The Crow (1994)
Running time: 102 minutes (1 hour, 42 minutes)
MPAA – R for a great amount of strong violence and language, and for drug use and some sexuality
DIRECTOR: Alex Proyas
WRITERS: David J. Schow and John Shirley (based on the comic book series and comics strip created by James O'Barr)
PRODUCERS: Jeff Most and Edward R. Pressman
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Dariusz Wolski (D.o.P.)
EDITORS: Dov Hoenig and M. Scott Smith
COMPOSER: Graeme Revell
SUPERHERO/FANTASY/ACTION/CRIME
Starring: Brandon Lee, Michael Wincott, Ernie Hudson, Rochelle Davis, Bai Ling, Sofia Shinas, Anna Thomson, David Patrick Kelly, Angel David, Laurence Mason, Michael Massee, Tony Todd, Jon Polito, Bill Raymond, Marco Rodriguez, and Kim Sykes
The Crow is a 1994 American superhero and dark fantasy film from director Alex Proyas. The movie is based on The Crow comic book series and on the character that first appeared in the comic book, Caliber Presents #1 (cover dated: January 1989), all created by James O'Barr. The Crow the movie focuses on a musician who returns from the dead a year after he and his girlfriend were brutally murdered to seek vengeance against their murderers.
The Crow is infamous for the death of its lead actor, Brandon Lee (1965-1993), the son of film icon, Bruce Lee. On March 31, 1993, Lee was fatally wounded by a discharge from a prop gun. At that point, Lee had completed almost all his scenes for the film. Through the use of special effects, digital face replacement, stunt doubles, and rewrites, Proyas was able to finish the film, and it was released in May 1994.
The Crow is set in a crime-ravaged and decrepit city that is like Detroit, Michigan, and the story opens on October 30th, Devil's Night (an infamous celebration in Detroit). It introduces rock musician, Eric Draven (Brandon Lee), and his fiancée, Shelly Webster (Sofia Shinas). They are going to be married on Halloween. Instead, Eric is beaten and murdered. Shelly is brutally beaten and raped and later dies of her injuries.
One year later, Eric Draven rises from the grave as an avenging spirit, The Crow (Brandon Lee). He has returned to killed the men who murdered him and Shelly: T-Bird (David Patrick Kelly), Funboy (Michael Massee), Tin Tin (Laurence Mason), and Skank (Angel David). Sarah (Rochelle Davis), a young girl who was Eric and Shelly's friend, and Albrecht (Ernie Hudson), and an outcast police officer, become personally involved in Eric's return as The Crow. Waiting in the background, however, is Top Dollar (Michael Wincott), the crime lord who is connected to what happened to Eric and Shelley and who sees The Crow's rampage as a threat to his criminal empire.
Despite the notoriety it gained because of the onset tragedy, The Crow should also be known as a really good film. It was Alex Proyas first major directorial effort, and that shows in the occasional clumsiness in the flow of the narrative. However, Proyas unleashes a film that is highly-stylized and drenched in darkness that has a painterly quality. In other films, this darkness would merely be a case of a poor lighting and mediocre cinematography. Here, the film's production values and contributions from the cinematographer, production design/art direction team, hair and make-up crew, and film editors contribute to the creation of dark and gloomy cinematic art.
Proyas finds the film's substance in Eric Draven/The Crow's quest for revenge. In this film, retribution has depth, weight, feel soul; in that, The Crow is like its comic book source material. Proyas finds power and vulnerability in his lead character the way he finds power and juice in the violence that must happen before Draven can return to his grave.
Proyas, who would go on to direct Will Smith in I, Robot (2004), gets fine performances from a number of supporting actors, especially Ernie Hudson, Michael Wincott, and Rochelle Davis. He gets the most out of his star, Brandon Lee, who was likely on the verge of blowing up. In this film, Lee has his own charisma and presence, different from that of his father, Bruce Lee, who made his most charismatic turn in Enter the Dragon (1973). Was The Crow going to be Brandon's Enter the Dragon? I don't know, but Brandon makes The Crow feel solid in its slightest moments and grander in its biggest and most violent moments.
The Crow is a flawed jewel, but not a heavily flawed jewel. Also, I imagine that it is a lot more influential than movie buffs realize. I can see bits and pieces of it in later films like Blade (1998), The Matrix (1999), and The Dark Knight (2008). The on-set death of its star cast a melancholy mood over The Crow, but the determination of the filmmakers, cast, and crew eventually brought it out to the public. The Crow is not a morbid curiosity. It is more like a rose that survived a deluge of misfortune.
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Thursday, August 22, 2024
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