The Crow Reviews

This movie is fantastic. plain and simple. Brandon Lee delivers his lines to the point they were instantly memorable after seeing the film only once. The casting of both Michael Wincott and Tony Todd was inspired as these two guys have two of the most instantly recognisable voices in the movie industry. If i could ever be a movie or a lead in a film this would be it. I was initially put off the idea of the movie as i am a big fan of the graphic novel and there was an awful lot of hype around this film on its release. this proved to be my loss as i have only seen the film on the small screen. however i now have the 2 disc special edition DVD and watched it 3 times in succession the day i bought it and must have watched it at least 100 times since. my own personal opinion is that a movie should suspend disbelief, capture the imagination which this does in spades. it is truly a film that you can lose a couple of hours watching and at the end feel like you have spent a worthwhile couple of hours. would recommend this to anybody.

I actually already saw this movie, in fact, I even watched it in the movie theater when it was released, but it was a while back so I thought it was really time for a re-watch. Back in those dayss, there was a lot of talk because Brando Lee was killed while making this movie and considering the already ominous nature of the story and if you add the fact that Bruce Lee, Brandon Lee's father, also died under such mysterious circumstances, this movie became in the process an instant cult-classic. 20 years later, it is still pretty good, a dark and unsettling feature with a striking Gothic look, thanks to some really solid directing by Alex Proyas who was just starting as a director with this movie. To be honest, I'm not so sure that the story was really amazing though. I mean, sure, it was quite entertaining but I always find it difficult to care for a character who seems to be invincible. On top of that, the bad guys were poorly developed and they were just some obnoxious over-the-top cartoonish figures. Still, it remains a strange and morbidly fascinating movie and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre.

The Raven "is a perfect film in terms of production. But it is impossible to separate the tragic event that led to the death of Brandon Lee, the protagonist. This inevitably adds a feeling of depression and sadness that is surprisingly essentially captured by the film.

"The Raven" is also sentimental about where you see him. The Director Proyas Alexander undertook to inject life itself through dialogues of all types, memorable performances, and unforgettable images.

The look is a little gothic and neo-noir, which perfectly captures the theme and concepts. The camera angles and editing are first-rate. We have a talented director who knows how to do their job by providing a unique style.

The gothic atmosphere is brilliant, totally captures the feeling of the event. We scenes brilliantly sinister scenarios so obscure that it is impossible not to feel part of them. Thanks to photography that presents a major role shadows and dark scenes but "on" (as the antrum), we are part of a sunken Edison for its criminals. The love story also serves as part of vital importance since it is the one that handles the actions of the protagonist.

This story, specifically the script, could be seen as directly as our avenger Terror comes from the grave to avenge his death and that of his fiancée. But the way it is decorated with beautiful images, poetic tone, and the explanation of how the crow is the link to the world of the living with the dead, which generates all becomes a kind of myth.
 
The flashback scenes are truly important and is one of the clearest examples of how this resource when properly performed, performs excellently to explain why the feelings that border Eric to "return". These moments seem a grunge MTV Video noventero but more violent and explicit. Seeing a woman being raped wedding dress is very 90's rock but not pleasant.


There are moments I will never forget. For me, the most poetic and symbolic moment is when Eric walking in the street watches as several children in Halloween costumes walking in slow motion towards him. Eric smiles broadly and as if this scene was of great satisfaction to him. Totally radiant and emotional moment. I put the hair "Chinamen". The word "haunting" in English describes best what I mean.

Another sequence totally emotional, sad but powerful is when Shelly is dressed in white and stands next to Eric when he is on top of his grave. Moment ghostly and radiant. I could not help feeling choked throat. Totally romantic but in an unconventional way.

The way Eric turns the figure of a raven on the floor is bright. Without words.

The criminals meeting in which Eric bursts is the style of a John Woo film. Vibrant shootout with humor.

All death scenes through which Eric exacts revenge are made to perfection. You'll feel relieved deserved it takes its revenge.
Style also places "The Pit", a place underground rock seemed vibrant. It gives a special style to the story is very dark but also reminds us that we are in the 90's. Pure grunge.

Nor go unnoticed times when Eric comes out of nowhere to talk with the police and with Sarah, especially when she doubt that he still wants.

The outcome seems to deserve more intensity but still satisfying.

The acting is just brilliant. Brandon Lee gives a sublime performance, powerful, the way we live and relive moments of extreme sadness and anger, and how you choose to hunt their killers is pure adrenaline for the hearing. I live with him. It seems that he knew his death was near and therefore the importance of this role is historic. He was born for this role. I'll never forget.

Even call me crazy, but I think his performance greatly influenced by that of Heath Ledger, starring The Joker, The Joker in "The Dark Knight". Christopher Nolan certainly took some tips from this movie.

