Dark Crimes: Jim Carrey movie a one note thriller that doesn’t deliver
Alexandros Avranas’ Dark Crimes just hit Blu-ray and 1428 Elm is diving into the odd film to see how dark the crimes really get…will you join us?
Dark Crimes, the 2016 film from director Alexandros Avranas, is a monotonous crime thriller that is at time awkward and off-putting, but somehow manages to give one hell of a surprise ending. The film stars Jim Carrey (The Truman Show, Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, Bruce Almighty), Marton Csokas (The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Noah, xXx) and Charlotte Gainsbourg (Melancholia, Antichrist, Nymphomaniac Vols. 1 and II).
— Courtesy of Saban Films
Detective Tadek (Jim Carrey), a mild-mannered individual who is old-school in his skills of police work, stumbles upon similarities between an unsolved murder involving a businessman and a crime that is outlined in a book by famed writer Krystof Kozlov (Marton Csokas). His investigation leads Tadek to begin tracking Kozlov and the underground sex-club that the businessman previously attended.
During his search, he learns about Kozlov’s mysterious girlfriend Kasia (Charlotte Gainsbourg), a sex-worker herself who worked at the same club where the elusive businessman was seen. As Tadek falls deeper and deeper down the rabbit hole, his obsession with Kozlov, and his determination to pin the crime on him becomes a singular focus until it’s revealed that there may be a much darker, sinister truth at play.
The best parts of this movie were, by and far, the opening and closing scenes. The film starts abruptly as the viewer is thrown into a world of orgies and depraved sex acts that snowballs into the death of said businessman. The film then dives into the character of Tadek, played by Jim Carrey, who I believe to be oddly cast, as we see his character go down the slippery slope of obsession and misconduct, resulting in an ending that I was genuinely surprised by.
It may sound like I enjoyed the film, but I’m here to tell you that was not the case. The beginning and the ending definitely caught me off-guard, and for the most part were memorable, but for everything that happens in-between, that was easily forgettable.
Jim Carrey as Tadek in DARK CRIMES
More from Horror Movies
- Godzilla Minus One makes the King of the Monsters terrifying again
- A Creature Was Stirring scares up yuletide frights
- Pig Killer (2023): A morally ambiguous dive into shock cinema
- Onyx the Fortuitous and the Talisman of Souls: Demonically fun times
- Tobin Bell stars in new horror movie The Cello
I’ve always been a fan of Jim Carrey’s more dramatic performances. When he’s in off-beat genre films (shout out to 2016’s The Bad Batch), but in Dark Crimes, I felt he was the wrong actor for the role. I wanted to be enveloped in his character, I wanted to see him struggle with that fine line of morality and truth, but ultimately, it all felt one-note.
I think Dark Crimes definitely had an intriguing plot going for it, but it never reached that level of intrigue or suspense that it could have. In regards to our other two leads, Marton Csokas and Charlotte Gainsbourg, they both had more believability in their performances against that of Carrey, but the only one who really held my attention throughout the entire duration was Marton Csokas. I don’t mean this in a negative way at all, but he does a fantastic job of playing the role of someone that easily considered to be villainous.
As a whole, there isn’t too much else to say about Dark Crimes. The color palette is a mixture of cold greys, white, and diluted blues, which one could argue works well with the execution of the film. I will admit that the production value was very good with a sharp and clear image that gave viewers a peek into the environment and landscape of Poland.
Honestly, the only thing that made this film somewhat bearable was watching the ending play out, as well as finding out that the story was based on a 2008 article by David Grann titled, “True Crimes – A Postmodern Murder Mystery.” However, I wouldn’t read that until after you see the movie (if you do decide to see it).
All in all, I was let down with Dark Crimes as I truly felt it had a lot of potential and an extremely talented cast to move the story along. I’m never a fan of saying I really disliked a film, but for me, this was not a winner. If you fancy true crime stories or are aware of the background of this film, you might find something to enjoy.
Dark Crimes is now available to own on Blu-ray/DVD from Lionsgate.
Next. Texas Tuesday: Grandpa Sawyer needs our help. dark
Seen Dark Crimes? Think the Jim Carrey movie is a little off? Let the other movie maniacs know what you think in the comment section below.