Crimewave (1985)

Crimewave is special because it feels like a live-action cartoon drawn with a straight razor and a rubber chicken—Sam Raimi turns a simple crime farce into a pinball machine of camera moves, pratfalls, and gloriously overcooked menace. Framed as a frantic flashback from the electric chair, it barrels forward with comic-book energy, where every hallway becomes a playground for inventive set pieces and every threat lands as darkly funny slapstick rather than grim brutality. It’s the kind of movie that commits so hard to its manic, slightly horror-tinged goofiness that you start rooting for the sheer audacity of the filmmaking as much as the underdog at its center. If you prefer your comedies grounded or your crime stories sober, it may feel like too much noise, but if you’re on Raimi’s wavelength, this underrated oddball is a riotous, anything-can-happen ride.

Crimewave is clearly trying to mash up Looney Tunes-style slapstick with a crime thriller and a wink-at-the-camera horror sensibility, and you can feel Sam Raimi reaching for that manic, kinetic energy he’d later refine. The problem is it plays like a bunch of loud, frantic set pieces stitched together with a story that’s more noisy than clever, so the humor and pacing can feel uneven and oddly exhausting. If you’re expecting The Evil Dead’s tight inventiveness or a genuinely sharp spoof, this may come off as a messy curiosity rather than a hidden gem. Still, if you enjoy broad, cartoon-violent chaos and can laugh at how committed everyone is to the bit, there are a few standout moments that make it worth a late-night, low-expectations watch.