Darkman (1990)

When filmmaker Sam Raimi couldn’t get the rights to The Shadow or Batman, he decided to create his own superhero. Enter the action thriller Darkman (1990), not to be confused with the horror flick Dark Wolf (2003). As such, crime has a new enemy and justice has a new face — the very handsome mug of Liam Neeson! The plot begins when scientist Dr. Peyton Westlake (Neeson) creates a synthetic skin for burn victims. All is well until his girlfriend, hot-shot lawyer Julie Hastings (Frances McDormand), gets on the wrong side of ruthless mob boss Robert G. Durant (Larry Drake). Durant, along with his henchmen (Dan Bell, Ted Raimi and Nicholas Worth), destroy Peyton’s lab and nearly kill him in the process. Due to this roughing up, the near-dead doctor receives a medical treatment that inexplicably gives him super strength and makes him impervious to pain. Now under the moniker of Darkman, Peyton uses his powers, as well as his synthetic skin, to exact revenge against those who ruined his life. Along the way, we encounter Louis Strack Jr. (Colin Friels) and Dr. Peyton’s pecs! Yes, Liam loses his shirt to reveal his crime-fighting physique. Alas, it’s too dark, man, to ogle Darkman. If you’re hoping to see more nudity, don’t bother checking out the direct-to-video sequels Darkman II: The Return of Durant (1995) and Darkman III: Die Darkman Die (1996) — both starring Arnold Vosloo instead of Neeson — since these movies are skingy too. Superhero? More like a super tease!