The year was 1990. Unable to make The Shadow (as he had wanted), Sam Raimi created his own cloaked hero. That hero was the very damaged Peyton Westlake in Darkman. The film proved to be a moderate box office success, and went on to become a cult hit on DVD.

It did well enough to spawn a pair of direct to video sequels, the mediocre first one called The Return of Durant, and then this 1996 outing, Die Darkman Die. Each successive film took a step down in quality, yet remains oddly watchable. I guess it helps that the Darkman character is as intriguing as he is, even if he never reaches the heights of the original.

This sequel continues Westlake's search for the humanity within, as well as his neverending quest to perfect his synthetic skin. This film also has Darkman embracing the hero within, crusading for the underdog under the dark of night; although we do not see much of this in action, it is mentioned in the opening voiceover as the origins are recapped with footage from the original and the reshoots used in the sequel. Beyond that, we finally move beyond his battles with Durant, introducing a new nemesis, Peter Rooker, played by Jeff Fahey.

As the film opens, we meet Rooker on some random dock, surrounded by his henchmen. He is there to oversee the arrival of a steroid shipment (ooh, very edgy — "It's not drugs, it's power!"), but this is a meeting doomed from the get-go, as Darkman is also roaming the dock disguised as one of the henchman. He is there not only to break up the drug deal, but because he needs a little funding. We all know that late night drug deals on the waterfront are rife with cash to be taken. So, disguised as one of the bad guys, he makes off with a bag full of cash, just as the man he copied stumbles back into the picture, conveniently tipping off Rooker.

Rooker than gives a rather enigmatic line: "So, it's true." Makes one suspect that some time has passed between the second and third films where Darkman was active on the crime fighting front, allowing the legend of a crusader to flourish, much like Batman.

Now with our major players introduced, the plot can begin in earnest. Forget about Darkman as a crime fighter and think of him as a man fighting for his life and his scientific discoveries. Why? The answer is simple. Rooker wants Darkman's secrets, he wants his powers, although how he knows as much as he does is a bit of a mystery.