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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.
9/10
