Once people believed that when someone dies, a crow carries their soul to the land of the dead. But sometimes something so bad happens that a terrible sadness is carried with it and the soul cannot rest. And sometimes, just sometimes, the crow can bring the soul back to set things right.
- Opening monologue as delivered by Shelley (Rochelle Davis)
One of the most effective opening monologue’s in comic book movie history delivered with a sense of gravity and Verisimilitude that effectively ushered you into this film’s dark gothic world.
The Crow
(1994)
Featuring: The Late Brandon Lee, Ernie Hudson, Rochelle Davis, Michael Wincott, Bai Ling, Tony Todd, David Patrick Kelley, Laurence Mason, Michael Massee, Angel David, Anna Levine, John Polito, Marco Rodriguez & Sophia Shinas
Written by: David J. Schow, John Shirley
[From a story by Original Comic’s Creator: James O’ Barr]
Producer: Jeff Most & Edward R. Pressman
Cinematography: Dariusz Wolski
Editing: Dov Hoenig & M. Scott Smith
Director: Alex Proyas
Studio: Miramax Films
Theatrical Release Date: May 13, 1994
Running Time: 102 min.
Budget: $ 15,000,000
Gross Revenue: $ 144,000,000 (worldwide)
Plot:
The Crow stars Brandon Lee, in his final film, as Eric Draven, a rock musician who is revived from the dead to avenge his own murder, as well as that of his fiancée.
That’s it plain and simple … But this film is so much more when you start looking at it in layers and shades of complexity that permeate every inch of this very tightly directed comic book movie. There is not one wasted frame of film in THE CROW. It is at once surreal and grounded in the real world … somewhat of a bridging precursor to the Nolan esthetics's of the current BATMAN films and the first two TIM BURTON directed Batman films in production design. After seeing this film, I’d hoped one day that Alex Proyas would actually get to helm one of the Bat films as this was clearly a calling card in that direction. Unfortunately none of the studios bit and Proyas would go on to direct the unfortunately disappointing DARK CITY.
Eric Draven is an independent musician taken away in the prime of his life by common street thugs and written off along with his tragically beautiful fiancée (Sophia Shinas) as statistics by the local police force. Like it says in the aforementioned opening monologue of THE CROW, Eric is raised from the dead by his spirit guide an ominous black crow that then proceeds to direct him to the people responsible for his fiancé’s death.
One of the great things about this film is how it takes it’s time to tell it’s story slowly drawing you in, but by no means boring the audience. Eric is pretty much a blank slate during the opening third of the film acting out of impulse and becoming more cognizant with each kill.
Besides returning from the dead to enact vengeance upon those responsible, Eric also ties up a few loose ends, chief among them is ensuring that street kid and surrogate daughter Sara (Rochelle Davis) is safe and cared for.
One of the creepiest and socially rousing moments comes when Eric confronts Sara’s drug addicted mother (Anna Levine) while taking out another of the criminals in the group that killed him.
THE CROW effectively becomes a sign of the times and a zeitgeist of the 90’s in general. The quasi-fictional world of THE CROW takes place in a heavily stylized and surreal version of Detroit Michigan. Most of the inhabitants of this city appear to heavily follow the grunge aesthetic and generate a palpable hopelessness.
This atmosphere succeeds in helping the audience engage in suspension of disbelief and assists in making the main villain, a crime lord known as Top Dollar plausible. Kudos to Michael Wincott who reaches deep into his scaly character making him at once world weary and every bit as deadly as his position in Detroit’s underworld implies.
Top Dollar is an Anarchist plain and simple, his motivation every bit as hazy and John Wayne-esque as his strange mysterious half sister Myca (Bai Ling).
This crime lord could care less that someone is taking out his employees and accidentally engineers his own destruction out of sheer curiosity and biting cynicism (Trademarks of the 90’s).
Following in the underlying cynicism and “I don’t believe it even when I see it” mantra of THE CROW is Ernie Hudson’s beat cop Sergeant Albrecht. Hudson’s veteran acting credibility and grounded performance serve as the audience’s avatar and guide for some of the more “gothic imaginings” and “out there” moments in the film.
Another element of the film that works well is that the action scenes click and pop in a frenetic style whenever Eric begins to dispense some well deserved street justice to evildoers.
ERIC DRAVEN is not to be messed with.
The scene where he confronts and ultimately takes out most of the players in Top Dollar’s organization is a stand out. It’s almost like watching a music video, but in a good way. Smaller set pieces serve as visual eye candy until this big blow out occurs.
Brandon Lee had made a number of small independent action oriented films by the time THE CROW came along. He had even turned down a proposed role playing his late father BRUCE LEE to pursue this film. He clearly wanted his own identity as an actor and entertainer.
With “THE CROW” Mr. Lee had succeeded in finding that one defining character that had the potential to propel him to the big leagues.
It is a Greek Tragedy that Brandon Lee lost his life so early mirroring the death of his legendary father.
THE CROW defines Brandon Lee. It is his signature character and he committed to the part with true professionalism. The movie has achieved CULT STATUS and deservedly so.
Other filmmakers working on some of the grittier established comic characters such as THE PUNISHER, DAREDEVIL and perhaps even the proposed CLOAK & DAGGER comics of Marvel Entertainment should take this movie as a template for success.
BRANDON LEE’S FINAL INTERVIEW
DEDICATED TO BRANDON BRUCE LEE (February 1, 1965 - March 31, 1993)
THE CROW
*****
(Five out of Five possible stars
... shadowgeek10 returns to the shadows once more ….
GALLERY:
THE CROW