Rochelle Davis as Sarah is only good. The girl I think I could give a more complex role. I liked his relationship with Eric and the Detective. A child is the purest expression of innocence in a plot so dark.

Ernie Hudson is perfect in his role of Police. Sure, the guy adds comic relief and thanks to the typical cliches of police-black-funny. Her relationship with Eric breaks the tension a bit and that's always good. The moment you have contact with Eric for the first time I find a delight. The way the camera moves around with Police bluesy music in the background seemed tremendous. I also think that "The Dark Knight" I copied some moments this partnership between the protagonist and the police, as with Batman and Gordon. Like when Eric disappears without warning and the cop says "I like to do that", or something similar.

I liked Jon Polito as Gideon dirty, who has a memorable moment to talk to Eric, after reading an excerpt from "The Raven" by Edgar Allan Poe.

Michael Wincott gives a special definition of the word "cool". I like his look and his voice intimidating. The hair is a bit ridiculous but his personality looming gives a special touch as the main villain. Good use of a samurai sword!. His words "Greed is for amaterus. Disorder, chaos, anarchy. That's fun." are the perfect description of a criminal of his stature.

Bai Ling is fantastic and I appreciate the fact that you wear that show her curvaceous figure and sexy. His role is of little consequence as the goth girl but hey, it is explained by the relationship of the crow with life and death.

Sofia Shinas not have much screen time but her beauty and personality are truly intriguing mystery, attention.

David Patrick Kelly, Angel David, Michael Massee, and Laurence Mason stand out as sadistic criminals who are after the object of Eric's revenge. The types look like some real idiots saying things like "let's burn everything" and celebrate. When they encounter the karma, the fun is set aside. Very good actors!.

Tony Todd, best known as Candyman, has a small role but their presence is impossible to ignore. Always comply with their cameos.

The values ​​shown little succor that this film are revenge and justice, justifiably applied according to the basic rules of life and death.

The action is tremendous, plain and simple, but very good. We explosions, bullets, fire, etc. There is everything for which we love to share.

The music soundtrack is great thanks to the rocker. We vibrant rock tunes with artists like The Cure, Nine Inch Nails, Violent Femmes, and Stone Temple Pilots, who provide "Big Empty", the winning song as best song on the MTV Movie Awards 1994.

"The Raven" is a film that will capture your attention and mesmerize you and then get involved in their world. Be tempted by her pictures, colors, light, dark, and sound.

Negatives?? Probably Eric absurd power to see through the mind of Detective. What the fuck are seeing "Ghost: The Shadow of Love?". I would have also liked to know a bit more about Top Dollar, totally interesting character that had more potential. Anyway, these are details that can easily ignore.

A perfect film as I mentioned, it is inevitable that you generate sadness. But in the end you will be fully satisfied. A unique experience.

eric draven nd eric the raven

James O'Barr is an American graphic artist, best known as the creator of the comic book series The Crow.

In 1978, O'Barr's fiancée, Bethany, was killed by a drunk driver, and he joined the Marines in an effort to cope with the loss. He was stationed in Germany and illustrated combat manuals for the military. While living in Berlin in 1981, O'Barr began work on The Crow as a means of dealing with his personal tragedy. O'Barr was further inspired by a Detroit newspaper account of the murder of a young couple over a $20 engagement ring. After his discharge from the Marines, O'Barr continued his painting and illustration as well as doing lots of odd jobs, including working for a Detroit body shop. The Crow sat on a shelf for seven years, but at last someone wanted to publish it: Gary Reed of Caliber Press. In The Crow, the protagonist and his fiancée are murdered by a gang of criminals. He then returns from the dead to hunt their killers.

O'Barr's own hope that his project would result in a personal catharsis went unfulfilled, he told an interviewer in 1994, saying, "[A]s I drew each page, it made me more self-destructive, if anything....There is pure anger on each page". The Crow has sold more than 750,000 copies worldwide.

The book was adapted into a successful film of the same name in 1994, but it resulted in further tragedy. Brandon Lee, who played the main character, was accidentally shot and killed during filming, survived by his then-fiancee Eliza Hutton.

(james o’barr, trajik bir trafik kazasinda nisanlisi bethany’nin sarhos bir surucunun kullandigi araba tarafindan oldurulmesi sonrasinda cok sikintili gunler yasamaya baslamis. bu yasadigi sikintili donemden kurtulmak icin kendisini cizime verir, daha sonralari ise gazetede okudugu bir haberden ( detroit’te bir ciftin 20$ lik nisan yuzukleri icin oldurulmesi olayi ) oldukca etkilenir ve bunun bir hikâyenin baslangici icin guzel bir cikis noktası olduguna karar verir ve 1981 yillarinda berlin’de ilk the crow calismalarina baslar. icinde bulundugu sikintili yasam yuzunden eserini tamamlamasi uzun bir sure alir.james o’barr hikâyesinde kullandigi karakterleri kendi hayatindan secmis,gercek kisileri karakterleri ile ozdeslestirmistir.hatta filmde yer alan cete uyelerinin isimleri de detroit deki duvar yazilarindan alinmis gercek cete uyeleri isimleridir. (t-bird, tin-tin, top dollar, funboy ,skank) bunun uzerine olaylari bu hikâye uzerine oturtarak hikâyeyi tamamlamıştır.)

