The Crow - Die Krähe

I never had a goth phase growing up and I can't stand The Cure, but god help me, I love a good revenge flick. To that end, The Crow is as pure as they come; an attractive couple with a bright future, brutalized and murdered by a street gang; a kid with an absent mother; a good cop in a rotten system.

All of these characters exist in what is quite possibly the worst city there could be; an oppressively dark cesspool, somehow more dreary than Seven, more rainy than Blade Runner, cloaked in death. Just thinking about this depiction of Detroit is depressing, but it's what makes The Crow so well-realized, gives its antihero definition.

This is a movie I didn't want to like but can't help it. Brandon Lee personifies the roles, his life tragically mirroring that of the title character, all of this weaving into the film's tapestry. This isn't a movie, it's a cultural artifact, morose and impactful in its own right.

The Crow is an excellent tragic film made even more tragic by the real life tragedies surrounding the film (Brandon Lee's death during filming, and the fact that the story is a result of James O'Barr's personal loss of his fiancée). Based on a very dark comic book, the film has the same dark feel. The movie does deviate from the comic book in some points, but in general is fairly faithful. If you can get it, I would recommend the DVD Collector's set with the 2 DVD version of The Crow (just to see the interview with James O'Barr is worth the price).

The story is a basically about revenge from beyond the grave, and how true love is forever. The movie has a good (but fairly basic) plot, excellent action sequences, and very good casting. Brandon Lee gives a good performance (not excellent, but good), as does Ernie Hudson. The supporting villains are excellent in their villainy, and you do feel better when they get it in the end. But the real star of this film is the mood and the feel. It feels gritty, bleak, and depressing, but surprisingly uplifting at the end. Alex Proyas did an excellent job of transferring this feeling from the book onto celluloid. All in all, one of the best comic book to film translations I have ever seen.

You do not have to be familiar with the comic book to thoroughly enjoy this film (like you do with some other comic book adaptations).

Rating : 4.5 out of 5

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.

Based on the comic book created by James O'Barr. The Crow stars Brandon Lee as rock star Eric Draven, who, precisely one year after his murder, returns from the grave to take revenge on the vicious criminals responsible for the rape and death of his fiancée and his own untimely demise.

The basic plot for this supernatural thriller is rather simplistic, holding very few surprises and delivering little in the way of genuine suspense, but a poetic screenplay charged with dark romanticism, a terrific cast (Michael Wincott is particularly memorable as head villain Top Dollar) and extremely stylish direction from Alex Proyas ensure that the film is far from forgettable. Proyas, a prolific music video director, nails the comic book aesthetic, delivering a stream of impressive visuals, with grandiose, sweeping cinematography, stunning lighting, and incredible set design, all steeped in Gothic neo-noir atmosphere and set to a cool alt-rock soundtrack.

Brandon, son of martial arts legend Bruce Lee, gives a charismatic central performance, and would most likely have become a major star in his own right had his life not been tragically cut short by an accidental shooting on the set of this movie, a fact that only goes to make the finished article an even more tragic and haunting experience.

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.