The Crow

The Crow
(R) 1994

Starring:Brandon Lee, Rochelle Davis, Ernie Hudson, Michael Wincott

The Story:
Based on the comic book series of the same name created by James O'Barr, The Crow follows Eric Draven, a musician living in a crime-ridden town with his Fiancee Shelly. The movie begins with the dual homicide of both Eric and Shelly on Devil's Night, October 30th. One year later, Eric is resurrected by a crow and given supernatural powers in order to reap revenge upon his and Shelly's murderers.

If you like...:
The Warriors, The Fifth Element, Robocop, Demolition Man, any Batman movie from the 80's or 90's

The movie garnered a lot of attention due to the accidental death of lead actor Brandon Lee during filming. To sum up, due to an error by the prop master, Lee was shot with a gun that was supposed to be filled with blanks, and was fatally wounded. After rewrites and some time away from production, the movie was completed using body doubles and special effects.

The Good:
The Crow carries a vibe very reminiscent to what I feel that Tim Burton's Batman movies SHOULD have looked like. Everything is very dark and gritty, giving the movie somewhat of a post-apocalyptic vibe due to the amount of crime the city experiences.

For a mid-90's action movie, the fight scenes are definitely a lot of fun. Eric Draven has no qualms about killing, which makes him a fun anti-hero to root for. Draven definitely gives off a terrifying vibe when he dons the "crow" make-up, and doles out vigilante justice. His character reminded me of what The Joker might look like if he wasn't so colorful. Scary for sure, but definitely awesome. Ernie Hudson (Ghostbusters) lends his talent excellently as Draven's support, police sergeant Albrecht. If Draven were Batman, Albrecht would undoubtedly be his Commissioner Gordon.



The Bad:

Let's be honest, there's a reason that Brandon Lee wasn't in a whole lot of movies over the years. As an actor, he wasn't the best. Then again, Draven, his character, isn't really expected to have long, heart-felt monologues. He's expected to kick ass, which he does. Still, in certain scenes it can be hard to get past his shaky voice work.

The plot is pretty bland as well. I mean, it gets the job done. He's out to kill four specific gang members, and that's all. But halfway through the movie we're introduced to a crime lord who basically gets himself involved just to be a dick. Top Dollar (played by Michael Wincott) definitely is a fun villain, if not a bit creepy with the ladies, but still felt a bit unnecessary in the overall plot, especially as the main villain. A minor complaint, but it did bug me.

Verdict:
6.5 out of 10
It's definitely fun, but other than the tragic death of lead actor Brandon Lee during filming, I'm not entirely sure that it needs to be called a "cult classic". Then again, if you're looking for a fun action packed 90's movie, give it a try.