..........................................................................

People once 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 can't rest. Then sometimes, just sometimes the crow could bring that soul back to put the wrong things right

If the people we love are stolen from us, the way to have them live on is to never stop loving them. Buildings burn, people die, but real love is forever...

( İnsanlar eskiden suna inanirdi. Biri oldugu zaman bir karga gelip onun ruhunu oluler diyarina tasirmis..
Ama bazen çok kotu bir sey olur korkunc bir uzuntu ruhla beraber tasinir ve ruh dinlenemez ve bazen karga yanlis olan seyler duzenlemek icin ruhu geri getirebilir.....

Herseyin dogru oldugunu dusunurdum, arkadaslar,aileler,duygular..ama artik biliyorum eger sevgi gercekse ve iki insan beraber olmak istiyorsa kimse onlari ayiramaz...

Eger sevdıgimiz kisiler bizden calinmissa , Onlari uzun yaşatmanin yolu, Onlari sevmekten asla vazgecmemektir... binalar yanar, insanlar olur ama gercek ASk Olumsuzdur... )


- i love you.
- say it again..
- i love you.

- i love you.
- say it again..
- i love you.


mother is the name
for god
on the lips
and hearts
of all children
morphine is bad for you


albrecht: police! don't move! i said, "don't move!"
eric draven: i though the police always said, "freeze!"
albrecht: well, i am the police, and i say, "don't move!" snow white. you move, you're dead.
eric draven: and i say, "i'm dead," and i move.
eric draven: -it's not a good day to be a bad guy.


"is this gasoline i smell?"

-caw caw! bang! fuck i'm dead!

they are all dead, they just don't know yet.


it won't rain all the time
the sky won't fall forever
and though the night seems long
your tears won't fall forever

Buildings Burn, People Die, But Real Love Is Forever Askim..

''Little things used to mean so much to Shelly - I used to think they were kind of trivial. Believe me, nothing is trivial.''

A man brutally murdered comes back to life as an undead avenger of his and his fiancée's murder.

Brandon Lee: Eric Draven

Comic book movies have always struck a chord with me. I don't know whether it's their visual style, the special effects, the performances of the actors as compared to the comic itself, or the interpretation of the graphic novel's storyline by the filmmakers that interests me the most, but I've always been enthralled by a bleak story that places a tragic hero in the midst of a towering city, whose choices and actions determine the fate of himself and those around him. Often a comic book can provide the bare essentials for an excellent story, but more often, the filmmakers or producers scrap the idea of a storyline and aim primarily for the exploitation of special effects. In the case of The Crow, this is not true: this is one of the films, that has ever captured the true essence of the comic book it's based on, expanded upon its virtues and added its own style to complement the base storyline of the story.



On October 30th, a night that has come to be known as Devil's Night, in reference to the hundreds of fires set by dangerous gangs, Eric Draven (Brandon Lee) and Shelly Webster (Sofia Shinas) are brutally attacked in their downtown apartment. Shelly is raped by the gang and Eric is thrown out of a five-story window, dying almost instantly. They leave behind a close friend and younger-sister figure, Sarah (Rochelle Davis), endless rainy nights in the city, and infinite sorrow on those who knew them.
Their deaths left a score unsettled, and as a result, an ancient legend becomes reality, as a mystical crow descends from the Heavens who normally carries souls to the land of the dead, brings Eric Draven's soul back to life so he can exact revenge on the men who killed him and his fiance. He dresses himself in torn black clothing, boots, and paints his face like a sad clown. He is invincible, for he is already dead, and sets out on a quest for retribution, seeking out each one of his murderers one by one. He is helped along the way by two people, Sarah and Officer Albrecht (Ernie Hudson), who stayed with Shelly until she died, against an army of arsonist gangsters led by the mysteriously incestuous Top Dollar (Michael Wincott), who is the orchestrator of Devil's Night, and inspires his troops with quotes and dialogue from Dante's "Inferno" and "Paradise Lost." With the crow leading the way, Eric Draven sets out to redeem his soul and regain his justice in a city that has never stopped raining since his death.

''Greed is for amateurs. Disorder, chaos, anarchy: now that's fun!''

