Crimewave

{{Short description|1985 film by Sam Raimi}} {{Other uses|Crime Wave (disambiguation){{!}}Crime Wave}} {{Redirect|The XYZ Murders|the omnibus by Barnaby Ross|Barnaby Ross}} {{good article}} {{Use mdy dates|date=February 2026}} {{Use American English|date=January 2025}} {{Infobox film | name = Crimewave | image = Crimewave poster.jpg | alt = | caption = VHS release cover | director = Sam Raimi | producer = Robert Tapert | writer = {{Plainlist| * Joel Coen<br />Ethan Coen * Sam Raimi }} | starring = {{Plainlist| * Louise Lasser * Paul L. Smith * Brion James * Sheree J. Wilson * Edward R. Pressman * Bruce Campbell * Reed Birney }} | music = Arlon Ober | cinematography = Robert Primes | editing = {{Plainlist| * Michael Kelly * Kathie Weaver * Kaye Davis }} | production_companies = {{Plainlist| * Embassy Films Associates * Renaissance Pictures }} | distributor = Columbia Pictures | released = {{Film date|1985|04|12}} | runtime = 86 minutes<ref>{{cite web | url=https://bbfc.co.uk/releases/crimewave | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305203400/http://bbfc.co.uk/releases/crimewave | url-status=dead | archive-date=March 5, 2016 | title=''CRIMEWAVE'' (PG) (CUT) | work=British Board of Film Classification | date=July 15, 1985 | access-date=November 5, 2015}}</ref> | country = United States | language = English | budget = $2.5 million<ref name="soap3"/> | gross = $5,101<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=crimewave.htm | title=Crimewave (1986) | work=Box Office Mojo | publisher=Internet Movie Database | date=May 2, 1986 | access-date=November 5, 2015}}</ref> }} '''''Crimewave''''' is a 1985 American comedy film directed by Sam Raimi, from a screenplay he co-wrote with the Coen brothers. It stars Reed Birney, Sheree J. Wilson, Paul L. Smith, Brion James, Louise Lasser and Bruce Campbell, with Campbell also serving as a co-producer. An unusual slapstick mix of film noir, black comedy, Hitchcockian suspense,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://filmschoolrejects.com/crimewave-sam-raimi-disaster/|title=The Movie That Almost Killed Sam Raimi's Career|first=Meg|last=Shields|date=4 October 2021|website=Film School Rejects|accessdate=26 March 2023}}</ref> and B-movie conventions, ''Crimewave'' portrays bizarre situations involving a nebbish everyman (Birney) entangled in a murderous plot while pursuing his love interest (Wilson).

Following the commercial success of ''The Evil Dead'' (1981), Raimi and Campbell decided to collaborate on another project. Joel Coen served as one of the editors on ''The Evil Dead'' and worked with Raimi on the screenplay. Production was difficult for several members of the crew and the production studio, Embassy Pictures, refused to allow Raimi to edit the film. Several arguments broke out during the shoot of the film due to continued interference by the studio.

The film was a box-office flop and has since fallen into relative obscurity outside of fans of Campbell and Raimi. Few critics reviewed it upon release, though the little amount of critical attention it received was mostly negative. Several story and style elements found in ''Crimewave'' influenced later productions by Raimi, and its overall failure directly led to the inception of ''Evil Dead II'' (1987). Over time, the film has achieved the status of a minor cult film.

==Plot== Victor Ajax has been sentenced to death, sitting in an electric chair. In a flashback, we learn that Victor once was a promising young technician in the employ of Trend-Odegard Security. Mr. Trend, co-owner of the company, has learned of a plan by his partner to sell the company to Renaldo "The Heel" (who stole Nancy and bullied Victor by beating him up and calling him a loser) and responds by hiring two exterminators who promise to "kill all sizes" in order to eliminate Odegard and his plan. When Victor, who has been installing security cameras in Trend's apartment building, seems about to go back to the store, Trend distracts him with a lecture about "the grand design" and sends Victor on a quest to find his dream girl.

