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Crimewave

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For other uses, seeCrime Wave.
"The XYZ Murders" redirects here. For the omnibus by Barnaby Ross, seeBarnaby Ross.

Crimewave
VHS release cover
Directed bySam Raimi
Written by
Produced byRobert Tapert
Starring
CinematographyRobert Primes
Edited by
  • Michael Kelly
  • Kathie Weaver
  • Kaye Davis
Music byArlon Ober
Production
companies
Distributed byColumbia Pictures
Release date
  • April 12, 1985(1985-04-12)
Running time
86 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$2.5 million[2]
Box office$5,101[3]

Crimewaveis a 1985 Americancomedy filmdirected bySam Raimi,from a screenplay he co-wrote with theCoen brothers.It starsReed Birney,Sheree J. Wilson,Paul L. Smith,Brion James,Louise LasserandBruce Campbell,with the latter also serving as a co-producer. An unusualslapstickmix offilm noir,black comedy,Hitchcockian suspense,[4]andB-movieconventions,Crimewaveportrays bizarre situations involving a nebbisheveryman(Birney) entangled in a murderous plot while pursuing his love interest (Wilson).

Following the commercial success ofThe Evil Dead(1981), Raimi and Campbell decided to collaborate on another project. Joel Coen of theCoen brothersserved as one of the editors onThe Evil Deadand worked with Raimi on the screenplay. Production was difficult for several members of the crew, and the production studio,Embassy Pictures,refused to allow Raimi to edit the film. Several arguments broke out during the shoot of the film due to continued interference by the studio.

The film was a box-office flop and has since fallen into relative obscurity outside of fans of Campbell and Raimi. Few critics reviewed it upon release, though the little amount of critical attention it received was mostly negative. Several story and style elements found inCrimewaveinfluenced later productions by Raimi, and its overall failure directly led to the inception ofEvil Dead II(1987). Over time, the film has achieved the status of a minorcult film.

Plot

[edit]

Victor Ajax has been sentenced to death, sitting in an electric chair. In a flashback, we learn that Victor once was a promising young technician in the employ of Trend-Odegard Security. Mr. Trend, co-owner of the company, has learned of a plan by his partner to sell the company to Renaldo "The Heel" and responds by hiring two exterminators who promise to "kill all sizes" in order to eliminate Odegard and his plan. When Victor, who has been installing security cameras in Trend's apartment building, seems about to go back to the store, Trend distracts him with a lecture about "the grand design" and sends Victor on a quest to find his dream girl.

The dream girl is found in the form of Nancy, who responds minimally to Vic but is enamored of Renaldo. Victor and several residents of the building, including Mrs. Trend, run afoul of the killers, and a seemingly random series of slapstick murders occur, for all of which Victor is ultimately blamed. Nancy inevitably becomes a target and Vic saves her and kills the exterminators after a long comical fight sequence. The flashback ends and Victor is in the electric chair and awaits his execution while an elaborate race sequence occurs in which Nancy, accompanied by several nuns, drives manically, Nancy at the wheel, to the scene in order to prove his innocence. Before the switch is pulled however, Nancy arrives just in time and clears his name. The movie concludes with their marriage.

Cast

[edit]
Uncredited

Production

[edit]

Background

[edit]

By 1983, long-time friends Campbell and Raimi had collaborated on several projects together.[5][6]The duo had just completed the production ofWithin the WoodsandThe Evil Dead,the latter of which was a box-office and critical hit.[7][8][9]Following his involvement inThe Evil Dead,Campbell had difficulty establishing a career as an actor.[10]He appeared on the soap operaGenerations,and in several localDetroitcommercial ads.[10]Meanwhile, Raimi had been collaborating withEthan and Joel Coenon a screenplay.[11]Joel Coen had been one of the editors onThe Evil Dead,which led to him befriending Raimi.[12][13]Joel Coen's experience editingThe Evil Deadinspired him to complete his own film,Blood Simple,which was released to critical acclaim.[14]The script would later develop intoRelentless,a narrative about "two crazed killers."[11]

Raimi was not initially optimistic about the talents of the Coen brothers.[11]He recounted that Ethan was "just a statistic accountant atMacy'sat the time. "[11]After reading theBlood Simplescript, however, Campbell commented that the screenplay was "great", comparing it to the work ofAlfred Hitchcock.[11]It featured "mild-mannered leading men" who "get caught up in a web of fear, murder and mayhem", elements that often defined the films directed by Hitchcock.[11][15]DistributorIrvin Shapiro,who was instrumental in the commercial success ofThe Evil Dead,did not like the title ofRelentless.[16][17]He suggested putting "X" and "Murder" in the title, believing it would be more enticing to audiences. With Shapiro's suggestion in mind, Raimi gave the film the tentative title ofThe XYZ Murders.[2]

Filming

[edit]
A man standing with a microphone, wearing a red blazer.
Sam Raimiwanted his friendBruce Campbell(pictured) to star in the film; however, producers wanted a "Hollywood"actor instead.