From its opening shot right to its final seconds, The Crow is a depressingly gripping film. A truly fantastic and faithful adaptation of James O'Barr's comic book series, this film draws its inspiration from both the comic book and earlier films such as Fritz Lang's "Metropolis." The story is set against the backdrop of a broken city ruled by an underground society of arsonists, where the police can do nothing to stop them and the children run wild in the streets. The buildings tower high over the urban streets, overlooking a sad foundation without law, justice or order - you know everything about this world with one shot. The production design and cinematography combines to create an atmosphere in a society without hope, accentuated only further by a Middle-East inspired score by Graeme Revell, and choicy tunes by Nine Inch Nails, The Cure, Stone Temple Pilots and My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult.

Director Alex Proyas claims he has never seen a sequel to his film on the basis that no one could do justice to the main character like Brandon Lee... I agree with him. Lee's performance as the vengeful soul is one of the greatest I have ever seen on film. He exhibits confidence, cunning and menace, while at the same time communicating just enough pain and depression to stay true to his character. You know what he's capable of, and at the same time his emotional weaknesses. If I can think of any flaw to this film I would mention the incestuous relationship between Funboy and his sister. It was not a subplot, thankfully, but it didn't seem necessary in a film that was already disturbing enough.

Made with passion, performed with intensity, designed with precision and influence, "The Crow" is an unheralded masterpiece of the 20th Century. It is heartbreaking to think that this film almost dodged release - if that had happened, no one would ever have known the degree of Brandon Lee's acting capabilities. The man had a fiery presence and was articulate and powerful with his delivery - indeed, with one great film, he has become a martyr for the exposition of this character.

''Can't rain all the time...''

"Can't rain all the time..."

The Crow is a film I approached because of its cult following and massive popularity.

I had also heard of the tragic story regarding actor Brandon Lee during filming. For those of you who don't know said story, Lee tragically passed away before filming concluded. While a scene was being filmed a prop gun fired a live round into the actor, causing his imminent death.

Lee's death didn't prevent director Proyas from creating a remarkable action movie based on a series of comics. The Crow is a film with an atmosphere of dread and decay; its gothic set design and visuals look incredible.

The film is also quite repulsive and heavy. There are scenes showcasing heavy violence, strong profanity and disturbing images.

Brandon Lee plays Eric Draven. Eric is a musician who comes home on Devil's Night (a tradition among those who commit crime in the city) to find his fiancée Shelly (Shinas) being savagely beaten and raped. The hooligans kill Eric and Shelly that night.

One year later Eric returns as an invincible undead vigilante ready to avenge the death of his beloved Shelly. And so Eric hits the streets one night with plans to kill the group of urban criminals.

The simple plot is executed with phenomenal style; featuring amazing stunts, plenty of action and fascinating gothic imagery. This makes for a memorable movie experience.

Brandon Lee's final performance is unforgettable. When he becomes the invulnerable vigilante he seems relentless and evil. The beauty of his performance is that his character also has a softer side that is shown during flashbacks when his character was still alive. This softer side is also visible when he meets people from his past. It's hard to recognise him beneath the heavy make-up that almost looks like a darker version of The Joker.

The Crow also boasts an array of highly impressive visuals. The special effects are stunning to look at. The action scenes are complimented with these incredible special effects. Said effects also needed to be utilised to complete a few scenes that required the use of Brandon Lee's face after he had passed away.

Proyas establishes a tremendously sophisticated style throughout the film as well. There are fast flashy cuts and some bizarre uses of the camera. Needless to say, this added to the gothic feeling of the production. In addition, most of the movie takes place at night when it's raining quite heavily. The action scenes do feature some ultra fast cutting but the action is still dazzling and brutal; displaying a high level of graphic violence. This fast cutting isn't as distracting as the style used in modern action films.

One thing that I realised while watching the movie is the very little shadow detail during the darker scenes. I'm not sure if this can be attributed to a creative decision by the director or the transfer that was available to me. The visuals are accompanied by an aggressive soundtrack featuring some dynamic music. This is usually played over the action scenes. I thought the soundtrack was fantastic; keeping in the dark gothic atmosphere of the movie.

The Crow is an action film that is smart and taut; over its 95-minute running time I never found it at all boring. Some of the dialogue is a bit contrived and there are a few clichés, however the film is profoundly good entertainment. If you have not seen The Crow then I suggest you get your hands on a copy immediately.

Brandon Lee was incredible in this film, it seemed as though he could take the gloves off and perform as he pleased. Too bad Brandon died in the making of this film.

To me The Crow was a remarkable masterpiece. The film was dark and gothic, yet a love story. The action in this film blew me away, and the goth stlye music made the film so much better.
To Brandon Lee: May you find peace...