The dream girl is found in the form of Nancy, who responds minimally to Vic but is enamored of Renaldo. Victor and several residents of the building, including Mrs. Trend, run afoul of the killers, and a seemingly random series of slapstick murders occur, for all of which Victor is ultimately blamed. Nancy inevitably becomes a target and Vic saves her and kills the exterminators after a long comical fight sequence. The flashback ends and Victor is in the electric chair and awaits his execution while an elaborate race sequence occurs in which Nancy, accompanied by several nuns, drives manically to the scene in order to prove his innocence. Nancy arrives just before the switch is pulled and clears Victor's name. The movie concludes with their marriage.

==Cast== {{div col|colwidth=30em}} * Louise Lasser as Helene Trend * Paul L. Smith as Faron Crush * Brion James as Arthur Coddish * Sheree J. Wilson as Nancy * Edward R. Pressman as Ernest Trend * Bruce Campbell as Renaldo "The Heel" * Reed Birney as Victor Ajax * Antonio Fargas as Blind man * Richard Bright as Officer Brennan * Emil Sitka as Col. Rodgers * Wiley Harker as Governor * Robert Symonds as Guard #1 * Frances McDormand as Nun * Ted Raimi as Waiter ;Uncredited * Ethan and Joel Coen as Execution reporters * Rob Tapert as Bar patron in Rialto * Julie Harris as Old woman {{div col end}}

==Production== ===Background=== By 1983, long-time friends Campbell and Raimi had collaborated on several projects together.<ref name="early2">Winston Dixon (2010), p. 161</ref><ref name="definite">Egan (2011), p. 16</ref> The duo had just completed the production of ''Within the Woods'' and ''The Evil Dead'', the latter of which was a box-office and critical hit.<ref name="RottenTomatoes">{{cite web |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the-evil-dead/ |title=The Evil Dead |website=Rotten Tomatoes |access-date=May 7, 2012}}</ref><ref name="BOM">{{cite web|title=The Evil Dead|url=https://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=evildead.htm|website=Box Office Mojo |access-date=May 19, 2012}}</ref><ref name="stacks">Egan (2011), pp. 26–28</ref> Following his involvement in ''The Evil Dead'', Campbell had difficulty establishing a career as an actor.<ref name="soap">Campbell (2002), pp. 155–157</ref> He appeared on the soap opera ''Generations'', and in several local Detroit commercial ads.<ref name="soap"/> Meanwhile, Raimi had been collaborating with Ethan and Joel Coen on a screenplay.<ref name="soap2">Campbell (2002), p. 161</ref> Joel Coen had been one of the editors on ''The Evil Dead'', which led to him befriending Raimi.<ref name="thingstoknow">{{cite web|author=AMC staff |date=October 28, 2008 |url=http://blogs.amctv.com/movie-blog/2010/10/evil-dead-facts.php |title=Ten Things You Might Not Know About the Evil Dead Trilogy |publisher=Filmcritic.com |access-date=2012-07-12 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111227054237/http://blogs.amctv.com/movie-blog/2010/10/evil-dead-facts.php |archive-date=December 27, 2011 }}</ref><ref name="pool">Pooley (1987), p. 44</ref> Joel Coen's experience editing ''The Evil Dead'' inspired him to complete his own film, ''Blood Simple'', which was released to critical acclaim.<ref name="Žižek 2000, p. 111">Žižek (2000), p. 111</ref> The script would later develop into ''Relentless'', a narrative about "two crazed killers."<ref name="soap2"/>

Raimi was not initially optimistic about the talents of the Coen brothers.<ref name="soap2"/> He recounted that Ethan was "just a statistic accountant at Macy's at the time."<ref name="soap2"/> After reading the ''Blood Simple'' script, however, Campbell commented that the screenplay was "great", comparing it to the work of Alfred Hitchcock.<ref name="soap2"/> It featured "mild-mannered leading men" who "get caught up in a web of fear, murder and mayhem", elements that often defined the films directed by Hitchcock.<ref name="soap2"/><ref>Truffaut (1985), p. 139</ref> Distributor Irvin Shapiro, who was instrumental in the commercial success of ''The Evil Dead'', did not like the title of ''Relentless''.<ref name="reinforced3">Konow (2012), pp. 422–425</ref><ref name="casa">Campbell (2002), pp. 136–137</ref> He suggested putting "X" and "Murder" in the title, believing it would be more enticing to audiences. With Shapiro's suggestion in mind, Raimi gave the film the tentative title of ''The XYZ Murders''.<ref name="soap3">Campbell (2002), p. 162</ref>

