The Crow

Before Sin City, before the Dark Knight there was The Crow!

Comic book movies have always fascinated 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 explotation of special effects. In the case of "The Crow," this is not true: this is the only film 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 film.

What the Crow is it about?

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.

I'm coming after you douchebags.

Lonely girl meets lonely cop.

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 (a reference to Seattle, the rainy city?)

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. Of course, the soundtrack didn't happen by chance, it was 1994 and the alternative music lead by Grunge bands,  and Riot Grrl bands did have some major influence over the film, although, there were no actual Seattle bands in the soundtrack most of the ones that did make it in the soundtrack performed songs that resembled the famous alternative rock from those days. Even Eric Draven's character used to play the guitar in an apparently alternative rock band (there are pictures of him and his band in the film in several scenes, besides he recovers his electric guitar at a pawn shop, not to mention a couple of club scenes with alt rock bands playing)

Justice to a comic book hero.

Mind if I drop in?

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. 4 1/2 stars on a five star scale. 

 

Heath Ledger with long hair??

Even greater than the batsignal!

The Crow did you know trivia 

1. Blonde bombshell Cameron Diaz was offered the role of Shelly, but turned it down because she didn't like the script (?)

2. The following scenes were completed after Brandon Lee's death:

• Draven first enters the apartment after digging himself out of his grave: footage of Lee walking through an alley in the rain was digitally composited into the scene where he walks through the doorway. Computer technology added drops of water to the door frame to make the water on his back not seem out of place.
• The shot of Draven falling from the window was made by digitally compositing Lee's face (complete with simulated blood) onto a body double.
• The scene where Draven puts on his make-up was filmed using a double. The face in the smashed mirror was Lee's, computer-altered to fit the shards. The image of Draven walking towards the window with the crow on his shoulder was a double with Lee's face added during lightning flashes.
• When Sarah visits the apartment, we never see Draven's face as it is a double.

3. According to the biography of Bruce Lee, Brandon Lee's death was predicted by his father Bruce Lee after awaking from his coma. His death was foreseen before Brandon even considered taking up acting as a career.Can you believe it?

Bail Ling plays Top Dollar's mistress.

Sofia Shinas plays Draven's late wife.

4. Although the tone of the film is very similar to the comic, there were many changes. In the comics, Top Dollar is a member of T-Bird's gang as opposed to heading up crime in the city. Myca and Grange were also not present in the comic and there was never any mention about the crow being a power source. Also in the comic, Skank was not involved in the murders of Eric and Shelly, instead a character named Tom-Tom was. Sarah also served a minor role, first meeting Eric after his death and Albrecht as he appears in the movie is a combination of a street officer named Albrecht in the comics and Police Captain Hook. Another major change is Eric is a mechanic in the comic and his last name was never mentioned. He was changed to a musician as an homage to all the music references James O'Barr had in the comic. In the comic, the murders are actually a twist of bad luck with T-Bird's gang while high on drugs ambushing Eric and Shelly when their car breaks down. And in the comic, Eric is actually the one who lasts for thirty hours of intensive care with most of the events implied as possibly being a revenge fantasy as he lies in a coma.  

5. According to James O'Barr, he didn't like casting Brandon Lee as the main lead for his comic-book adaptation. At that time he had only seen him in Little Tokyo. Ataque frontal and fearing that it would end up like a Kung Fu movie and go straight to video. But he was thrilled when he first met Brandon on the set with the makeups and Crow outfit. He was amazed by Brandon's take on the character when he spoke the exact lines from the comics. 

Timeless tribute, a McFarlane's action figure.

6. The recent Blu Ray edition of the film states "before Sin City, before the Dark Knight..." Implying that the Crow was the first movie that depicted a hero with such dark characteristics, which may or may not be true depending on points of views of course. For instance, Tim Burton's take on Batman was thought to be "darker" by the beginning of the 90's however, it was the Crow film the one that graphically depicted what a dark hero does for a living. 

Overall, a great 90's film that must not be forgotten. Not only due to Lee's unexpected death but also because the film is definitely ahead of its time portraying what in the future would become rule number 1: Comic book stories can be serious and well portrayed.

Here's the cool movie trailer, make sure you get yourself a Blu Ray edition copy of the film as it looks & sounds pristine.