locations:

Lower Bay Station, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Box Office

Budget:

$16,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$8,054,860, 24 August 1990, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$33,878,502

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$48,878,520, 31 December 1991

Company Credits

Production Co:

Renaissance Pictures, Universal Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The script went through twelve drafts overall. The reason is because Sam Raimi wanted to explore Peyton/Darkman's arc over the course of the film. He said: "I decided to explore a man's soul. In the beginning, a sympathetic, sincere man. In the middle, a vengeful man committing heinous acts against his enemies, and in the end, a man full of self-hatred for what he's become, who must drift off into the night, into a world apart from everyone he knows, and all the things he loves."

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Goofs

When Louis Strack Jr, Julie and Paynton are on top of the building at the end, Louis shouts " I built it all" and it shows he is not holding a gun, but in the next shot he is clearly holding a gun.

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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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Connections

References RoboCop (1987)

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Soundtracks

Give It To Me
Written and Performed by Judy Valenti

User Reviews

A great "comic book" movie

I saw Darkman on the SciFi Channel and was very impressed. Liam Neeson is an excellent actor, and brought a lot of humanity to the role. I'm used to seeing him play calm, cool characters, so it was kind of surprising watching him flip out in some scenes. The script is clever and original, the climactic battle on the helicopter will leave you breathless, the FX are great, the music by Danny Elfman is good, and the cast is top-notch. recommended.