===Filming=== [[File:Bruce Campbell 2011.jpg|alt=A man standing with a microphone, wearing a red blazer.|Sam Raimi wanted his friend Bruce Campbell (pictured) to star in the film; however, producers wanted a "Hollywood" actor instead.|thumb|upright]] Given the commercial success of ''The Evil Dead'', studio financial backing for the new project came quickly.<ref name="soap3"/> Though Raimi and Campbell did not profit from the film, the studio believed in Raimi, initially allowing the director complete creative control on the project; however, executives later took control of the production.<ref name="soap3"/> Raimi and Campbell developed the project with Embassy Pictures' producer Norman Lear, who supposedly had a "Midas touch", because of the consistent success he had attained from various television productions.<ref name="soap3"/><ref name="Nadel">{{cite journal|last=Nadel|first=Gerry|date=1977-05-30|title=Who Owns Prime Time? The Threat of the 'Occasional' Networks|journal=New York|pages=34–35|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YeMCAAAAMBAJ&q=%22MetroNet%22%2B%22Metromedia%22&pg=PA35|access-date=2009-10-04}}</ref> He suggested the title ''Crimewave'', which was ultimately used.<ref name="soap3"/>

Raimi and the studio clashed several times during production.<ref name="disaster">Paul (2007), p. 121</ref> The first disagreement between the director and the executives stemmed from the latter's insistence on casting a "Hollywood" actor in the lead role instead of Raimi's long-time collaborator and friend Campbell.<ref name=definite/> In his 2002 autobiography ''If Chins Could Kill: Confessions of a B Movie Actor'', Campbell commented about how difficult it was working with more established producers; "jumping into the big time meant dealing with the excruciatingly specific and alternately vague demands of a studio, ... Hollywood executives took an interest in everything."<ref name="soap3"/> Campbell was surprised that he had to audition for the lead role, as he did not have to test for ''The Evil Dead''.<ref name="soap3"/> Campbell and his photographer friend Mike Ditz used a 16 mm film camera and shot a scene to show to the producers. Upon viewing it, the producers asserted that "Campbell will not star in this film".<ref name="soap3"/> In retaliation, Raimi lengthened a supporting role and gave it to Campbell: the character of Renaldo "The Heel". This allowed for Campbell to be present through the production, which Campbell later noted was a good thing, as due to the constant studio interference "Sam needed all the help he could get".<ref name="soap3"/>

Raimi budgeted the film at $2.5 million, an amount the studio greenlit. But the calculations had not taken union fees and regulations into account, making the proposed budgeting and scheduling unrealistic.<ref name="soap3"/> In addition, the crew were talked into spending three times the allotted money for one shooting location. The shoot quickly went both over budget and over schedule.<ref name="soap4">Campbell (2002), p. 163</ref> At that point, the studio stepped in, with executives demanding cuts in the script, budget restrictions, layoffs, and their own supervision of the project.<ref name="soap5"/> The studio also insisted on reviewing every batch of dailies, criticizing the decision to use cast and crew members (including Campbell) as extras in several scenes (a Raimi trademark known as "Shemping").<ref name="soap5">Campbell (2002), pp. 164–165</ref><ref>Kenneth Muir (2004), p. 115</ref>

[[File:Ambassadorbridgefrombase.jpg|alt=Image of a bridge and a river view.|Because the Detroit River was frozen, the cast had to use dynamite to achieve a shot of the water.|thumb|left]] Even without Embassy's interference, however, the production was plagued with difficulties.<ref name="disaster"/> According to Campbell, lead actress Lasser—under the influence of cocaine—fired her make-up artist.<ref name="soap4"/> She insisted that she apply all her own make-up, despite objections from the cast. She would often show up on set with poorly applied "clown make-up" and messed up hair, oblivious to how she appeared.<ref name="soap4"/> There were occasions when she outright refused to leave her trailer, to the annoyance of the cast and crew.<ref name="soap4"/> Production was often affected by "weird" events; actor Brion James trashed his hotel room in an attempt to "exorcise a ghost from his light fixtures".<ref name="soap4"/>

