CRIMEWAVE (1985)
After the success of THE EVIL DEAD, Sam Raimi and producer Robert Tapert settled on a noir-inspired screwball crime comedy as their next project — it was a critical and box office flop, inspiring Raimi to move on with EVIL DEAD II, but it has since risen to the status of renowned cult curiosity. After learning of his business partner's plan to sell their company to a shady entrepreneur (THE EVIL DEAD's Bruce Campbell), the owner of a burglar alarm company (renowned producer Edward R. Pressman) hires a pair of inept "exterminators" (Paul L. Smith and Brion James) to kill his partner and stop the sale. Also in the mix are his wife (Louise Lasser, MARY HARTMAN, MARY HARTMAN) and a nerdy alarm repairman framed for the murder (Reed Birney, recently seen in 2021's MASS) who tells the story in flashback from the electric chair. There's a lot going on, which isn't surprising when you know that the gonzo script was co-written with none other than Joel and Ethan Coen, hot on the heels of their 1984 debut BLOOD SIMPLE. DIR/SCR Sam Raimi; SCR Ethan Coen, Joel Coen; PROD Robert Tapert, Bruce Campbell. U.S., 1985, color, 86 min. RATED PG-13
AFI Member passes accepted.
Run Time: 86 Minutes
Opening Date: Saturday, April 16, 2022
Genre: Crime comedy