The Crow - Die Krähe

I approached this film after reading the hype and controversy surrounding its making and release, not really expecting very much. Surprised to find it an intelligent, beautifully-filmed, engrossing and touching thriller. I'd recommend it to anyone who has a fondness for weird gothic mythological stories. I didn't find the horror aspect overdone - in fact it was believable, and the script was superior to other films of this genre I've seen. As for Brandon Lee, this really was a superb performance and it is a terrible tragedy that his life ended so abruptly. This film is a fitting memorial to what could have become a major star.

The crow was quite amazing. A man comes back to life to serve vigilante justice on the men who raped and murdered his fiancé (and threw him out a window). Vengeance is served with gruesome takedowns and poetic justice as the crow and his walking corpse tear up the town. The cinematography is actually kind of beautiful its dark and ominous tone. The storyline flows well and the characters well developed. A killer Halloween tale.

I feel like this remains one of the best comic book movies of all time. While it's too well-received to be truly underrated, I feel like it's still deserving of more praise than it gets. It's unafraid to look like a comic book come to life, the visuals are bombastic and in-your-face, but almost always effective, and it takes place in a heightened, almost cartoonish word that always takes me a couple of scenes to adjust to. Once I do, this is the kind of film that never slows down or stops being great. Everything from Eric putting his make-up on (backed by The Cure) and onwards is top-tier stuff.

Brandon Lee is great, and I also think Michael Wincott and Ernie Hudson do amazing jobs at making their sort-of stock characters pop. The former is such an over-the-top villain, but in the best of ways, and the latter is a rebel cop with a good heart, trapped in an unfeeling institution, but Hudson makes him feel surprisingly human and real.

The tragedy behind the production unfortunately adds something to this. The film is both more unsettling and emotional than I think it would've ordinarily been; I don't want to say the film is "better" because of a tragedy, because what would have been better is if Brandon Lee had gone on to have the kind of career he deserved, but it's always something I can't shake. That, plus the fact he looks a bit like Heath Ledger and has a similar voice/appearance to the Joker (at least a little), whose passing also warped how The Dark Knight would feel and be viewed.

I'd be much harder on the editing in this film if I didn't know the behind-the-scenes stuff. There are some strange moments that I'm sure came about because they only had so much footage to work with. Also, I swear parts of the score sound a little like parts of The Last Temptation of Christ's score; that distracted me a little, but I still think the music - both soundtrack and score - do a great deal here.

This embodies the 1990s in a glorious way, features a simple yet well-told revenge story, looks stunning throughout, and was a great showcase for the late Brandon Lee. It's not perfect, but I do love it dearly.

THE CROW, like 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY separates those who see from those who do not! (who CANNOT). Alex Proyas will never achieve anything close to this masterpiece again and if Brandon Lee HAD to die, then there could never have been a better time and place (do not misinterpret my words or meaning here). Personally, I shall for ever be indebted to him for what he has left...a performance in a film that challenges, implores, conjures, paints. A surreal landscape of good and evil in almost equal proportions.

I am no Goth, have never read the original comic strip, nor do I wish to. I simply regret watching the unspeakably pathetic and inappropriate sequels...do not make the same mistake!

For all its grotesque violence, seediness and Gothic degeneracy, THE CROW is a pure love story, so pure, that even immersed within the blackest of adult fairy-tales its power cannot be dampened or lessened. Eric Draven's spiritual pursuit of those who murdered his beautiful girlfriend is less of a revenge story and more a reminder that karma balances out in the end.

Perhaps the best performance, other than that of the crow itself, is from Michael Wincott, a very underrated actor, as the incarnately evil gang leader. It is the role of a lifetime for him.

If I were in a position that I could see only two films again for the rest of my life, they would be 2001 and THE CROW. At no stage would I ever subsequently be able to say that I had seen EVERYTHING that either had to offer.

Nearly 25 years ago the only son of Bruce Lees final film came out and became a sensation and changed the way comic book movies were aimed at mature audiences. The alt rock soundtrack along with an epic score by Graham revell that has been used for trailers for movies such as pearl harbor makes this movie a must own.