At one point, shooting was to take place at a bridge overlooking the Detroit River, which was frozen at the time.<ref name="soap6"/> The script, however, called for clear and running water, meaning that the crew had to brave dangerously low temperatures and conditions to clear the ice; finally they blew up the ice with dynamite.<ref name="soap6"/> At another time, the crew spent a week filming on a Detroit street after dark, directly under a nursing home, with huge wind machines blowing for long hours. One evening a glass bottle with a note in it crashed to the ground from an upper floor. The note inside read, "The noise is keeping me awake all night long and I am getting sick. I am dying because of you."<ref name="soap6"/> The production of the film was a "disaster" according to Campbell, who stated that usually "missteps" like ''Crimewave'' lead to the end of a director's career.<ref name="flop2">Campbell (2002), p. 171</ref>

===Post-production=== [[File:Sam Raimi by Gage Skidmore.jpg|alt=A man sitting next to a microphone placed on a table.|Director Sam Raimi was not allowed by the studio to edit ''Crimewave''.|thumb|upright]] In post-production, Embassy's self-imposed role in making ''Crimewave'' was even greater.<ref name="soap7">Campbell (2002), p. 168</ref> Although Raimi, Tapert, and Campbell insisted that they had made the film as partners, the studio refused — because of the already ballooning costs — to pay for Campbell to stay in Los Angeles during post-production (although the executives later compromised).<ref name="soap6"/><ref>Egan (2011), p. 14</ref> The studio replaced Raimi's music composer, Joseph LoDuca, with one of its own choosing. It did the same with the editor, removing Raimi's influence over the film's final cut.<ref name="soap7"/>

An argument broke out near the end of the post-production between Campbell and the producers.<ref name="soap7"/> Campbell argued that he and Raimi had always been closely involved with their own films' editing, describing the behavior of the producers as "nickel-and-dime-bullshit".<ref name="soap7"/> One of the producers replied by calling Campbell an "asshole", commenting that the crew had gone severely over budget.<ref name="soap7"/> The difficulty during production left a negative impression on Campbell, who insisted that he never wanted to work with big-budget movie producers again, describing the conduct as "soulless" and "just a business."<ref name="soap7"/> Raimi commented negatively about the process too, musing that "it was really wrong. It was such a horrible, horrible, horrible, depressing scene."<ref name="soap6">Campbell (2002), pp. 166–167</ref>

==Release and reception== After all the editing imposed by the studio, ''Crimewave'' still became a box-office flop. Campbell reasoned that "cross-genre" films "send marketing people scurrying under a desk".<ref name="flop"/> According to him, the film was hard to market because it featured elements of horror films, comedies, and dramas.<ref name="flop"/> To make matters even more confusing, in France and Italy, the film's title was changed to ''Death on the Grill'' and ''The Two Craziest Killers in the World'' respectively.<ref name="flop"/> In the United States, the film was only released in Santa Cruz, California; Kansas; and Alaska, to make the film eligible for HBO broadcasting. Upon release, the film "went down in box-office flames", with Campbell commenting "it wasn't released. It escaped!"<ref name="flop"/> The "only good" screening came the Seattle International Film Festival, where the movie was promoted as a novelty film.<ref name="flop">Campbell (2002), p. 169</ref>

