It is assumed that any Hollywood superhero film is going to be based on popular comic books. Even in some extremely rare instances when superhero film is actually an original creation, it wasn’t what the film’s creator initially wanted, like in the case of Darkman, 1990 science fiction action film directed by Sam Raimi.
The protagonist, played by Liam Neeson, is Dr. Peyton Westlake, a scientist who works on developing synthetic skin that could be applied on burn victims. The result of his effort is artificial skin that remains stable for only 99 minutes and afterwards starts decomposing when subjected to light. His girlfriend Julie Hastings (played by Frances McDormand) is an attorney who works for Louis Strack Jr. (played by Colin Fliers), powerful real estate tycoon. She discovers a document that might connect Strack with various illegal activities and informs her boss about those finding, unaware that Strack has struck alliance with Robert G. Durant (played by Larry Drake), city’s vicious gangland boss. Durant and his goons in search for the compromising document come to Peyton’s lab and blow it up. Peyton survives explosion, but he is horribly disfigured, unrecognisable and presumed dead. Mistaken for a homeless person, he is brought to hospital where he goes to experimental treatment that would make him impervious to pain and unusually strong, but also, as a side effect, prone to uncontrollable rage. Peyton escapes from hospital and finds abandoned factory where he would gradually build new lab and try to create the artificial skin. It allows him to temporarily take his former appearance and Peyton tries to rekindle relationship with Julie. But soon his inner rage makes him realise that he was turned into monster not only from the outside, but also from within. He begins developing new sets of skin in order to impersonate members of Durant’s organisation and exact terrible revenge on people who permanently ruined his life.
Sam Raimi originally wanted to adapt The Shadow, popular 1930s radio serial about masked avenger that had served as inspiration for Batman comic books (and would be ultimately adapted into rather forgettable 1994 film). Inability to obtain film rights forced Raimi to instead create character that, while original, drew inspiration from Phantom of the Opera, Elephant Man and protagonists of classic 1930s horror films produced by Universal Pictures. The same studio in the end allowed Raimi, until that time known only for quirky low budget films with cult status like Evil Dead, to make his first big budget mainstream production. The main motive for Universal was desire to match success of Tim Burton’s Batman with blockbuster with similar theme and dark Gothic atmosphere. Raimi, to a certain degree, delivered what was asked from him, although his and Burton’s film are clearly different. Raimi was less interested in “cool” visuals and more in inventive combination of grotesque violence and lot of dark humour, here enhanced with special effects quite effective for its time, as well as spectacular action. The clearest similarity between the two films is music score by Danny Elfman; unlike Batman, most of the plot is set during daylight in almost hazy orange-lit Los Angeles, captured by Bill Pope’s cinematography.
On the other hand, despite troubled prolonged production and script written by five different people, Darkman is very simple film. The plot serves as effective origin story with archetypal, almost one-dimensional characters. Liam Neeson in his first starring role in action film (the genre that would dominate in his latter years) nevertheless adds depth to Peyton Westlake, playing the character differently in various stages of the film – first as kind idealistic scientist, then as pathetic wreck and, finally, as someone who reluctantly reconciles with the bad cards left by fate. Neeson’s performance is even more impressive, considering that he had to do it under heavy make-up. The film also features great actor in the role of villain. Larry Drake, until that time best known as mentally retarded office worker Benny Stulwitz in L.A. Law, is incredibly effective as vicious, but intelligent and formidable adversary to Darkman. Drake’s performance was so impressive that his character was ultimately resurrected in this film 1995 direct-to-video sequel Darkman II: The Return of Durant. Other members of the cast fared worse. Frances McDormand, otherwise great actress, was miscast in the role of Peyton’s love interest and looks a little bit too plain for Raimi’s operatic vision (the actress later even claimed that her casting was mistake). Colin Fliers, while effective, is wasted in the role of one-dimensional villain with whom the protagonist would have to fight near the end. That scene, that takes place at night on the top of unfinished skyscraper, is somewhat disappointing, because at times it features some special effects that look a little bit too artificial at the time. The actual finale, during which Raimi’s old associate Bruce Campbell makes cameo-like appearance as one of Darkman’s disguise, improves general impression a bit.
Darkman had decent box office results, but Raimi and many people associated with the project, considered it a failure. The level of violence, profanities and potentially disturbing images made it less family-friendly than Batman and MPAA with its “R” rating made potential theatrical sequels much riskier proposition. Raimi himself was exhausted by studio’s meddling and claimed that the finished film is only a trimmed down fraction what it was supposed to be. Many characters weren’t properly explored and subplots weren’t developed. However, its short running time and little bit of anarchic irreverence makes Darkman simpler and easier to digest than bloated and unoriginal superhero films of today.
RATING: 7/10 (++)
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