Mr. Bruce Campbell.
For fans of the horror genre, that name is synonymous with greatness. You would be hard pressed to find a horror film aficionado that couldn't list at least five movies in which Bruce Campbell has starred and smashed everyone's face off. If someone you know boldly proclaims they are a horror film buff, but looks bewildered when you mention the name "Bruce Campbell", then it is your duty as a human being to rock their poser face with a tire iron. Trust me, I think it's rule thirteen in the Ten Commandments; right next to the commandment that states no man should watch Will & Grace.
While Campbell has donned a gem-encrusted jumpsuit for his role as a geriatric Elvis Presley, secured his holster as Brisco County Jr., and even voiced Pitfall Harry in Pitfall 3-D: Beyond The Jungle, unquestionably his most infamous role is from the Evil Dead trilogy as the nancy boy turned certifiable bad-ass: Ash. While each installment of the trilogy holds a special place in this reviewer's heart, I suggest that if you want to see Campbell at his jaw-breaking, womanizing, trash-talking best, look no further than Army of Darkness: the final installment of the cult-favorite trilogy.
Picking up right where Evil Dead 2: Dead By Dawn left off, Ash finds himself transported to back to the 13th century, courtesy of the Necronomicon (The Book of the Dead). Equipped with an S-Mart (Ash's place of employment) top-of-the-line shotgun, his beat-up Oldsmobile, and a chainsaw attached to his wrist, Ash must once again retrieve the Necronomicon, while simultaneously saving the townspeople from the intestine-ripping Deadites and, of course, trying to get laid.
Sound insane? That's part of film's charm.
While Army of Darkness is more of an action/fantasy movie compared to the first two installments, it still gives us the Ash character that we've come to expect after the conclusion of the second film: cocky, pissed off, and horny. Ash doesn't have time to hear about some lame prophecy or memorize mystical words that will supposedly rid the world of the Deadites: he wants to dismember the undead and then mack it with some wench in a wood shed. Bruce Campbell is spot on with his rebuttal's, spewing out one-liner's as if it were his job. Not only does Campbell do an excellent job in delivering, at times, cheesy dialogue, he is masterful in any scene that requires physical comedy. Director Sam Raimi has a strong love for The Three Stooges, so it isn't uncommon to see Campbell performing skits throughout the film that pay homage to the slapstick trio. Don't think that some of the props used for the physical routines are fake, either: it's well documented that Sam Raimi went out of his way to torture Campbell during this film, leaving him with plenty bumps and bruises. However, Bruce took it with stride, giving us another example of why he is the definition of manliness.
As you might have already suspected, this film is a campy B-movie. None of it is meant to be taken seriously. Where as the first Evil Dead is a straight-up horror movie, Evil Dead 2 and especially Army of Darkness, take a dark humor approach and push the scares to the side. The character of Ash is meant to be a doofus: he possesses virtually no qualities that we associate with the stereotypical hero, yet he is forced into a situation that requires him to save the day. His arrogance and hunger for kicking ass help drive him through the tribulations that he is constantly presented. Sure, saving the day is great and all that, but what's more important is that it leads to some nude bedtime wrestling with the castle maids.
No stranger to producing a film on a low budget, Sam Raimi does an admirable job in presenting us with some innovative cinematography despite the lack of funds (although of the three films, Army of Darkness had the largest budget.) Raimi does a fantastic job using Introvision shots on most of the interior scenes. In addition, he once again implements his unique style of filmmaking through some very bizarre camera angles: forty-five degree Dutch angles, top-down close-ups, etc. Where as most films allow for pan-out shots to let the story unfold, Raimi is known for cutting a single scene in multiple shots, shooting it from various angles, and then splicing them together. It may sound disorienting, but somehow, it works. For a more recent example of what I just described, watch the scene in Spider-Man 2 where Doc Ock brutally kills the surgeons in the ER. It's a prime example of classic Raimi.
This isn't a thought-provoking movie in the slightest: Army of Darkness requires you to sit back, throw logic out the window, and wrap yourself up in all of the blood-splattering carnage that Ash and the Deadites cause. You will be introduced to some memorable characters, have a few laughs, and spend roughly 90-minutes of your time experiencing a film that defines the term cult classic.
"Army of Darkness" opens February 19, 1993 and is rated R. Comedy, Fantasy, Horror. Directed by Sam Raimi. Written by Sam Raimi & Ivan Raimi. Starring Bridget Fonda, Bruce Campbell, Embeth Davidtz, Ted Raimi.