[[File:COEN Brothers (cannesPH).jpg|alt=Two men in button-up shirts smiling.|The screenplay written by the Coen brothers received a mixed reception by critics.|thumb|right]] Along with Raimi and Campbell, film critics were largely dismissive of the film. A writer for ''Time Out'' gave a negative review, writing "despite its ambition and a Coen Brothers script credit, Raimi's second film was a disappointment after his astonishing debut ''The Evil Dead''." The writer did however compliment some of the set pieces featured in the film, ultimately commenting that only people interested in the early work by Raimi would be interested.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.timeout.com/film/reviews/69841/crimewave.html|title=Crimewave (1985)|publisher=Time Out|magazine=Time Out |access-date=2012-07-12}}</ref> Film Junk writer Sean Harley commented that if the same filmmakers had released a movie today, "based on their impressive filmographies and the cult followings that both have amassed, a collaboration of this magnitude would be a cinematic event like no other." However, he said that this film was "not a particularly brilliant movie, and it's easily one of the weakest projects that any of these great filmmakers have been involved in." He noted that fans of Raimi's films would likely find it interesting and gave the film a weak recommendation.<ref name="campb">{{cite web|author=Harley, Sean|url=http://www.filmjunk.com/2008/10/13/forgotten-films-crimewave/|title=Crimewave (1985)|date=October 13, 2008 |publisher=Film Junk |access-date=2012-07-12|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081015004737/http://www.filmjunk.com/2008/10/13/forgotten-films-crimewave/|archive-date=October 15, 2008}}</ref>

Leonard Maltin awarded the film two and a half stars out of four, describing it a "weird, almost incoherent crime story."<ref>Martin (2009), p. 112</ref> Celluloid Dream's Simon Hill commented that the writing was a disappointment, musing that it did however feature "glimpses of the director" Raimi would become. A scene of a murder in an office reminded him of a scene from ''Spider-Man 2'', a film also directed by Raimi. He commented that "even in his small part Campbell is the most memorable character in the film", also praising the performance of the two exterminators.<ref>{{cite web|author=Hill, Simon|url=http://www.celluloiddreams.co.uk/crimewave.html|title=Crimewave|publisher=Celluloid Dream|access-date=2012-07-12|archive-date=2010-11-21|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101121054942/http://www.celluloiddreams.co.uk/crimewave.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> The film has achieved the status of a minor cult film. In one of the few positive notices, MTV writer Adam Rosenberg described the film as "criminally underrated".<ref>{{cite web|author=Rosenberg, Adam |url=http://moviesblog.mtv.com/2009/09/30/getting-serious-with-the-big-lebowski-in-todays-sick-day-stash/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091001235358/http://moviesblog.mtv.com/2009/09/30/getting-serious-with-the-big-lebowski-in-todays-sick-day-stash/|url-status=dead|archive-date=October 1, 2009|title=Getting 'Serious' With 'The Big Lebowski' In Today's Sick Day Stash |work=MTV Movie Blog|date=September 9, 2009|access-date=2011-09-23}}</ref> Rosenberg disagreed with the consensus about the film, labeling it as a "hard-to-find classic".<ref>{{cite web|author=Rosenberg, Adam|url=http://moviesblog.mtv.com/2009/05/27/drag-me-to-hell-and-other-horror-flicks-you-can-share-with-your-family/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090529075740/http://moviesblog.mtv.com/2009/05/27/drag-me-to-hell-and-other-horror-flicks-you-can-share-with-your-family/|url-status=dead|archive-date=May 29, 2009|title='Drag Me To Hell' And Other Horror Flicks You Can Share With Your Family|work=MTV Movie Blog|date=May 27, 2009|access-date=2011-09-23}}</ref> Kim Newman also called the film underrated, writing that the film "revels" in its slapstick nature, taking influence from everything from horror comics to ''The Three Stooges''.<ref>Newman (2011), p. 279</ref>

Colin Greenland reviewed ''Crimewave'' for ''White Dwarf'' #77, and stated that "''Crimewave'', from the men who brought you ''The Evil Dead'', is a hit-and-miss send-up of Forties' crime comics, with all the wild angles and grotesque characterization. It's not far from those very early ''MAD'' parodies, and similarly, you'll either love or hate it."<ref name="WD77">{{cite journal | last =Greenland | first =Colin | authorlink =Colin Greenland | title =2020 Vision | journal =White Dwarf | issue =77 | pages =11 | publisher =Games Workshop | date = May 1986 }}</ref>

