Runtime: 102 minutes
Directed by: Alex Proyas
Starring: Brandon Lee, Rochelle Davis, Ernie Hudson, Michael Wincott, Bai Ling
From: Miramax
This was the first time I’ve seen The Crow; no, really.
I realize that many children of the 80’s and 90’s like me will be AGHAST at this admission from myself. I’ve just never felt like giving it a shot despite how popular it was in the few years after it was first released, not to mention all the publicity that happened with the lead dying on set due to a tragic accident. It wasn’t actually the plan beforehand but watching this when it played on HDNet Movies the night after I saw something starring Bruce Lee was perfect.
By now I presume most will know the plot of how Eric Draven and his girlfriend Shelly Webster were assaulted then murdered by a repugnant street gang then a year later was resurrected and dresses like a Goth icon (a look stolen by the pro wrestler Sting when he became a brooding character; that helped World Championship Wrestling for a little while and was one of the big reasons why wrestling was a huge fad in the late 90’s) in order to get his revenge. Sweet, sweet revenge is gained in memorable ways although he also helps some decent people/pals he knew. As for the movie… it definitely is both something inspired by a comic book and a movie directed by someone who started off in the music video world. That’s not exactly a compliment, but that’s just my preferences.
I can note that some of the dialogue made me snicker and the plot was more than once… for the birds… and still say that this was pretty good overall. The distinctive look, the dark tone, the period soundtrack, the direction and some of the performances did go a long way. No way will I bust the movie’s chops too hard for some plot moments considering that real life necessitated some changes. Neither will I say anything negative about the comic it’s based on; James O’Barr created it as a way of dealing w/ the grief of losing his fiancée via a drunk driver killing her. I know he then had huge regrets over it due to “the accident” and I’ll have to address that elephant in the room.
Seeing Brandon Lee in this movie makes me wonder what could have been if he had done more complex roles like this after The Crow came out. Alas, there was an accident on set involving a firearm not being properly checked before a take and he died after a gunshot wound to the abdomen. While I don’t believe that there was a “curse” on Bruce Lee which also affected his family, it is extremely tragic how both father and son died way too young due to unexpected maladies which struck them and caused them to pass away almost immediately after being stricken. After that gun safety became more critical on set although w/ what happened concerning Alec Baldwin and the movie Rust, this only stresses how it is of paramount importance to always be safe on set and never become lax when a tragedy could happen if people are careless.
For its flaws at least this movie was memorable, something that must have inspired an entire generation of Hot Topic teens/young adults and something that still stands out today. Another shame is that after this and Dark City, Alex Proyas’s career somehow ended up w/ I, Robot, Knowing-those two receiving mixed reviews-and Gods of Egypt is probably already a camp classic. While I shouldn’t have waited 28 years for this experience, w/ how dark the movie is visually I am glad I waited until HD for the first watch.
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