Crimewave (1985) (Blu-ray/DVD Review)
Director: Sam Raimi
Starring: Louise Lasser, Brion James, Bruce Campbell
Rated: PG-13/Region: A/1:85/1080p/Number of disc: 2
Available from Shout! Factory
In a slapstick spoof of hitmen and crime stories, the head of a security systems company is bumped off by two gonzo exterminators who have gone from stomping out pesky varmints to stomping out human targets. The exterminators go after the partner who hired them and his blatantly obnoxious wife (Louise Lasser) and, in the meantime, frame a poor security guard (Reed Birney) for the murder of the company boss.
Directed by Sam Raimi, written by The Coen brothers, and having Bruce Campbell in a pretty solid role, you’d think you couldn’t go wrong with this film. However, Crimewave is silly and perhaps it is a little too silly for its own good in a lot of ways. This was the follow-up to one of the greatest horror movies ever, Evil Dead, from Sam and Bruce. Yet, the end results are a film that packs some nice shots and looks cool in spots, but was just overall too cartoony for my personal taste. And, I think that will also be the case for a lot of folks who watch this movie.
Our main two bad guys are a little too outrageous if you ask me. I think had this movie toned it’s dial down from 11 to about a 6 we could have had a film that was more enjoyable than what we end up with. I’m not saying this isn’t a movie funny moments, because the movie will make you laugh here and there. I’m not even telling you anything that the people involved in the movie don’t already know and free say out-loud themselves. The movie also comes with a transfer that isn’t anything too special, but it does blow any other version of this film you might have seen out of the water. If you want to check out some lost Raimi, here ya go. Just don’t get too surprised if it doesn’t do a lot for you.
– Audio Commentary with Bruce Campbell
– Theatrical Trailer
– Interview with actors including Bruce Campbell