{{Rotten Tomatoes prose|57|6.4|seven|ref=yes|access-date=December 7, 2022}} Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 34 out of 100, based on 4 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable" reviews.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Crimewave Reviews |url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/crimewave/?ftag=MCD-06-10aaa1c |access-date=2026-04-21 |website=Metacritic |language=en}}</ref>

==Aftermath== Raimi cited the experience as one of the least favorite moments of his career:<blockquote>“I can't look at it. It's so painful. The experience was just awful. Bruce Campbell was supposed to star. A month, two months before, the studio said, 'No, he's not starring in it.' My composer was removed – Joe LoDuca, who did the Evil Dead movies. They didn't let me do a director's cut. They fired my editor about two weeks in, after we'd done shooting, and they brought the film out of Detroit to Los Angeles. They had their own editor cut it, they had their own components. It was just a mess.“<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.empireonline.com/movies/features/in-conversation-sam-raimi/|title=In Conversation With Sam Raimi|website=Empire|date=6 January 2023 |accessdate=26 March 2023}}</ref></blockquote><ref name="soap6"/> Campbell described the film as a "lesson about abject failure", writing "no matter how you slice it, the film was a ''dog'' and pretty much everyone involved can line up to take forty whacks. As filmmakers, we failed to execute a misguided concept and our studio refused us the benefit of any doubt."<ref name=campb/> The Coen brothers expressed similar dissatisfaction with the film, and directed every one of their screenplays until the 2012 film ''Gambit''.<ref>{{cite web|author=Sean|url=http://www.filmjunk.com/2012/09/20/coen-brothers-scripted-gambit-trailer-starring-colin-firth-and-cameron-diaz/|title=Coen Brothers-Scripted Gambit Trailer Starring Colin Firth and Cameron Diaz|date=September 20, 2012 |publisher=Film Junk |access-date=2012-07-12|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121101075424/http://www.filmjunk.com/2012/09/20/coen-brothers-scripted-gambit-trailer-starring-colin-firth-and-cameron-diaz/|archive-date=November 1, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|author=Raup, Jordan|url=http://thefilmstage.com/news/colin-firth-to-lead-coen-scripted-gambit-remake/|title=Colin Firth To Lead Coen-Scripted 'Gambit' Remake|date=December 13, 2012 |publisher=Film Stage |access-date=2012-07-12}}</ref> John Cameron, second assistant director on the film, remarked, "I see ''Crimewave'' as a real turning point in a certain way, because if you survived that experience, nothing in the business could ever be as hard again."<ref name="flop"/>

Raimi had the studio support to make a sequel to ''The Evil Dead'', which he initially decided to make out of desperation.<ref name="flop2"/> His career quickly recovered after ''Evil Dead II'' was released in 1987 and became a box office success.<ref>Kenneth Muir (2004), p. 101</ref> Raimi and the Coens remained friends, and the duo included Campbell in some of their films such as ''The Hudsucker Proxy'' (1994), ''Fargo'' (1996) and ''Intolerable Cruelty'' (2003), the former of which was co-written by Raimi.<ref name="Žižek 2000, p. 111"/><ref>Campbell (2002), pp. 219–222</ref> Elements of ''Crimewave'' were re-used by frequent Raimi collaborator Josh Becker for the movie ''Lunatics: A Love Story'', as well as by Raimi himself in ''Spider-Man'' and its sequels.<ref name="flop2"/><ref>Campbell (2002), p. 337</ref><ref>Harris (2002), pp. 51–52</ref> In 2010, a Funny or Die comedy video featuring actors James Franco and Bill Hader paid tribute to Raimi. In a parody of a scene from ''Spider-Man 2'', the actors discussed ''Crimewave'' among Raimi's other films. Collider's Matt Goldberg stated, "I think this sketch features the first reference to ''Crimewave'' ever".<ref>{{cite web|author=Goldberg, Matt|url=https://collider.com/james-franco-bill-hader-funny-or-die-sketch-sam-raimi/|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130121053720/http://collider.com/james-franco-bill-hader-funny-or-die-sketch-sam-raimi/34654/|url-status=live|archive-date=January 21, 2013|title=James Franco and Willem Dafoe Wish Sam Raimi a Happy Birthday in Funny or Die Sketch|date=June 29, 2010|publisher=Film Stage|access-date=2012-07-12}}</ref>

