The Crow - Tödliche Erlösung

Now let's be real, there's only one good Crow film. They were just never able to catch that midnight magic again, though they tried, with four more films and a dud of a TV series. Each of the sequels is nearly the exact same as the first, in terms of plot: a man is killed by feral urban thugs, only to be resurrected one year later by a mysterious crow, blessed with invincibility and begins to work his way through the merry band of scumbags in brutal acts of revenge, arriving at the crime lord sitting atop the food chain, usually a freak with vague ties to the supernatural or occult. All the films in the series are structured that way, but only one deviated and tried something slightly different with the formula. City of Angels, the second, is a boring, almost identical retread of the first, it's only energy coming from a coked up Iggy Pop. Wicked Prayer, the fourth, had a premise with potential aplenty, and turned out so maddeningly awful I'm still dabbing the blood from my eye sockets. Salvation, however, is the third entry and almost finds new air to breathe by altering the premise slightly. Instead of lowlife criminals, it's a posse of corrupt police detectives who frame an innocent dude (Resident Evil's Eric Mabius) for crimes they themselves committed, fry him to a crisp in the electric chair and get off scott free. His girlfriend (Jodi Lyn O'Keefe) is also killed in the process. Now, not only is it cops instead of criminals, but the arch baddie at the top of the pile is the police commissioner, who has occult written all over him. *Not only* that, but he's played by Fred Ward, who is brilliant in anything. While nowhere near an iota of the atmosphere or quality of the first film, this one works better than any of the other sequels, thanks to that spark of an idea that changes the game ever so much. The detectives are a nice and skeevy bunch too, played by the reptilian likes of William Atherton, Walton Goggins and others. Ward wears the starched, proper uniform of an authoritative figure, but his eyes gleam with the same secrets and dark magic we saw in the two other previous underworld kingpins, Top Dollar (Michael Wincott) and Judah Earl (Richard Brooks), but it's that contrast that takes you off guard and makes things more intriguing. And as for Eric, does he hold his own with the others who've played the role? Mabius he does, Mabius he doesn't, you'll just have to watch and see. He definitely knocks Vincent Perez out of the park, that silly Frenchman. Real talk though, no one will ever dethrone Brandon Lee, not even whatever pisant they get for the remake that's been hovering on the fringes of preproduction for the last half decade. On top of it all we also get Kirsten Dunst, of all people, as a sympathetic attorney who works alongside Mabius to clear his name, as he clears the streets of no-good crooked cops. So there you have it. If you ever find yourself meandering around the kiosks in blockbuster, and see the Crow films lined up on the shelves like emo ducks in a row, the first film will naturally already be rented out. Where then to turn? You can certainly do worse than this one.

Brandon Lee rest in peace, as for The Crow Salvation, well I'll just say that it keeps James O'Barr's ideas and spirits alive with the Crow series. You'd have to read the comics to understand what the Crow is really about. It's not just one person but the Crow itself, it's the idea that if something terrible enough happens a spirit can come back and revenge its death. The Crow then becomes a guide and shows the spirit the way to it's enemies. Salvation takes the heart of the crow and makes it its own. You can relate to each character and are surprised as to whats going to happen next. The story never leaves you questioning what just happened. You are with Alex every step of the way. You understand his love and caring for Lauren and want to see his revenge succeed. The more bloody shots are necessary and never too much. Each situation is explained and necessary to continue the story line. If you didn't cry at the end you either went into the movie thinking it was going to suck or you didn't understand the purpose or reason of the crow. For the most part you held back tears of happiness for a love that was truly meant to last.

I recommend this movie to any Crow fans and also to those who are looking for action as well as a meaningful plot with a love story all together in one eventful movie. Try it, and let me know what you think.

I expected to hate this movie because Crow II City of Angels sucked, but this movie rocks. I saw a tape at a friends house and was more or less entertained the whole time. It's definitely about a guy who comes back as a bird and avenges his wrongful death ( Big surprise) - but the action sequences really move, and Eric Mabius is really gripping as the Crow. If your not a wimp and like violence and action (and who doesn't) This movie definitely delivers. People don't seem to have a problem with the violence in Gladiator so I don't think they should in this movie either. Kirsten Dunst, She's so hot I want to like her, but I don't. She's a big disappointment until she shows up at the end in a tank top. Jodi Lynn O'keefe is great. The evil in this movie is totally creepy and not cartoonish(I checked my back seat before I drove home). The two execution scenes in this movie alone are worth the price of admission(I know two ways I definitely don't want to die). It's definitely worth checking out

I admit, the first time I saw this movie I fell head over heels for it. I still love it, but it's direction was not as good as it could have been. Bharat Nalluri could have easily raised the budget a little bit and the film would have a) gained more publicity and b)obtained a higher rank in quality. Except for Eric Mabius and Kristen Dunst, everyone acting in the movie was horrible! All the cops to name a few. The girl in the car and her friend seemed as if they had been pulled out of school and asked to act right on the street. Kristen Dunst and Eric Mabius however, were excellent. Though Kristen can't cry she can still seem really upset. Mabius could have not accentuated the case number with his facial expressions so much but the movie as a whole, 7 outta 10.

I love "The Crow," and there's not much in my mind that could be done in a sequel to top it. "Salvation," unlike "City of Angels," doesn't try to top the first one, or rip it off... The characters are solid, the performances are great, and the action is non-stop. But what singles this movie out is the story. It's a good story, not just another "Crow" movie. The direction of the film reminds me of the first, very dark, yet crisp (not gritty like the 2nd), and the trick camera angles mixed with the impressive special effects keep the supernatural elements alive as the very human story rolls along.

I work at a video store, and I see all kinds of movies that bypass theatres and come direct to video, and usually there's something about them that tells you why, even the good ones. This had the look and feel of something that, if released at the appropriate time, would have done well in the theatres. It wouldn't have been a smash hit, and it certainty wouldn't bring in as many people as the original did, but it deserves much better than this.

If you're fans of the franchise, I highly recommend that you see this. If you like the first one, but that's it, then expand your horizons a little and try to see this for what it is, and not what you thought it would be. It's a sequel to a GREAT movie, and it ends up being a pretty good movie on it's own...