Forgotten Villains: Darkman’s Robert G. Durant

By Owen Quinn author of the Time Warriors and Zombie Blues

Now, let’s consider my points, one by one. One, I try not to let my anger get the better of me. Two, I don’t always succeed. Three… I’ve got seven more points.

The above is the speech Robert G Durant gives to Eddie Black as he uses his cigar cutter to take his fingers off one by one. Black had refused to sell his property to Durant so the gangster killed Black’s men in an unusual way. Moments earlier, Durant uses his goon’s one legged status to smuggle in a machine gun to kill Black’s men. He is the nemesis of Liam Neeson’s Darkman released in 1990. Durant is a mob boss into literally everything with no conscience or compassion. He is sadistic as the finger cutting scene shows.

When he attacks the lab of Liam Neeson’s Peyton Westlake seeking a document, the Belisarius Memorandum, Peyton is working on a synthetic skin for burns victims unaware he will be the first person to need use of it. But it’s imperfect and only stabilises in dark surroundings. Durant orders Peyton’s assistant Yakitito murdered then the scientist himself is burned beyond recognition. As a parting gesture Durant orders the lab assistant’s fingers cut off for himself. Like the Governor in the Walking Dead, Durant has a sick habit. He collects fingers and keeps them in a wooden display case.

Played by Larry Drake, Durant is buying up property for his illegal activities under RGD Corporation, and its subsidiary, the Intercity Land Development. He has secrets on everyone giving him control and multiple bases to dodge the authorities. Durant has an ally in the form of equally corrupt but not as evil, Louis Strack Jnr. Together they plan a City of the Future which will be totally under their control.

But it starts to unravel for Durant when Darkman duplicates one of Durant’s minions, Paulie. He goes on a mission to obtain cash for Durant but when both vanish, Durant storms to Paulie’s apartment where he finds Paulie asleep. Despite his protestations, Durant throws him out of the top flor window for stealing his money. Durant has no loyalty to even those who have served him well over the years. Unaware that he is being listened in to and played, Durant finds himself being arrested for robbing a convenience store and is caught when he says his name into the security camera while not wearing a mask. Darkman plans this so he can take Durant’s place in a money handover with one of his Japanese counterparts. They say they have no money trying to play him for a fool. Durant lights a cigar saying he better have the money by the time he finishes the cigar and thanks to a slick lawyer, Durant meets the other Durant with the money. They both fight and the minions have no idea who is the real Durant. One Durant floors the other, taking the case but his face begins to melt, giving him away.

Seeing the melting mask, Durant catches on who is behind the thefts. He attacks Darkman’s lab but he has it rigged and kills all his minions in one swoop. They then fight on a helicopter being pursued by a police chopper. Durant will let nothing get in his way and blows it out of the sky. Darkman manages to get on top of a truck and hooks the helicopter to it. Helpless Durant is caught in the massive explosion as the helicopter is pulled into a tunnel by the truck. However all great villains find a way back and Durant is no exception.

In The Return of Durant, Durant has survived the explosion and is now after full control of the drug trade. He was in a coma for 878 days and upon waking found his empire in ruins. Weapons make big money so Durant breaks out a specialist from an asylum, Dr Alfred Hathaway. Prior to Durant’s coma and Hathaway’s arrest, he was developing a brand new weapon unlike anything that has been seen before; a particle weapon called the Vigilante. Durant tries to force the Brinkmans to sell their warehouse to him but both refuse. Darkman is friends with the Brinkmans but his helping Laurie escape Durant reveals to Durant that Darkman is alive and ready to be taken down permanently.

Given their last meeting and the fact Darkman can duplicate anyone, Durant becomes ever more paranoid. The only thing that matters is to kill Darkman once and for all. The second movie is much more violent than the first reflecting the desperate thirst Durant has towards his foe. Virtually everyone is killed in the battle leaving Darkman to trap Durant in a car and kill him by setting off the car bomb. In his final moments Durant does a ‘Khan’ and curses Darkman.

Durant is by far one of the coldest and heartless foes ever to grace the big screen. Larry Drake doesn’t even sweat in the role; comfortable in taking out obstacles and those who have left him down. One mistake equals termination. He and Darkman are a rawer more animalistic duo than say Daredevil and Wilson Fisk, although there are parallels between them. Based in their cartoon roots, the Darkman movies are worth a catch up. You may never look at pink elephants the same ever again.