Plot: Tadek (Jim Carrey) has become obsessed with an old cold case, a brutal death that had violent sexual elements involved. The victim was recovered from a river and while it was clearly a horrific death, most believed it might have been sexual exploration that was taken too far, rather than outright murder. As Tadek still stings from a recent failed case, even he doubts himself a little when he thinks he has found a break, but he is driven to uncover the truth. He has discovered a number of similarities between the open case and the narrative of a popular book, the kind of details that aren’t released in active investigations. As he looks into the book’s author Kozlow (Martin Csokas), Tadek finds himself pulled into an underground world of sex, fetishes, and potential danger, but he is compelled to push forward, regardless of the cost.

Entertainment Value: A dark, violent thriller that explores underground sex clubs, Dark Crimes has a very European texture, with little emphasis on exposition and more on atmosphere and characters. But then in the middle of this downbeat, bleak movie, we have Jim Carrey and his bizarre, often laughable accent. I have to think Carrey’s presence is what will draw most people to Dark Crimes, but his effort is not even in the same universe as his typical roles and while he is passable, he is one of the weaker in the cast here. The narrative covers the basics, but leaves a lot of elements vague and while it doesn’t have a massive impact on the movie, I can see some frustrated that so much is left in the background. These overlooked areas aren’t crucial, but I wouldn’t have minded a little more detail, such as Tadek’s failed case, which is hinted at and motivates him, but minimal information is provided. The end result is that Dark Crimes doesn’t always make sense, so if your main interest is narrative, you might be let down, but the eerie vibes and atmosphere compensate, I think. This one is likely to divide audiences, but if you appreciate dark, deliberate, and stylish thrillers or just need to see every Jim Carrey movie, Dark Crimes is worth a peek.

This one has some mild sleaze, but not as much skin as you might think, given the whole underground sex club thread in the narrative. Charlotte Gainsbourg steals the show at one point with an epic bare ass scene, while most of the nudity is brief and in passing, but there is still some flesh on showcase. This includes bare breasts, asses, and even some full frontal peeks, but again, this is all rather brief, so don’t expect graphic or explicit content here. There is also some mild violence, but nothing overly memorable or blood soaked. So if you hoped to see Jim Carrey unleash a crimson tinged torrent of sexual violence, no such luck. The dialogue is dead serious and passable, as it covers the basic needs of the material, but doesn’t stand out as remarkable. I will award a couple points for how silly Jim Carrey sounds here, as his accent is ridiculous and adds some levity to this otherwise dark, oppressive atmosphere. On the craziness side of things, the sexual kinks, dark atmosphere, and Jim Carrey’s outlandish accent offer some wild moments. Not as darkly intense or brutal as I had hoped, but at least Carrey’s silly accent is fun.

Nudity: 3/10

Blood: 1/10

Dialogue: 1/10

Overall Insanity: 2/10

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