Felt like spreading the word about this one. This is pretty off the radar but has a rabid cult following and I can understand why perfectly. It's one of the weirdest, most unique and most fun films I've ever seen.

The premise is pretty simple. Amateur stand-up comedian/garbage man Marty (Judd Nelson) whose so bad, even the crickets don't chirp in response to his jokes, makes his big break in show business... after he grows a third arm out of his back. It's not long before he and his delightfully disgusting best friend/co-worker, Gus (Bill Paxton) are on their way to Hollywood.

The Dark Backward is probably the closest live action can get to a cartoon. Paxton is insane as usual as what is probably the most filthy character in the history of cinema. Seriously. So disgusting, Divine is rendered completely worthless by this guy. I won't say what he does. The film really isn't disgusting in too much of a conventional sorta way but still... Nelson is also superb and equally over-the-top yet his nerdiness and constant sweating/stage fright is in direct contradiction to Gus's hedonistic ways. Wayne Newton and James Caan also have great roles.

That's not to say the Dark Backward is all over-the-top. Honestly, I hate to use terms like that describing it. The world it exists in is just so different from other films. I say it's cartoony because none of the characters react to given situations the way anyone would in real life although if it were a cartoon, you wouldn't question it. It's not a matter of being unrealistic either. Everything seems to fit the world perfectly. I suppose the plot seems David Lynch-esque but it's not at all. There's some film noir aspects but generally, it's got more of a circus/freak show feel to it (the circus music score is amazing BTW). It's not stark or overly complex at all. The narrative and metaphors are both pretty straightforward and accessibly, no matter how strange things get. There's one or two scenes that should be able to weed out the people who won't like it anyway.

The filmmaking is also surprisingly good, considering this is a low-budget indie film from the 90s (1991 to be exact) by a first time director (who was apparently 19 when he wrote it). Lots of dense textures and colors reminiscent of Tim Burton or Dario Argento yet in a whole completely different realm. The cinematography is also superb. Not overly flashy but enough so and refreshingly intimate.

A very difficult film to describe but I can say that these kinds of films don't come around every so often. Maybe once or twice per decade. Anyway, a fantastic watch. Everybody should check it out. The people who like it will really love it and those who don't will get to miss out.

I think I recall renting this on VHS in the nineties. As far as I remember, it was called 'The man with three arms' in the UK.

I can't remember too much about it- I know I enjoyed it, but can't recall any details. I'm going to see if I can get hold of this and watch it again.