DARKMAN II: THE RETURN OF DURANT (1995)
Technically, this counts as a rewatch. I caught Darkman II on television as a wee lad, which is strange, given the film's release date. It was actually shot in 1993, as was Darkman III: Die Darkman Die. I love Sam Raimi's original. It was a successful marriage of amusement park thrills and comic book visuals. This sequel almost feels like a do-over, only without the winning personality and the polychromatic imagery. Liam Neeson has been replaced with Arnold Vosloo. And while Vosloo is Vosloo, he isn't Neeson. Good God, and I call myself a professional writer. What I mean is that while Vosloo gives it the old college try, he lacks a certain verve, an intangible quality that you can only find in ghost pepper fries or bacon cheeseburgers. I was never able to warm up to this Darkman. Oh, the synopsis.
So Camille Keaton stars as a woman beleaguered (read: raped) by backwoods rednecks. Wait, that's I Spit on Your Grave. I do that all the time. Er, despite dying in a fiery helicopter crash, the nefarious Durant is somehow alive and plotting to hijack the drug trade with outlandish weapons. No, it doesn't make sense, but at least Larry Drake agreed to reprise his role as the golf-happy, cigar-cutting heavy. It's worth renting The Return of Durant to see the return of Durant. He isn't omnipotent, though. As I said earlier, this has the (un)makings of a withered version of the first film. The action has been dialed back, and there isn't much in the way of suspense. According to my highly reputable sources (IMDb), Raimi wanted Bruce Campbell to play Darkman in the sequels. Man, imagine that. The guy from Maniac Cop and Maniac Cop 2 as Darkman. Oh, well. Would have been nice.
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