Darkman III: Die Darkman Die Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		2.5
Audio		2.5
Extras		1.5
Overall		2.5

Darkman III: Die Darkman Die Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman January 4, 2019

“Justice has a new face,” Arnold Vosloo as Darkman says in the film’s opening monologue-slash-recap of how the humble Dr. Westlake, portrayed by Liam Neeson in the original film, came to be the disfigured, vengeful Darkman, Sam Raimi’s “Superhero” creation that spawned a positively reviewed sequel, and this third film, the humorously subtitled Die Darkman Die. Title aside, this is another well crafted DTV film from Bradford May. It was shot back-to-back with The Return of Durant and was interestingly scheduled to release first but was eventually bumped in favor of the film with the more familiar villain headliner. Die Darkman Die pits the hero against a new villain whose wrongdoings do not stop at his place of business but filter into his crumbling family life as well.

Dr. Peyton Westlake (Vosloo) has set up a new, sophisticated laboratory/hideout hybrid in an old subway station. Unfortunately, he is still unable to perfect his synthetic skin; it’s still deteriorating after 99 minutes, leaving him precious little time to surface and do as he must to continue his research, which includes stealing money from criminal enterprises and swiping medical supplies from poorly secured facilities. One day, he meets Dr. Bridget Thorne, who has tracked him to his lair by bugging a cache of medial goods he has recently stolen from her lab. She reveals she was on the original medical team that treated him following his disfigurement in Darkman. By allowing Westlake access to her state-of-the-art computer equipment, she helps him create a more stable skin as well as regain some nervous system functionality. But unbeknownst to Westlake, Thorne is working with a powerful gangster named Rooker (Jeff Fahey) who wishes to use Westlake’s research to help him create an army of supermen to strengthen his criminal empire. Rooker’s heinous actions follow him home, where he lives with his disillusioned wife Angela (Roxann Dawson) and a disappointed daughter Jenny (Alicia Panetta) whom Westlake decides to help in any way he can.

Jeff Fahey’s Rooker is another well-rounded villain for the series who, beyond his criminal dealings, is depicted as a slime ball on the home front as well, a man who routinely cheats on his wife and ignores his daughter who is desperate to have her father in her life. The resultant drama is interestingly executed and gradually becomes the film’s focal point, with Westlake, posing as Rooker, filling in as a surrogate father figure for Jenny and husband to Angela while living vicariously through the family. It comes off as a little awkward at times but one cannot help but to be touched by Westlake’s compassion and generosity, both of which come full-circle at film’s end.

In much the same way that it played out in Darkman II: The Return of Durant, Darkman becomes less a central figure and more a disruptive influence in a criminal enterprise, assuming various identities not necessarily to upset and confuse but also, as discussed above, to help a couple of innocent people in desperate need of love and compassion in their lives. Vosloo actually has little to do in the movie outside of the routine of working in the lab and participating in various fights, usually in his true-form disfigured self. Fahey carries the movie, both the as the film's villain and playing a disguised Westlake, two contradictory parts, in the same skin, that challenge him to emote his most vile and his most tender, often in the same scene or sequence. Fahey is up to the challenge, excelling at both spectrums, particularly relishing the opportunity to play a slick slime ball who is more interested in power and sex and less the beautiful family he all but ignores in his palatial estate, no doubt bought and paid for with funds from his various underhanded dealings.

Darkman III: Die Darkman Die Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Darkman III: Die Darkman Die's 1080p transfer may look decent enough at-a-glance but troubles become apparent with any sort of close inspection. Grain is sharp and not particularly organic, giving the image a harsh, hard-edged processed appearance. A number of shots appear out of focus as well, and while core detailing is decent enough, the grossly processed appearance is too much for any of the image's positives to overcome. Colors find a pleasant neutrality. The movie favors a darker tonal balance, but some more impressively lit moments fare well, such as during an interior birthday party later in the film. More than a few examples of print wear -- splotches, speckles -- intermittently appear throughout. Black levels are well balanced, with good shadow detail and natural depth and stability during nighttime exteriors, with a few minor exceptions.

Darkman III: Die Darkman Die Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The included DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 lossless soundtrack delivers a generally capable, though somewhat troubled, listening experience. Musical clarity is never pristine. There's a mild hollowness and the lack of expert fidelity leaves the presentation wanting. Spacing is not always prominent. Musical elements often linger in a front-center imaged area. Action scenes struggle with depth and clarity. Explosions are muddy, gunfire is nothing special, and support effects never challenge the sound system. A few atmospheric effects linger in the middle or very close to it. Dialogue clarity is good enough and imaged towards the center. The two-channel track accompanying the previous film in the series is much better.

Darkman III: Die Darkman Die Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This Blu-ray release of Darkman III: Die Darkman Die contains an audio commentary track and a trailer. No DVD or digital versions are included.

• Audio Commentary: Mondo Digital's Nathaniel Thompson sits down with Director/Cinematographer Bradford May, recording the day after discussing Darkman II: The Return of Durant. They discuss this film's chronological place in the series, story details (which occasionally turns into recapping the on-screen action), character arcs, shooting locales, production design, and more. Thompson and May again prove to be a good pairing that together craft a compelling track that opens up the world of Darkman quite a bit.
• Trailer (1080i, ~1.33:1, 1:09).

Darkman III: Die Darkman Die Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Darkman III: Die Darkman Die sees the hero once again seek vengeance against those who have wronged him, but this story takes him in a new direction that allows Westlake to open up, to reveal the compassionate man who still exists below the disfigurement. Vosloo and Fahey play well against one another, though it's again the latter, the film's villain, who shines brightest. Fahey excels in the part, playing both a criminal boss and absentee father as well as Westlake-as-Rooker in a more tenderhearted role. The film is a solid entry into the Darkman franchise, and the last for the screen, a good send-off for the series even if it was intended to be the middle film of the three. Shout! Factory's Blu-ray release delivers disappointing video, subpar two-channel lossless audio, and a good commentary track. Fans will have to decide if the commentary is worth the added cost of buying the film individually or skipping it over in favor of the much cheaper Universal trilogy collection.