Given the commercial success ofThe Evil Dead,studio financial backing for the new project came quickly.[2]Though Raimi and Campbell did not profit from the film, the studio believed in Raimi, initially allowing the director complete creative control on the project; however, executives later took control of the production.[2]Raimi and Campbell developed the project withEmbassy Pictures' producerNorman Lear,who supposedly had a "Midas touch",because of the consistent success he had attained from various television productions.[2][18]He suggested the titleCrimewave,which was ultimately used.[2]

Raimi and the studio clashed several times during production.[19]The first disagreement between the director and the executives stemmed from the latter's insistence on casting a "Hollywood" actor in the lead role instead of Raimi's long-time collaborator and friend Campbell.[6]In his 2002 autobiographyIf Chins Could Kill: Confessions of a B Movie Actor,Campbell commented about how difficult it was working with more established producers; "jumping into the big time meant dealing with the excruciatingly specific and alternately vague demands of a studio,... Hollywood executives took an interest in everything."[2]Campbell was surprised that he had to audition for the lead role, as he did not have to test forThe Evil Dead.[2]Campbell and his photographer friend Mike Ditz used a16 mm filmcamera and shot a scene to show to the producers. Upon viewing it, the producers asserted that "Campbell will not star in this film".[2]In retaliation, Raimi lengthened a supporting role and gave it to Campbell: the character of Renaldo "The Heel". This allowed for Campbell to be present through the production, which Campbell later noted was a good thing, as due to the constant studio interference "Sam needed all the help he could get".[2]

Raimi budgeted the film at $2.5 million, an amount the studio greenlit. But the calculations had not taken union fees and regulations into account, making the proposed budgeting and scheduling unrealistic.[2]In addition, the crew were talked into spending three times the allotted money for one shooting location. The shoot quickly went both over budget and over schedule.[20]At that point, the studio stepped in, with executives demanding cuts in the script, budget restrictions, layoffs, and their own supervision of the project.[21]The studio also insisted on reviewing every batch of dailies, criticizing the decision to use cast and crew members (including Campbell) as extras in several scenes (a Raimi trademark known as "Shemping").[21][22]

Image of a bridge and a river view.
Because theDetroit Riverwas frozen, the cast had to use dynamite to achieve a shot of the water.

Even without Embassy's interference, however, the production was plagued with difficulties.[19]According to Campbell, lead actress Lasser—under the influence of cocaine—fired her make-up artist.[20]She insisted that she apply all her own make-up, despite objections from the cast. She would often show up on set with poorly applied "clown make-up" and messed up hair, oblivious to how she appeared.[20]There were occasions when she outright refused to leave her trailer, to the annoyance of the cast and crew.[20]Production was often affected by "weird" events; actorBrion Jamestrashed his hotel room in an attempt to "exorcise a ghost from his light fixtures".[20]

At one point, shooting was to take place at abridgeoverlooking theDetroit River,which was frozen at the time.[23]The script, however, called for clear and running water, meaning that the crew had to brave dangerously low temperatures and conditions to clear the ice; finally they blew up the ice with dynamite.[23]At another time, the crew spent a week filming on a Detroit street after dark, directly under a nursing home, with huge wind machines blowing for long hours. One evening a glass bottle with a note in it crashed to the ground from an upper floor. The note inside read, "The noise is keeping me awake all night long and I am getting sick. I am dying because of you."[23]The production of the film was a "disaster" according to Campbell, who stated that usually "missteps" likeCrimewavelead to the end of a director's career.[24]

Post production

[edit]
A man sitting next to a microphone placed on a table.
DirectorSam Raimiwas not allowed by the studio to editCrimewave.

In post-production, Embassy's self-imposed role in makingCrimewavewas even greater.[25]Although Raimi, Tapert, and Campbell insisted that they had made the film as partners, the studio refused — because of the already ballooning costs — to pay for Campbell to stay inLos Angelesduring post-production (although the executives later compromised).[23][26]The studio replaced Raimi's music composer,Joseph LoDuca,with one of its own choosing. It did the same with the editor, removing Raimi's influence over the film's final cut.[25]

An argument broke out near the end of the post-production between Campbell and the producers.[25]Campbell argued that he and Raimi had always been closely involved with their own films' editing, describing the behavior of the producers as "nickel-and-dime-bullshit".[25]One of the producers replied by calling Campbell an "asshole", commenting that the crew had gone severely over budget.[25]The difficulty during production left a negative impression on Campbell, who insisted that he never wanted to work with big-budget movie producers again, describing the conduct as "soulless" and "just a business."[25]Raimi commented negatively about the process too, musing that "it was really wrong. It was such a horrible, horrible, horrible, depressing scene."[23]

