Based on the brutal graphic novels of James O' Barr, The Crow follows a murdered rock star named Eric Draven(Brandon Lee) who was murdered along with his fiancé, who was also brutally raped, by a pack of savage hoodlums on the night before Halloween. A year later, a crow brings Eric back to life as a kind of zombie in order for him to avenge the death of his loved one so that they can finally rest in peace. After putting on mime make-up and dressing himself in dark clothing, he goes out and exacts gruesome revenge He eventually comes across the drug lord and gang leader known as Top-Dollar, a decadent and incestuous monster of a man who will make his task of avenging the death of a loved one a lot trickier.
One thing that I can easily say about this film is that it is one of the best looking superhero films out there, if not THE best. Forget about films like Sin City, which goes all the way into basically replicating the exact look of the comic book that it is based on. There's nothing wrong with that film, but I feel that using practical effects, lighting, and skillful photography works a lot better. I feel that it looks better, it helps bring you into the world that the film takes place in a lot more smoothly, and it incites more of a sense of atmosphere. Sin City is fine, but this is more my kind of thing. The Crow makes it a point to allow the tone of this story to shine through over everything else. It is a film that is, more than anything, about loss and about death. What I find unique about it is that it takes it's time to not get into the heavy-handed nature of it all and instead allows it to be a part of the story. I found this approach to be incredibly powerful, and also somewhat unusual. Instead of showing us these characters as how they are, we are instead treated to a kind of dignified anthem of madness and chaos. The villains in this film are just as crazy and just as deranged as those in any other action comic book superhero film, but instead of giving them a bunch of cool lines and ridiculous costumes, the film gives them personality. Sure, they are recycled personalities, but what I appreciated the most about them was that the death scenes were about as cold and as brutal as they could be without being preachy. There is a lot of death and a lot of blood, but it all works surprisingly well in establishing the bleak, dark, and sinister atmosphere.
One thing that is worth noting is that this is an extremely violent film, probably the worst film I've seen or at least one of the most worst. One of the most bizarre things about this film, actually, is that it's filled with graphic, gruesome death and gore, and yet it has a sense of morality to it as well as morality based lessons about love, companionship, and doing the right thing in times of darkness. It's one of the strangest juxtapositions I've seen in film, and I'm sure that a lot of viewers probably were, or are, turned off from it for these reasons. I never let things like that bother me, however, especially if the film is a superhero film. Despite what many people say, this is an entertaining film that is full of over-the-top action, brutal fight scenes, gut-wrenching sadism, and explosive death. If you like brutal violence, this is one to check out. Brandon Lee, while he is certainly not a good actor, has plenty of charisma, and the sadistic glee he takes in dispatching his victims is quite amusing and is well-timed. He plays a character who, while not entirely interesting, is certainly very likable and quite creative. Lee's screen presence in this film is exceptional. The rest of the cast is colorful and appropriately cartoon-like. The one thing that really helps make this film work as good as it can, however, is the soundtrack. The soundtrack is filled to the brim with dirty, grimy, dark, and hard metal and industrial music from the likes of Nine Inch Nails, Stone Temple Pilots, and The Cure. It is absolutely one of the best, I repeat, THE BEST nineties film soundtracks you will ever hear. It works because this film takes place in a kind of universe that is full of disappointment and death, and that's what a lot of this music is about. It's rare to find such a perfect combination of music and mood in film, but this is one of the best examples of a nineties film that does exactly that.
Make no mistake about this review. The Crow is still an action film. However, it is an action film that takes advantage of all opportunities to elevate itself above the material and works in doing so a good amount of the time. It's one of the best films of it's genre and one of the best action films of the nineties. It's not for the squeamish, nor is it for the easily offended, but it's got a lot of beautiful cinematography, a lot of good emotion, some stunning performances from the supporting cast, a lot of high quality action, and a brilliant soundtrack. When the film doesn't work, it's not overly distracting or ridiculous. In a lot of ways, it's one of the most charming films I've seen of it's type. I think that it's a very good film and that it's worth seeing. I laughed, I cried, and I smiled a lot. If anything, it's one hell of a satisfying and savage action film.
One thing that I can easily say about this film is that it is one of the best looking superhero films out there, if not THE best. Forget about films like Sin City, which goes all the way into basically replicating the exact look of the comic book that it is based on. There's nothing wrong with that film, but I feel that using practical effects, lighting, and skillful photography works a lot better. I feel that it looks better, it helps bring you into the world that the film takes place in a lot more smoothly, and it incites more of a sense of atmosphere. Sin City is fine, but this is more my kind of thing. The Crow makes it a point to allow the tone of this story to shine through over everything else. It is a film that is, more than anything, about loss and about death. What I find unique about it is that it takes it's time to not get into the heavy-handed nature of it all and instead allows it to be a part of the story. I found this approach to be incredibly powerful, and also somewhat unusual. Instead of showing us these characters as how they are, we are instead treated to a kind of dignified anthem of madness and chaos. The villains in this film are just as crazy and just as deranged as those in any other action comic book superhero film, but instead of giving them a bunch of cool lines and ridiculous costumes, the film gives them personality. Sure, they are recycled personalities, but what I appreciated the most about them was that the death scenes were about as cold and as brutal as they could be without being preachy. There is a lot of death and a lot of blood, but it all works surprisingly well in establishing the bleak, dark, and sinister atmosphere.
One thing that is worth noting is that this is an extremely violent film, probably the worst film I've seen or at least one of the most worst. One of the most bizarre things about this film, actually, is that it's filled with graphic, gruesome death and gore, and yet it has a sense of morality to it as well as morality based lessons about love, companionship, and doing the right thing in times of darkness. It's one of the strangest juxtapositions I've seen in film, and I'm sure that a lot of viewers probably were, or are, turned off from it for these reasons. I never let things like that bother me, however, especially if the film is a superhero film. Despite what many people say, this is an entertaining film that is full of over-the-top action, brutal fight scenes, gut-wrenching sadism, and explosive death. If you like brutal violence, this is one to check out. Brandon Lee, while he is certainly not a good actor, has plenty of charisma, and the sadistic glee he takes in dispatching his victims is quite amusing and is well-timed. He plays a character who, while not entirely interesting, is certainly very likable and quite creative. Lee's screen presence in this film is exceptional. The rest of the cast is colorful and appropriately cartoon-like. The one thing that really helps make this film work as good as it can, however, is the soundtrack. The soundtrack is filled to the brim with dirty, grimy, dark, and hard metal and industrial music from the likes of Nine Inch Nails, Stone Temple Pilots, and The Cure. It is absolutely one of the best, I repeat, THE BEST nineties film soundtracks you will ever hear. It works because this film takes place in a kind of universe that is full of disappointment and death, and that's what a lot of this music is about. It's rare to find such a perfect combination of music and mood in film, but this is one of the best examples of a nineties film that does exactly that.
Make no mistake about this review. The Crow is still an action film. However, it is an action film that takes advantage of all opportunities to elevate itself above the material and works in doing so a good amount of the time. It's one of the best films of it's genre and one of the best action films of the nineties. It's not for the squeamish, nor is it for the easily offended, but it's got a lot of beautiful cinematography, a lot of good emotion, some stunning performances from the supporting cast, a lot of high quality action, and a brilliant soundtrack. When the film doesn't work, it's not overly distracting or ridiculous. In a lot of ways, it's one of the most charming films I've seen of it's type. I think that it's a very good film and that it's worth seeing. I laughed, I cried, and I smiled a lot. If anything, it's one hell of a satisfying and savage action film.