==Home media== Shout! Factory released ''Crimewave'' on Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack on May 14, 2013.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.bleedingcool.com/2013/02/05/225508/ |title=Sam Raimi And The Coen Brothers' Crimewave Headed To Blu-Ray |author=Brendan Connelly |newspaper=Bleeding Cool Comic Book, Movie, Tv News |date=February 5, 2013 |publisher=Bleeding Cool |access-date=February 13, 2013 |archive-date=February 6, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130206174143/http://www.bleedingcool.com/2013/02/05/225508/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

==References== {{Reflist}}

==Works cited== * {{cite book | year = 2002 | last = Campbell | first = Bruce | title = If Chins Could Kill: Confessions of a B Movie Actor | publisher = L.A. Weekly Books | isbn = 978-0-312-29145-7 | ref = Campbell}} * {{cite book | year = 2011 | first = Kate | last = Egan | title = The Evil Dead | publisher = Wallflower Press | isbn= 978-1-906660-34-5 | ref = Egan}} * {{cite book | year = 2008 | first = David | last = Konow | title = Reel Terror: The Scary, Bloody, Gory, Hundred-Year History of Classic Horror Films | publisher = St. Martin's Press | isbn = 978-0-312-66883-9 | ref = Kay}} * {{cite book | year = 2009 | first = Leonard | last = Maltin | title = Leonard Maltin's 2010 Movie Guide | publisher = Signet | isbn = 978-0-451-22764-5 | ref = Maltin | url = https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780451227645}} * {{cite book | year = 2004 | first = John Kenneth | last = Muir | title = The Unseen Force: the Films of Sam Raimi | publisher = Applause Theatre & Cinema Books | isbn = 978-1-55783-607-6 | ref = Kenneth Muir | url = https://archive.org/details/unseenforcefi00muir}} * {{cite book | year = 2011 | first = Kim | last = Newman | title = Nightmare Movies: Horror on Screen Since the 1960s | publisher = Bloomsbury Publishing | isbn = 978-1-4088-0503-9 | ref = Newman}} * {{cite book | year = 2007 | first = Louis | last = Paul | title = Tales from the Cult Film Trenches: Interviews with 36 Actors from Horror, Science Fiction and Exploitation Cinema | publisher = McFarland & Company | isbn = 978-0-7864-2994-3 | ref = Paul}} * {{cite book | year = 1987 | first = Eric | last = Pooley | title = Warped in America: The Dark Visions of Joel and Ethan Coen | publisher = New York Magazine | isbn = 978-0-7864-2821-2 | ref = Pooley}} * {{cite book | year = 2010 | first = Eddie | last = Robson | title = Coen Brothers (Virgin Film) | publisher = Virgin Books | isbn = 978-0-7535-1268-5 | ref = Eddie}} * {{cite book | year = 1985 | first = François | last = Truffaut | title = Hitchcock/Truffaut | publisher = Simon and Schuster | isbn=0-671-60429-5 | ref = Truffaut}} * {{cite book | year = 2010 | last = Winston Dixon | first = Wheeler | title = A History of Horror | publisher = Rutgers University Press | isbn = 978-0-8135-4796-1 | ref = Lamberson}} * {{cite book | year = 2000 | first = Slavoj | last = Žižek | title = The Ticklish Subject: The Absent Centre of Political Ontology | publisher = Verso | isbn = 978-1-85984-291-1 | ref = Žižek}}

==External links== * {{IMDb title|0088967}} * {{TCMDb title|71822}} * {{Mojo title|crimewave}} * {{Rotten Tomatoes|crimewave}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Crimewave}} Category:1985 films Category:1980s crime comedy films Category:American crime comedy films Category:Films about capital punishment Category:Films directed by Sam Raimi Category:Embassy Pictures films Category:Films produced by Rob Tapert Category:Films shot in Michigan Category:Films with screenplays by the Coen brothers Category:Films with screenplays by Sam Raimi Category:1985 comedy films Category:1985 American films Category:1985 English-language films Category:English-language crime comedy films Category:Columbia Pictures films