Die Killer-Akademie (1985)

Die Killer-Akademie: Directed by Sam Raimi. With Louise Lasser, Paul L. Smith, Brion James, Sheree J. Wilson. A pair of whacked-out cartoon-like exterminator/hitmen kill the owner of a burglar-alarm company, and stalk the partner who hired them, his wife, and a nerd framed for the murder, who tells the story in flashback from the electric chair.

“Sandwiched in between his first two u0026quot;Evil Deadu0026quot; movies is filmmaker Sam Raimisu0026#39; u0026quot;Crimewaveu0026quot;, a silly, over the top tribute to film noir and especially slapstick comedy. (Film buffs know that Raimi is a big Three Stooges fan.) It may be a little much for some people, but it does have a lot of energy, and spirited performances.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eIt begins as Vic Ajax (Reed Birney), the ultimate nerd / patsy, is about to be executed for a series of crimes. He desperately pleads his case that the real perpetrators were a demented pair of exterminators / hit men, Faron (Paul L. Smith) and Arthur (Brion James) who had initially been hired just to eliminate the business partner of a man in the security business. As schmucky Vic stubbornly tries to woo the gorgeous Nancy (Sheree J. Wilson of u0026#39;Walker: Texas Rangeru0026#39;), he ends up being terrorized by the gargantuan goons.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eLike a lot of comedies, u0026quot;Crimewaveu0026quot; does lose a bit of its momentum after a while. Fortunately, things pick up again for an exciting climactic vehicle chase. Overall, the movie is extremely well cast; Raimisu0026#39; old pal Bruce Campbell (also the co-producer) has a recurring bit and is so funny the viewer will wish that he had more to do. Also in the cast are TV star Louise Lasser, veteran film producer Edward R. Pressman in a rare acting gig, Richard Bright, Antonio Fargas, Julius Harris, and long ago Three Stooges co-star Emil Sitka. Smith and James are hilarious and fun to watch as the antagonists, although in real life Raimi and company had their problems dealing with them: James had a drug habit during this period and Smith, supposedly believing himself above the material, gave a performance disliked by the filmmakers so much that they dubbed him for the duration of the movie.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eFrom beginning to end, this is an effectively wild and (fairly) unpredictable affair; Raimi co-wrote with his fellow directors and friends the Coen brothers. The Coens appear as reporters, with Joelsu0026#39; wife Frances McDormand playing one of the nuns and Raimisu0026#39; brother Ted in a bit as a waiter. They all make this a very easy to take diversion that at the very least is certainly never boring.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eSeven out of 10.”