A brilliant scientist left for dead returns to exact revenge on the people who burned him alive.A brilliant scientist left for dead returns to exact revenge on the people who burned him alive.A brilliant scientist left for dead returns to exact revenge on the people who burned him alive.
- Awards
- 3 wins & 7 nominations
Professor Toru Tanaka
- Chinese Warrior #2
- (as Prof. Toru Tanaka)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaFor the role of Darkman, Sam Raimi wanted someone who could play a monster with the soul of a man, and could do all that beneath a lot of makeup. He also liked Liam Neeson's Gary Cooper charisma. Neeson was drawn to the operatic nature of the story and the inner turmoil of the character. To research the role, Neeson contacted the Phoenix Society, an organization that helps accident victims with severe disfigurements adjust to re-entering society.
- GoofsThroughout the movie, Darkman is able to talk as normal despite his lack of lips. You cannot pronounce 'b', 'f', 'm', 'p', 'v' without lips.
- Quotes
Peyton Westlake: Take the fucking elephant!
- Crazy creditsThe 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.
- Alternate versionsThe UK theatrical version and original UIP video release was cut by 25 seconds to get a "15" rating. The 1991 CIC video was upgraded to an "18" and had most of the cuts restored, though 2 secs remained edited from the film owing to BBFC policy regarding footage of nunchakus.
- ConnectionsEdited into Darkman II: The Return of Durant (1995)
- SoundtracksGive It To Me
Written and Performed by Judy Valenti
Featured review
What to say about DARKMAN?
DARKMAN is a comic book inspired romp, directed by Sam Raimi (of EVIL DEAD fame). The main character was created by Raimi (as well as 5-6 other screen writers) after the rights to make THE SHADOW fell through.
The film THE SHADOW was eventually made, not by Raimi, and will be dealt with at a later time. Anyway, they secured Liam Neeson (who, keep in mind, was easier to get coming off of supporting roles in KRULL and NEXT OF KIN) to play the lead role; he would later go on to acclaim in SCHINDLER'S LIST. Frances McDormand, Colin Friels, and Larry "DR GIGGLES" Drake round out the cast.
OK, you've got Dr. Peyton Westlake who is in the process of inventing artificial skin, some bad guys blow him up good, and through a dubious operation he now feels no pain at all. This last fact is important because he is horribly burned all over his body, a fact that he attempts to hide by wearing a very cinematic trench-coat and fedora. He takes to dispatching the said bad guys who ruined his life one by one, etc. He also tries to rekindle the flame of his lost love and perfect the fake skin, all against the backdrop of a quasi-mystery involving corporate greed.
Is DARKMAN a great film?: No. Is it extremely fun to watch?: It is.
With all the goofy happenings, implausible situations, mustache twirling bad guys and the melodramatic inner conflict within the main character, the film has a sense of humor and a sly self awareness. DARKMAN charges headlong through the thin material with a wonderful visual style and camp sensibility. The performances are good and there are several clever scenes (ex: the two Drakes in the revolving door), to keep you watching. It is a tongue-in-cheek precursor to what Raimi & Co. would do down the road in ARMY OF DARKNESS, and should be of interest to film buffs at least.
Quick Trivia: When Liam Neeson stumbles out of the alley near the beginning of the film, he is splashed with water. The person who threw the bucket of water, was none other than Danny Elfman (who composed the score for DARKMAN). He was there visiting the set that day, and Sam Raimi felt he should be more "hands on" in the production. 7/10
The film THE SHADOW was eventually made, not by Raimi, and will be dealt with at a later time. Anyway, they secured Liam Neeson (who, keep in mind, was easier to get coming off of supporting roles in KRULL and NEXT OF KIN) to play the lead role; he would later go on to acclaim in SCHINDLER'S LIST. Frances McDormand, Colin Friels, and Larry "DR GIGGLES" Drake round out the cast.
OK, you've got Dr. Peyton Westlake who is in the process of inventing artificial skin, some bad guys blow him up good, and through a dubious operation he now feels no pain at all. This last fact is important because he is horribly burned all over his body, a fact that he attempts to hide by wearing a very cinematic trench-coat and fedora. He takes to dispatching the said bad guys who ruined his life one by one, etc. He also tries to rekindle the flame of his lost love and perfect the fake skin, all against the backdrop of a quasi-mystery involving corporate greed.
Is DARKMAN a great film?: No. Is it extremely fun to watch?: It is.
With all the goofy happenings, implausible situations, mustache twirling bad guys and the melodramatic inner conflict within the main character, the film has a sense of humor and a sly self awareness. DARKMAN charges headlong through the thin material with a wonderful visual style and camp sensibility. The performances are good and there are several clever scenes (ex: the two Drakes in the revolving door), to keep you watching. It is a tongue-in-cheek precursor to what Raimi & Co. would do down the road in ARMY OF DARKNESS, and should be of interest to film buffs at least.
Quick Trivia: When Liam Neeson stumbles out of the alley near the beginning of the film, he is splashed with water. The person who threw the bucket of water, was none other than Danny Elfman (who composed the score for DARKMAN). He was there visiting the set that day, and Sam Raimi felt he should be more "hands on" in the production. 7/10
Helpful•193
- underfire35
- Mar 4, 2003
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Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- Darkman: El rostro de la venganza
- Filming locations
- Lower Bay Station, Toronto, Ontario, Canada(subway station)
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $14,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $33,878,502
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $8,054,860
- Aug 26, 1990
- Gross worldwide
- $48,878,502
- Runtime1 hour 36 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1
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