Darkman hits blu-ray Feb. 18th as a Shout! Factory Collector’s Edition
It isn’t often that you get to see a movie you’ve seen a dozen times through fresh eyes. Shout Factory’s Special Edition Blu-ray of Darkman allows that opportunity. It has been a long while since I’ve written a home video review which will be as effusive as this one, so I’m just warning you now that lots of hyperbole will follow.
I often make it a point to confess that I am not a tech head and don’t know a lot of the technique that goes into creating high definition digital transfers for home video releases. What I can tell you is that Darkman looks breathtaking. This is the kind of disc that only comes along once in a blue moon which I would consider revelatory. Right from the opening images I couldn’t comprehend how this movie could possibly look so wonderful. And while I continued to be blown away by the visuals throughout the feature, I also took away a whole different experience of watching this film.
Look, I’ve always loved Darkman. Who knows how many times I’ve seen it? Probably more times than any of Director Sam Raimi’s other, more widely-loved films such as the Evil Dead series and the Spider-man Trilogy. I know all about Raimi’s signature style and I love it (and if you’re reading this, you probably do too). He’s energetic, hilarious, and boundlessly creative. Raimi is famous for putting his protagonists through the torturous wringer, and Darkman doesn’t stray from any of those descriptors. Which makes me wonder: how had I missed all along that Darkman is a comedy? And a full-on genre masterpiece.
The very opening scene kicks us off with a classic standoff between two warring gangs that is turned on its head by a hilarious bevy of over-the-top gangsters such as Smiley, the long-haired, machine-gun wielder, Durant the finger-severing criminal mastermind and antagonist (Larry Drake), and the one-legged dude (cleverly named “Skip”) whose prosthetic limb is revealed to be a secret machine gun when Smiley breaks it off and lays waste to the entire opposing gang. Oh, and the whole time, our one-legged friend is HOPPING through the massacre. The dumbfounded opposing gang leader looks on as Smiley holds a hand out to stabilize hopping Skip and then Durant goes to work on his adversary’s fingers with his cigar cutter. “I’ve got seven more points.” The scene is a blast; over the top, mean, and just plain hilarious. And we haven’t even met Liam Neeson’s Dr. Peyton Westlake yet.
In an equally entertaining introduction to our anti-hero, we learn that Westlake is banging his head against a wall attempting to get his synthetic skin to remain stable past a 99 minute barrier. Yep — conveniently, the man who is about to be horribly burned and left for dead by Durant and his gang has spent his life inventing a synthetic skin. And you’ll be so glad for this convenience as Raimi and a surprising four other screenwriters (including brother Ted who has a hilarious role as a Durant gang member who may also be the object of Durant’s affection) milk their clever set up for everything it is worth.
Darkman is equal parts hilarious comedy, raging action film, comic book brilliance, monster movie, and relentless revenge epic. How can a movie balance that many equal parts? Only Sam Raimi can know for sure. The man can pack unholy amounts of entertainment into his films, and it is the frenetic energy and successful integration of all of these different elements that makes Darkman a genuine genre masterpiece. At this point, I might even go so far as to say that Darkman is the superior film to those other two beloved franchises, Evil Dead or Spider-man. (And I think very highly of five out of six of those films).
I’ve mentioned the comedy that reared its head to me in a new way this time out, but the action stands the test of time as well. The third act of Darkman is a relentless series of set pieces involving a real live human stunt men dangling from a helicopter, getting shot at and dipped into traffic, and then a nail-biting conclusion atop a girdered skyscraper in the making. This is a thrilling and exciting movie with some iconic visuals to accentuate the excitement and the masterful staging of it all.
And then you’ve got all the comic book trappings from an era before the cinema was inundated with the super hero narrative. Raimi brings an operatic mythology to Darkman’s origin: a man left for dead on a quest for revenge using super strength he acquired when his nerves were severed to treat his burns, and using his scientific background to utilize his synthetic skin like an IMF agent. A vengeful quest, super powers, a secret hideout, and even an iconic costume all plant this film firmly in the comic book realm.
But thematically, Darkman is more akin to a monster film. Afflicted with horrible disfigurement, bouts of uncontrollable rage (visualized brilliantly in Raimi-montage), and a dark heart bent on revenge, Dr. Peyton Westlake’s desire to help humanity with his synthetic skin is stripped and twisted into a quest for revenge. We cheer for Darkman as he works his revenge plot against Durant, but all the while we recognize that he is losing his soul. “I’m learning to live with a lot of things”. If Westlake was Dr. Jekyll, Darkman is Mr. Hyde.
Action and comedy blend seamlessly with tragedy in this unbelievably entertaining and thoroughly R-rated comic book film from a pre-digital era. Impossibly young Liam Neeson and Frances McDormand anchor the film along with Larry Drake’s villain to keep us engaged with our characters on screen. Danny Elfman’s bombastic and memorable score perfectly compliments the variety of tones being balanced here. Raimi’s writing and direction brim with self-awareness and energy. And a genre masterpiece is the result.
The Package
Since this is one of Shout Factory’s Collector’s Editions, the disc comes packed to the gills and attains the hallowed “definitive” status. There’s a cardboard slip cover featuring brand new artwork that I actually love. But, of course, the cover art is reversible and you can flip it to the original (and still amazing) cover art. But more than that, the creme de la creme, is the fact that Shout Factory created their own original, exclusive bonus content for this feature. And this isn’t just a couple of obligatory behind the scenes deals. Shout Factory partners with Red Shirt Pictures (who seem to do most of the exclusively produced home video bonus features I’ve ever seen) to create a wide array of content from highlighting the villains to interviews with Neeson and McDormand. There’s a commentary track, too. So between the physical packaging, the flat-out glorious transfer, and the bonus material unique to this release, there is absolutely no reason to hold back from calling this a must-own blu-ray release for genre fans and overall fans of things like fun and happiness.
Special Features (From The Original Press Release)
• Interviews with Liam Neeson and Frances McDormand • MY NAME IS DURANT — interview with Larry Drake • THE FACE OF REVENGE — interview with Makeup Designer Tony Gardner • HENCHMAN TALES — Interviews with actors Danny Hicks and Dan Bell • DARK DESIGN — interview with Production Designer Randy Ser and Art Director Philip Dagort • Audio Commentary with director of photography Bill Pope • Vintage “Making of” and interview Featurettes featuring interviews with Sam Raimi, Liam Neeson, Frances McDormand and more… • Vintage full-length interviews, not used in the featurettes, with Sam Raimi, Liam Neeson and Frances McDormand • Theatrical Trailer • TV Spots
• Still Galleries — Posters & production stills, Behind the Scenes, Make-up Effects and Storyboards