Disgraced detective Tadek (Jim Carrey) has been demoted to a low-level job after bungling an investigation. When a case comes up involving a murder at a sex club, Tadek talks his way onto it when he’s convinced that author Kozlow (Marton Csokas) is behind it. His proof? Kozlow detailed the exact events in his latest book. As Tadek locks horns with Kozlow in a bid to get to the bottom of the mystery, he soon finds out that things aren’t quite as straightforward as they seem.
Dark Crimes is an attempt for Jim Carrey to step away from his trademark comedy roots and show that he can pull off a serious acting gig. Unfortunately this film was a very misguided step for the actor and it isn’t likely to move him into new territory. While there’s nothing all the wrong with Carrey’s performance, aside from a very dodgy Polish accent, the film is so bleak and unrelenting that it’s hard to find a whole lot to like.
The central murder case is a man who frequented a sex club where women are voluntarily offering their services for dark and nasty sexscapades. The problem is that most of Tadek’s colleagues like to frequent it so by him investigating it, he could end up implicating and causing problems for them. Much of the film takes place with low lighting, barely any dialogue and it has a sluggish pace that ensures you’ll struggle to get to the credits.
Dark Crimes is rife with problems. In its bid to be edgy and shocking, it’s just nasty and unpleasant. Charlotte Gainsbourg is completely wasted and seems to have been cast in the film purely to get naked and be abused by various male characters. On top of that the plot ‘twists’ you’ll see coming a mile off so there’s not even any pay off for you to invest your time in.
The DVD comes with no extras, making this a very bare bones release. It might have been nice to get at least some insight into the making of the film but there’s absolutely nothing.
I can see why Jim Carrey would take a film like this on but sadly it’s a bit of a disaster for him. Dark Crimes is a film that believes it’s edgier than it is and it’s bogged down by dialogue that it seems to think is profound. I found the whole experience quite turgid and very, very bleak with little to redeem it.
[brid video=”269862″ player=”531″ title=”Dark Crimes (2018) Jim Carrey UK Trailer”]
Cast: Jim Carrey, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Marton Csokas, Kati Outinen, Vlad Ivanov Director: Alexandros Avranas Writer: Jeremy Brock Certificate: 18 Duration: 92 mins Released by: Signature Entertainment Release date: 9th July 2018