Release and reception

[edit]

After all the editing imposed by the studio,Crimewavestill became a box-office flop. Campbell reasoned that "cross-genre" films "send marketing people scurrying under a desk".[27]According to him, the film was hard to market because it featured elements of horror films, comedies, and dramas.[27]To make matters even more confusing, in France and Italy, the film's title was changed toDeath on the GrillandThe Two Craziest Killers in the Worldrespectively.[27]In the United States, the film was only released in Santa Cruz, California;Kansas;andAlaska,to make the film eligible forHBObroadcasting. Upon release, the film "went down in box-office flames", with Campbell commenting "it wasn't released. It escaped!"[27]The "only good" screening came theSeattle International Film Festival,where the movie was promoted as a novelty film.[27]

Two men in button-up shirts smiling.
The screenplay written by theCoen brothersreceived a mixed reception by critics.

Along with Raimi and Campbell, film critics were largely dismissive of the film. A writer forTime Outgave a negative review, writing "despite its ambition and a Coen Brothers script credit, Raimi's second film was a disappointment after his astonishing debutThe Evil Dead."The writer did however compliment some of the set pieces featured in the film, ultimately commenting that only people interested in the early work by Raimi would be interested.[28]Film Junk writer Sean Harley commented that if the same filmmakers had released a movie today, "based on their impressive filmographies and the cult followings that both have amassed, a collaboration of this magnitude would be a cinematic event like no other." However, he said that this film was "not a particularly brilliant movie, and it's easily one of the weakest projects that any of these great filmmakers have been involved in." He noted that fans of Raimi's films would likely find it interesting and gave the film a weak recommendation.[29]

Leonard Maltinawarded the film two and a half stars out of four, describing it a "weird, almost incoherent crime story."[30]Celluloid Dream's Simon Hill commented that the writing was a disappointment, musing that it did however feature "glimpses of the director" Raimi would become. A scene in a dentist office reminded him of a scene fromSpider-Man 2,a film also directed by Raimi. He commented that "even in his small part Campbell is the most memorable character in the film", also praising the performance of the two exterminators.[31]The film has achieved the status of a minorcult film.In one of the few positive notices,MTVwriter Adam Rosenberg described the film as "criminally underrated".[32]Rosenberg disagreed with the consensus about the film, labeling it as a "hard-to-find classic".[33]Kim Newman also called the film underrated, writing that the film "revels" in its slapstick nature, taking influence from everything from horror comics toThe Three Stooges.[34]

Colin GreenlandreviewedCrimewaveforWhite Dwarf#77, and stated that "Crimewave,from the men who brought youThe Evil Dead,is a hit-and-miss send-up of Forties' crime comics, with all the wild angles and grotesque characterization. It's not far from those very earlyMADparodies, and similarly, you'll either love or hate it. "[35]

On thereview aggregatorwebsiteRotten Tomatoes,57% of seven critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.4/10.[36]

Aftermath

[edit]

Raimi cited the experience as one of the least favorite moments of his career:

“I can't look at it. It's so painful. The experience was just awful. Bruce Campbell was supposed to star. A month, two months before, the studio said," No, he's not starring in it. "My composer was removed – Joe LoDuca, who did the Evil Dead movies. They didn't let me do a director's cut. They fired my editor about two weeks in, after we'd done shooting, and they brought the film out of Detroit to Los Angeles. They had their own editor cut it, they had their own components. It was just a mess. “[37]

[23]

Campbell described the film as a "lesson about abject failure", writing "no matter how you slice it, the film was adogand pretty much everyone involved can line up to take forty whacks. As filmmakers, we failed to execute a misguided concept and our studio refused us the benefit of any doubt. "[29]The Coen brothers expressed similar dissatisfaction with the film, and directed every one of their screenplays until the 2012 filmGambit.[38][39]John Cameron, second assistant director on the film, remarked, "I seeCrimewaveas a real turning point in a certain way, because if you survived that experience, nothing in the business could ever be as hard again. "[27]

Raimi had the studio support to make a sequel toThe Evil Dead,which he initially decided to make out of desperation.[24]His career quickly recovered afterEvil Dead IIwas released in 1987 and became a box office success.[40]Raimi and the Coens remained friends, and the duo cast Campbell in some of their films such asThe Hudsucker Proxy(1994),Fargo(1996) andIntolerable Cruelty(2003), the former of which was co-written by Raimi.[14][41]Elements ofCrimewavewere re-used by frequent Raimi collaboratorJosh Beckerfor the movieLunatics: A Love Story,as well as by Raimi himself inSpider-Manand its sequels.[24][42][43]In 2010, aFunny or Diecomedy video featuring actorsJames FrancoandBill Haderpaid tribute to Raimi, and in parody of a scene fromSpider-Man 2the actors discussedCrimewaveamong Raimi's other films. Collider's Matt Goldberg stated, "I think this sketch features the first reference toCrimewaveever ".[44]

