Darkman

Darkman is the title of a 1990 film directed by Sam Raimi, starring Liam Neeson as scientist Peyton Westlake. Scarred and badly burnt after criminals attack and demolish his laboratory, doctors are forced to destroy Westlake's nerve endings, thus giving him incredible strength and making him oblivious to pain. He becomes Darkman, a superhero of sorts who seeks revenge upon corrupt developer Louis Strack, Jr. (played by Colin Friels) and mobster Robert G. Durant (played by Larry Drake), the men responsible for destroying his life. To hide his scarring and blend into crowds, Westlake wears synthetic skin that dissolves in light after a certain amount of time, which he also uses to disguise himself as other people.

Darkman III: Die, Darkman, Die

In the second direct-to-video Darkman sequel, released in 1996, Peyton Westlake (again played by Vosloo) steals a crate of money from drug lord Peter Rooker (Jeff Fahey) to continue his research.

Related Topics:
1996 - Jeff Fahey

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Rooker is determined to find out how Darkman has his superior strength, and enlists the aid of Dr. Bridget Thorne (Darlanne Fluegel), a new character retroactively put into Darkman's origin as one of the doctors who first treated Westlake body after he was burnt in the first movie. Obtaining a sample of Westlake's adrenaline, Dr. Thorne develops a designer steroid which enhances a person's strength at the cost of their mental agility.

Related Topics:
Darlanne Fluegel - Retroactively

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Learning of what has happened, Darkman plans his revenge against Rooker by impersonating him while in the company of his family and colleagues in order to bring him down. It is up to Darkman to destroy the formula to the steroid and seek vengeance against Rooker, but not at the cost of Rooker's wife and child.

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This film shifts some of the focus from action to drama, during Peyton's scenes with Rooker's wife (played by Roxanne Biggs-Dawson), and his child, reminding him of how life could have been for him.

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Darkman III: Die, Darkman, Die was originally intended to be the first sequel to the original Darkman, but when Larry Drake became available to reprise his role of Durant, this entry was moved back until Darkman II: The Return of Durant had been finished and released.

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