Retro Review: Darkman (1990)

There was a time when I considered Sam Raimi's 

Darkman the greatest movie ever made. Yup, 

the greatest movie ever made!

Obviously, I got over it...

But having recently rewatched the movie, I 

maintain it's probably the best comic-book movie ever 

made, especially considering it's not based on a 

pre-existing comic. But Raimi and company got the 

mood, tone and pacing right. The movie is serious, 

but not too serious. Dark, but not too dark. It's 

violent, but so over-the-top that it captures the 

action found in comic books.

When first released, some complained Liam 

Neeson's performance was too overwrought. But, 

given the context of the character -- who feels 

emotions unchecked -- it makes sense. And he's a 

total badass here, being one part Phantom of the 

Opera and one part Dark Avenger a la Batman. And 

I believed his relationship with Francis 

McDormand, in a rare "Babe" roll. I rooted for 

them, and found them likeable.

As for the villains? Colin Friels and Larry Drake 

own their bad-guy rolls. In fact, everyone GETS 

what this movie is supposed to be. They have fun 

with the parts, play up the melodrama, and let 

the story speak for itself.

And we can't wrap things up without discussing 

the film's main set piece; the warehouse 

fight/helicopter chase. More things blow up here 

than in most movies of the era, and I'm not entirely 

sure how they pulled off Neeson dangling from a rope 

beneath the helicopter as it roared through downtown

Los Angeles, but damn... it holds up well today!

Darkman might not be the best movie ever made, and 

it's not in my Top 10, but I still love it. It's a 

Good through and through.