Justin's Rating: Don't you get it yet, peoples? I don't do ratings!
Justin's Review: Sam Raimi, the inspiration behind the great Evil Dead trilogy, brings us his own version of the superhero mythos. A Really Bad Guy is practically running the city through strongarm tactics (involving, but not excluding, keeping fingers from his competitors). A Brilliant Scientist (Liam Neeson) is somehow caught in the middle of all this, because his girlfriend (Frances McDormand) catches on to a zoning scandel. Well, all superheros need two things, and the first is motivation to become a superhero. For Neeson, it's getting his assistant shot, his hands fried, and his body set on fire and blown out of a window.

If you haven't guessed already, Raimi did not aim for a cartoonish Batman and Robin-style superhero tale. This movie is extremely dark (hence part of the name), violent, and even the good guys aren't all that good. Back to our human torch, he recovers with a disfigured face and cut nerve endings. In order to exact revenge, our superhero needs an edge (the second part). His sensory depravity leads him to super strength, and his scientific genus utilizes "liquid skin" to allow him to take on the face of anyone he photographs.

Enough exposition. When it comes to image and style, Raimi reigns as king. As Darkman descends further and further into madness and vengeance, Raimi sets up a series of montages that allow us to dip into his disturbing mind. The special effects, the camera shots -- they all are dark and poignant, and are wonderfully involving.

Of course, there are a few weak points that mar this movie. Character interaction and development lacks, particularly when it comes to the love interest (who does little more than get our hero into trouble again and again, like my first date). The bad guys are amusing, but little more than caracatures. Also, I got the feeling that the violence was there at times just to be gratuitous.

I did find the action sequences exciting, including a unique helicopter chase through the city. I mean, who wouldn't love to hang off a rope attached to a copter and slam into buildings and bad guys?

Where Darkman finds its unique niche in the superhero lore is that Darkman himself is far from perfect, in ideals and actions. He works out of selfishness and a spirit of revenge. When the bad guys taunt him by saying he can't kill them because that would bring him down to their level, guess what he does? At least this movie doesn't delude itself into being something grander or more honorable than it really is. And I find that kind of honesty refreshing.

Kyle's Rating: A couple of holograms of bobbing birds
Kyle's Review: Liam Neeson is a happy scientist, working on cool projects to make synthetic skin for burn victims and going home to a pleasant girlfriend. Sure, scientists aren’t usually aggressive, but once gangsters destroy Neeson’s lab and break and burn him up, he’s ready to strike back hard. Now completely covered in bandages to hide his hideously burned body, he uses two big advantages to get revenge on the bad guys: with his imperfect synthetic skin formula, he can impersonate anyone for 99 minutes; and thanks to being blown up and burned his nerve endings have been severed, so he can feel no pain. Neeson, despite waging a dirty war and eventually sinking to the level of the bad guys just to gain revenge, still manages to stay compelling and sympathetic. The burn pattern on his head is fascinating, with three-quarters of it complete raw meat but the top left quarter is smooth and mostly untouched, hinting at the small amount of humanity he has left. Throw a lot of darkly humorous situations, cartoonish yet deadly serious violence and a great cameo by Bruce Campbell, and you have a great movie. And that great movie is Darkman.

Recommended for:
The Lost Cult Of Sam Raimi
If You've Ever Had One Of Those Days...

The Movie Store
Darkman: Movie [VHS]
Darkman: Movie [DVD]
The Hangman [Darkman #1]: Book

Intermission!
Sam Raimi wanted high school friend Bruce Campbell to star in this movie. However, the producers thought Campbell (who starred in Raimi's Evil Dead trilogy) was not right for the part, and gave it instead to Liam Neeson. But Raimi gets in the final word, giving Campbell a cameo at the end of Darkman, as one of Darkman's disguises.

Groovy Quotes:

Rick: I already told you everything I know!
Darkman: I know you did, Rick, I know you did. But let's pretend you didn't.

Soundtrack Review: Danny Elfman does a terrific score, full of dark overtones and intense actions. Highly recommended, although it is quite reminiscent of the Batman score.