Comments on Revisiting Coen Brothers & Sam Raimi’s Flop ‘Crimewave’ 30 Years Later

By: Craig Tuohy

2018-01-25T02:08:00Z

A terrible review that not only misses all of the joy in Crimewave, but manages to equally malign the pure cinematic gold of Raising Arizona and Hudsucker Proxy as well.

Crimewave has a thousand faults. The central casting is insipid as you correctly pointed out, and many jokes fall flat. The sound design is possibly the worst i’ve ever heard in a movie and every performance is overdialled (except for Campbell who is note perfect throughout).

However you completely overlook the successes. Among which are the sheer volume of great one liners, set pieces, originality, unpredictability and sight gags. The kid in the elevator, the rialto dance riot, the “I hate heels” scene, the plant pot attack, the wall of doors. For every gag that misses there is double the number of sight gags, dialogues and slapstick trickery that deliver in spades. Even the look of joy on the executioners face as the clock strikes midnight is pure gold.

The film is a failure, but it is one of the most valiant and purely original and enthusiastic failures ever committed to celluloid. That to me is more commendable than any number of safe successes (Such as the praised Spiderman 2)

By: Jules Neuman

2016-10-28T01:03:00Z

I think this is an unfair reading of the film. Taking it way too seriously (in the wrong direction), and sort of intellectualizing something that is actually quite amazing as a singular movie experience only Raimi and the Coens could provide. It’s a stupid, whacky, insane twist on film noir, and so while the writing is all Coens inspired and goofy but sharp, Raimi cuts the cartoon loose from its medium and created a living breathing live action cartoon. He never made a film this idiosyncratic and gonzo. The jokes are funny if you aren’t expecting or looking for Woody Allen. Gotta let go a little. And some of the scenes are so memorable and crazy, I’ve never seen anything like them. The fat man chasing the woman through all the falling walls and doorways is burned into my memory banks forever. I don’t think this film bombed because it isn’t great. It bombed because it is the antithesis of any expectation anyone could ever have when walking into a movie. Upon first viewing, it’s probably like what it would be like laying your eyes on a real life alien being. It’s hard to process what you are seeing, but you’re liking it and it’s weird.