The Crow
From AwardAnnals
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| Director(s) | Alex Proyas |
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| Distributor | Dimension |
| Honors | |
| The Crow set the standard for dark and violent comic-book movies (like Spawn or director Alex Proyas’s superior follow-up, Dark City), but it will forever be remembered as the film during which star Brandon Lee (son of martial arts legend Bruce Lee) was accidentally killed on the set by a loaded gun. The filmmakers were able to digitally sample what they’d captured of Lee’s performance and piece together enough footage to make the movie releasable. Indeed, it is probably more fascinating for that post-production story than for the tale on the… | |
Honors
Reviews
Amazon.com
The Crow set the standard for dark and violent comic-book movies (like Spawn or director Alex Proyas’s superior follow-up, Dark City), but it will forever be remembered as the film during which star Brandon Lee (son of martial arts legend Bruce Lee) was accidentally killed on the set by a loaded gun. The filmmakers were able to digitally sample what they’d captured of Lee’s performance and piece together enough footage to make the movie releasable. Indeed, it is probably more fascinating for that post-production story than for the tale on the screen. The Crow is appropriately cloaked in ominous expressionistic shadows, oozing urban dread and occult menace from every dank concrete crack, but it really adds up to a simple and perfunctory tale of ritual revenge. Guided by a portentous crow (standing in for Poe’s raven), Lee plays a deceased rock musician who returns from the grave to systematically torture and kill the outlandishly violent gang of hoodlums who murdered him and his fiancée the year before. The film is worth watching for its compelling visuals and genuinely nightmarish, otherworldly ambience. Unfortunately, the digital video disc includes no extras about the production. —Jim Emerson
Barnes and Noble
Based on James O’Barr’s cult graphic novel, The Crow is a dark and moving testament to the powers of love and revenge and is forever marked as the project on which star Brandon Lee met his untimely end. Lee portrays Eric Draven, who rises to avenge himself and his fiancée, both murdered on the eve of their marriage. With a mysterious crow and a young girl (Rochelle Davis) as his primary guides through the world of the living, Eric systematically finds and kills each murderer, unveiling a much larger conspiracy as he goes along. An archetypal revenge story—like a western splattered with an MTV-meets-Death Wish attitude—The Crow pushes the envelope of the gothic horror genre, which director Alex Proyas has down to a visual tee. Michael Wincott seethes as the villainous Top Dollar; Ernie Hudson’s cop adds support to the already strong Lee; and the heavy rock-and-metal soundtrack lays a fine beat to what is overall a hauntingly sensual experience. In addition to starring, Lee choreographed the film’s incredible fight sequences and performed his own stunts—a great nod to the legacy of his father, martial arts icon Bruce Lee, but a sad testimony to Lee’s own lost talents. Patricia Kim O’Cone
