Impressive gothic action film.

"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.

8/10