Konterr Brilliant and touching

Lollivan It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

Scotty Burke It is interesting even when nothing much happens, which is for most of its 3-hour running time. Read full review

Winifred The movie is made so realistic it has a lot of that WoW feeling at the right moments and never tooo over the top. the suspense is done so well and the emotion is felt. Very well put together with the music and all.

scott-gdfr Crime Wave is an absolute gem. In fact, I promise you that it's the best move that you've never heard of -- a post modern masterpiece.Hopefully a distribution company will come along and make it available to you. Currently, if I'm not mistaken, it's only on VHS, and only in the hands of people, like me, who purchased a second hand copy.But honestly, if you are a person who likes innovative films, and I'm assuming that you are one of those people, do yourself a favor and find a way to catch this one. I can't imagine it being any better than it is.Good luck, and enjoy!

Adam Whybray An absolute peach of a film about a "quiet man" Steven Penny (played by director John Paizs himself) and his desires to pen the greatest colour crime movie ever told. His attempts are lovingly documented by his chipper and inquisitive neighbour Kim (Eva Kovacs), who becomes fascinated by Steven after reading scraps from his discarded screenplays, which Steven has thrown to the trash. For you see, Steven is a tormented artist. He can write the beginnings and endings of screenplays, but not the middles... and what screenplays they are! They tell sordid tales of hapless and violent Elvis impersonators; murderous Amway recruits; self-destructive self-help gurus! Yet, however sordid these cutaways become, the film retains a giddy innocence amidst the darkness. It also achieves a feat that very few films achieve, which is to use kitsch in a way that is wholly earnest and sincere, rather than ironic. The whole film has the feel of an after-school special, or those awkwardly mannered edutainment titles reserved for the classroom, but the spirit of parody remains wholly affectionate and the film is often touching and beautiful. This is especially impressive for a film with such strong meta-fictional elements, since it would be easy for such an exercise to become distanced and cynical. However, when Kim educates the viewer about persistence of vision, passing on the knowledge given to her by Steven, we are simply caught up in the joy of it, rather than smirking some knowing smirk as to how clever-clever the enterprise is. With the entrance of criminally insane script doctor Dr. Jolly (Neil Lawrie) the film threatens to become rather dark, yet still retains a lightness of touch. It's a magical piece of filmmaking, quite unlike anything you've ever seen before, one infused with the joys of filmmaking, friendship and the wonder of childhood with the experience of being an adult. It's a beaut.

commeunturc Just one of those films… you know… that blow your mind, stick in your head for a year and makes all others movies look like over budget Hollywood crap. It's like watching pure imagination! One piece of advice: Stop working now and start looking for it. I found a used VHS of it years ago and since then, I can say the world dosen't look the same anymore. The top: only few people made it, and John Paizs is one of them.I know it may sound a little bit crazy but seriously, if you love movies that make you wonder how can someone could possibly think of that, give it a try.

jz1360 I happened to catch part of Crime Wave on CBC late one night in the 80s and I was hypnotized by it's underground feel and truly offbeat humor. Then I didn't think about it again for about fifteen years until I came across a used copy in a video store that was going out of business. I have watched it a few times and each time my eyes widen like a little child. John Paizs as Steven Penny is a deadpan delight, future anchorwoman Eva Covacs is perfect as the precocious Kim. And of course there's Dr. Jolly. The cornfield scene is probably the weirdest scene of any film I've ever seen.Overall if you appreciate low-budget comedy miracles, this is a prototype.