Home media

[edit]

Shout! FactoryreleasedCrimewaveonBlu-ray/DVDCombo Pack on May 14, 2013.[45]

References

[edit]
  1. ^"CRIMEWAVE(PG) (CUT) ".British Board of Film Classification.July 15, 1985.RetrievedNovember 5,2015.
  2. ^abcdefghijkCampbell (2002),p. 162
  3. ^"Crimewave (1986)".Box Office Mojo.Internet Movie Database.May 2, 1986.RetrievedNovember 5,2015.
  4. ^Shields, Meg (4 October 2021)."The Movie That Almost Killed Sam Raimi's Career".Film School Rejects.Retrieved26 March2023.
  5. ^Winston Dixon (2010),p. 161
  6. ^abEgan (2011),p. 16
  7. ^"The Evil Dead".Rotten Tomatoes.RetrievedMay 7,2012.
  8. ^"The Evil Dead".Box Office Mojo.RetrievedMay 19,2012.
  9. ^Egan (2011),pp. 26–28
  10. ^abCampbell (2002),pp. 155–157
  11. ^abcdefCampbell (2002),p. 161
  12. ^AMC staff (October 28, 2008)."Ten Things You Might Not Know About the Evil Dead Trilogy".Filmcritic.com.Archived fromthe originalon December 27, 2011.Retrieved2012-07-12.
  13. ^Pooley (1987),p. 44
  14. ^abŽižek (2000),p. 111
  15. ^Truffaut (1985),p. 139
  16. ^Konow (2012),pp. 422–425
  17. ^Campbell (2002),pp. 136–137
  18. ^Nadel, Gerry (1977-05-30)."Who Owns Prime Time? The Threat of the 'Occasional' Networks".New York:34–35.Retrieved2009-10-04.
  19. ^abPaul (2007),p. 121
  20. ^abcdeCampbell (2002),p. 163
  21. ^abCampbell (2002),pp. 164–165
  22. ^Kenneth Muir (2004),p. 115
  23. ^abcdefCampbell (2002),pp. 166–167
  24. ^abcCampbell (2002),p. 171
  25. ^abcdefCampbell (2002),p. 168
  26. ^Egan (2011),p. 14
  27. ^abcdefCampbell (2002),p. 169
  28. ^"Crimewave (1985)".Time Out.Time Out.Retrieved2012-07-12.
  29. ^abHarley, Sean (October 13, 2008)."Crimewave (1985)".Film Junk.Retrieved2012-07-12.
  30. ^Martin (2009),p. 112
  31. ^Hill, Simon."Crimewave".Celluloid Dream. Archived fromthe originalon 2010-11-21.Retrieved2012-07-12.
  32. ^Rosenberg, Adam (September 9, 2009)."Getting 'Serious' With 'The Big Lebowski' In Today's Sick Day Stash".MTVMovie Blog.Archived fromthe originalon October 1, 2009.Retrieved2011-09-23.
  33. ^Rosenberg, Adam (May 27, 2009)."'Drag Me To Hell' And Other Horror Flicks You Can Share With Your Family ".MTV Movie Blog.Archived fromthe originalon May 29, 2009.Retrieved2011-09-23.
  34. ^Newman (2011),p. 279
  35. ^Greenland, Colin(May 1986). "2020 Vision".White Dwarf(77).Games Workshop:11.
  36. ^"Crimewave".Rotten Tomatoes.Fandango Media.RetrievedDecember 7,2022.Edit this at Wikidata
  37. ^"In Conversation With Sam Raimi".Empire.Retrieved26 March2023.
  38. ^Sean (September 20, 2012)."Coen Brothers-Scripted Gambit Trailer Starring Colin Firth and Cameron Diaz".Film Junk.Retrieved2012-07-12.
  39. ^Raup, Jordan (December 13, 2012)."Colin Firth To Lead Coen-Scripted 'Gambit' Remake".Film Stage.Retrieved2012-07-12.
  40. ^Kenneth Muir (2004),p. 101
  41. ^Campbell (2002),pp. 219–222
  42. ^Campbell (2002),p. 337
  43. ^Harris (2002),pp. 51–52
  44. ^Goldberg, Matt (June 29, 2010)."James Franco and Willem Dafoe Wish Sam Raimi a Happy Birthday in Funny or Die Sketch".Film Stage.Retrieved2012-07-12.[permanent dead link]
  45. ^Brendan Connelly (February 5, 2013)."Sam Raimi And The Coen Brothers' Crimewave Headed To Blu-Ray".Bleeding Cool.Archivedfrom the original on February 6, 2013.RetrievedFebruary 13,2013.

Bibliography

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