Crimewave
List Price:
Our Price: $12.79
You Save: $10.19 (44%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Category: DVD
See more DVD releases
Buy this DVD movie at online store in your country
Canada
Canada
DVD Cover Information
Actor: Brion James, Edward R. Pressman, Louise Lasser, Paul L. Smith, Sheree J. WilsonDVD: Region Code 3
Audio: English (Original Language)
Format: Import, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 83 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2008-06-24
Audience Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: Panorama
Movie Reviews of Crimewave
Movie Review: Zappy
Summary: 4 Stars
Even though this was penned by Raimi and the Coen brothers, it's a far sillier movie than anything else that either the Coens or Renaissance Pictures have ever created. In fact, this slapstick crime farce is surely one of the goofiest things yet committed to film, and all the more fun for it. Raimi channeled silent film techniques and The Three Stooges into this incomparably nutty story about a pair of rodent exterminators/hitmen who kill the owners of a burglar-alarm company, after which no small amount of lunacy ensues and a nerdy employee is blamed for the killings.
While Reed Birney and Louise Lasser perform gamely as the leads, Bruce Campbell steals the show in a particularly wacky supporting role. In his career retrospective, "If Chins Could Kill," Campbell wrote at length of the numerous problems that plagued "Crimewave's" production: Raimi's inexperience and inefficiency, egregious meddling by the film's dissatisfied producers and investors, and totally inept marketing that relegated the movie to the dustbin of cult fandom. Most of "Crimewave's" many flaws can be blamed on the exclusion of Raimi and his crew from many crucial decisions and activities: his preferred editor, Kaye Davis, was dismissed from the project, and Michael Kelly and Kathie Weaver hacked it into a sloppy finished product; Birney was chosen over cult hero Campbell for the lead role, and while his performance is terrific, it's not hard to imagine The Chin hamming it up even more impressively; finally, Renaissance composer Joe LoDuca's contributions to the film were reduced from a full score to a single song.
Regardless of "Crimewave's" shortcomings, it is a remarkable effort in which Raimi invested nearly as much creativity as he did in his "Evil Dead" features. The production design is enormous, colorful and totally unique - it belies the movie's low budget and seamlessly straddles the styles of the '30s and '80s. It's clearly not the film that its creators hoped it would be and has since been disowned by all of them, but this deserves attention - not only by Coen and Raimi fans, but anyone who's interested in B-movies that were crafted with no interest in either established convention or seriousness.
Panorama's DVD edition seems to be the most widely available, and it's a good product. All of the disc's colorful menus feature entries in both Mandarin and English, and decent subtitles are available in both languages. The A/V quality is fair. The print is grainy, but then, that's how it was meant to look. The Dolby Digital 2.0 audio track is slightly muddled; the 5.1 track is much clearer. The scene selection menu consists of video thumbnails which are always nice to look at, but as these selections are limited to twelve portions, you may need to search a bit to find a specific scene. Happy hunting!
Similar DVD Movies
The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.: The Complete SeriesCAMPBELL,BRUCE; Release date: 2006-07-18; DVD
Best price: $17.23
Price in other shops:
The Ladykillers (Widescreen Edition)Buena Vista Home Video; Release date: 2004-09-07; DVD
Best price: $3.35
Price in other shops:
Burn After ReadingCLOONEY,GEORGE; Release date: 2008-12-21; DVD
Best price: $1.85
Price in other shops:
Miller's CrossingBYRNE,GABRIEL; Release date: 2003-05-20; DVD
Best price: $4.00
Price in other shops:
The Man Who Wasn't ThereUniversal Studios; Release date: 2002-10-01; Published: 2002-10-01; DVD
Best price: $4.74
Price in other shops:
Blood SimpleSony; Release date: 2008-09-16; DVD
Best price: $6.28
Price in other shops:
Intolerable Cruelty (Widescreen Edition)UNI DIST CORP. (MCA); Release date: 2004-02-10; Published: 2005-06-01; DVD
Best price: $0.76
Price in other shops:
A Serious ManUniversal Studios; Release date: 2010-02-09; DVD
Best price: $5.96
Price in other shops:
The Hudsucker ProxyROBBINS,TIM; Release date: 1999-05-18; Published: 1999-05-01; DVD
Best price: $18.79
O Brother, Where Art Thou?Buena Vista Home Video; Release date: 2001-06-12; DVD
Best price: $6.06
Price in other shops: