(Sam Raimi, 1985)
Release date: 28 August 2023
Standard Edition Blu-ray
After the colossal success of The Evil Dead, director Sam Raimi teamed up with the Coen brothers (fresh from Blood Simple) to make his next film, Crimewave, an unusual mixture of screwball comedy, film noir and B-movie homage.
Raimi’s film tells the bizarre story of a security-system installer, Vic (Reed Birney), who finds himself in the electric chair when he falls in love with Nancy (Sheree J Wilson), a femme fatale on the run from two bumbling exterminators ‘of all sizes’ (Paul L Smith, Popeye, and Brion James, Blade Runner).
A notoriously troubled production which flopped upon its original release, Crimewave can now be enjoyed as a riotously entertaining showcase for Raimi and the Coens, which also benefits from a highly amusing performance from cult-horror star Bruce Campbell.
INDICATOR STANDARD EDITION SPECIAL FEATURES
- High Definition remaster
- Four feature presentations: the 87-minute international version with a selection of three alternative titles (Broken Hearts and Noses, The XYZ Murders, and Crimewave); and the 82-minute US theatrical cut
- Original mono audio
- Audio commentary with actor-producer Bruce Campbell and filmmaker Michael Felsher (2013)
- Audio commentary with Sam Raimi expert James Flower (2021)
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The Crimewave Meter (2013, 16 mins): Bruce Campbell revisits his early collaborations with writer-director Raimi
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Leading Man (2013, 16 mins): actor Reed Birney talks about Crimewave and his wider career
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Made in Detroit (2013, 9 mins): producer-actor Edward R Pressman discusses the making of the film
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Rank Outsider (2021, 10 mins): critic and author Kim Newman remembers the original UK release
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Too Much for Comfort (2021, 8 mins): appreciation by comedian, musician and writer Rob Deering
- On-set footage (1983, 12 mins): rare behind-the-scenes material from Reed Birney’s personal archive
- Promotional reel (1984, 14 mins): previously unseen digest version with unique voice-over, intended for industry use
- US theatrical trailer
- US home video trailer
- French theatrical trailer
- Image galleries: promotional materials and behind-the-scenes photography
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The XYZ Murders script gallery: complete pre-production screenplay
- New and improved English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
