Darkman (1990)

Darkman is a 1990 American superhero film directed and co-written by Sam Raimi. It is based on a short story Raimi wrote that paid homage to Universal's horror films of the 1930s, and pulp magazine characters such as The Shadow and The Spider. The film stars Liam Neeson as Peyton Westlake/Darkman, Larry Drake as Robert Durant, Frances McDormand as Julie Hastings, and Colin Friels as Louis Strack Jr.

Plot
When thugs employed by a crime boss lead a vicious assault on Dr. Peyton Westlake, leaving him literally and psychologically scarred, an emergency procedure allows him to survive. Upon his recovery, Westlake can find solace only by returning to his scientific work developing synthetic skin, and seeking revenge against the crime boss. He assumes a phantom avenger persona called Darkman, who, with malleable facial qualities, is able to infiltrate and sow terror in the criminal community.

Why It’s Great

 * 1) It pays homage to the pulp magazine superheroes extremely well.
 * 2) The story is good.
 * 3) The atmosphere is suspenseful.
 * 4) Durant is a good villain that creates a good opposition for the hero.
 * 5) The film has great mix of both cartoony humor and wonderfully over the top action.

Bad Qualities

 * 1) Some of the dialogue comes off as out-of-place.

Reception
The film received generally favorable reviews and holds an aggregate of 82% on Rotten Tomatoes, out of the 55 reviews 45 were positive. Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "C+" on an A+ to F scale.

Box Office
On its opening weekend, Darkman grossed a total of $8 million in 1,786 theaters. To date, the film has grossed a total of $48.8 million worldwide. This was considered to be a moderate success