The Crow (1994)

Truly Dreadful Film

Save your money for something good and enjoyable

Excellent, smart action film.

Great movie. Not sure what people expected but I found it highly entertaining.

Director Alex Proyas Delivers a Gloomy, Street World Filled with Unfortunates, Low-Lifes, Murders, Rapists, Anarchists, and some Assorted Good Folks Trapped in a Hell's Kitchen during "Hell Night".Its Bleak and done at Break-Neck Speed. It's Brutal, Bloody, and Depressing. It's Perpetually Night in a Perpetual Rain ("It can't rain all the time.").The Aforementioned Quote is from Eric Draven's Rock Album and is used to Connect an Adolescent Girl (Rochelle Davis) and the Reincarnated Draven who has Returned from the Grave to Avenge the Rape and Murder of His New Bride Shelly (Sofia Shinas). Eric and Shelly had Befriended the Street Urchin Sarah.The Movie Creates a Cinematic World of its Own, Cribbed from the Comic-Book by James O'Barr. The Crow Comics were an Underground Hit. Independently Produced and Apart from Mainstream Superhero Stuff.The Movie is Ultra-Stylish, Ultra-Violent, but does Attain and Maintain a Heart and a Soul. It is Touching at times when it Needs. Just Enough to keep the Film from Drowning in the Blood and Rain and Sinking to the Pits of Hell.Quite an Accomplishment from all involved. It's Well Acted All Around and the Script is Sharp, Never Pretentious, and to the Point. The Surreal Imagery Dominates alongside the Thuggery.The Ghouls are out In Force on Hell's Night and to Venture onto the Mean Streets of this Dystopia is Not for the Faint of Heart.Note...Brandon Lee Stars as "The Crow" and suffered a fatal gunshot wound during filming.

One of the absolute best comic book movies ever and this was before there were seemingly dozens of them being made every year. Brandon Lee gives such an intense and emotional performance that is made even more chilling considering that he died while it was filming. A dark super hero film that will probably be re-booted at some point but it's got very big shoes to fill. Plus there's no topping this soundtrack filled with lots of ear- candy songs that you'll want to enjoy after the film is over. But avoid all the sequels, unless you're a die hard fan of the series.

Brandon Lee (R.I.P) is absolutely brilliant as Eric Draven 'The Crow', and gives one of the finest comic book film performances of all time. The picture opens with a police officer discovering their bodies, and to showcase what actually happened, the director decided to use flashbacks which work very well, as he does not want to glamorize their murder, simply show the audience how bad and disgusting these scumbags were, so kudos to Alex Proyas for doing great work there. The story is more than your basic revenge story, Eric Draven's character is a man with personality, bravery and he and his girlfriend before there death looked after and hung out with a young girl, Sarah played by Rochelle Davis, they were there for her when Sarah's mother was either mixing with scumbags or doing drugs, this too me show two good natured people, and later on in the picture Eric comes as a blessing in disguise to Sarah Mother, and tells her to be a better mother, she instantly changes, paying more attention to her daughter, this is one of many good things Eric does in the picture.It's obvious than Eric will exact revenge on the filth that murdered his wife, and when he does, it's well shot, original and extremely satisfying, Proyas keeps the action moving, with great choreography and a fast pace, much like the picture which has one of the darkest atmosphere's and mood's you'll see in a comic book film, and much like 2008's The Dark Knight, this is a comic book film for adults, leaving out the immaturity we have come to expect from most of Disney Marvel's outings. The performances here are all effective, though none match the sheer brilliance of Lee, among the supporting cast are Ernie Hudson as good hearted cop Sergeant Albrecht, Rochelle Davis as Sarah, Michael Wincott as the very menacing villain Top Dollar, his right hand woman Myca played by Bai Ling, Anna Levine as Darla, Sarah's mother and Tony Todd as Top Dollar's henchman Grange, and they are all very good. Also good are the four thugs responsible for the murder, David Patrick Kelly as T-Bird, Laurence Mason as Tin Tin, Michael Massee as Funboy and Angel David as Skank.The only thing that could have been better, was the backstory and development for Top Dollar, I would have liked to know a bit more about his past and perhaps his organization, luckily the villain is interesting, bad-ass and very good despite this. The Crow also has a great Rock n Roll soundtrack, impressive Gothic production values that include some well suited, well-crafted costumes and make-up. The action is high octane, highly enjoyable and the picture has one or two adequate surprises in store as well. Overall The Crow is a brilliant comic book picture with a perfect mood, atmosphere, fast paced, coherent action and a stunning, memorable performance from Brandon Lee, who will be remembered as one of the greatest Comic book performances of all time.

Perhaps this is the darkest comic book movie adaptation ever done in Hollywood. Taking place on the night before Halloween, Brandon Lee, in his final ironic performance, portrays Eric Draven risen from the grave to obtain revenge and justice against the violent street gang that brutally murdered him and raped his fiancé before they were set to be married. With a look very similar to Tim Burton's Batman and a bit of Blade Runner homages, it is definitely a visual work of art in cinema. This certainly falls into the category of one of those movies that would be very difficult if not impossible to remake. The only minor nitpick I as a viewer have is how Top Dollar kind of steps out of line and cheats against our hero as I like to call it. Luckily, our hero fights back and teaches him a lesson through grief.