Young musician Eric Draven (Lee) and his fiancee are murdered on the eve of their Halloween wedding. Exactly one year after their deaths, Eric is brought back from the grave by a mysterious crow to seek out his killers and force them to answer for their crimes.
- Based on comic book series and comic strip The Crow by James O'Barr.
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With the remake The Crow (2024) now streaming, it seemed like a good time to go back and visit The Crow. While this film is known for the tragic death of its star, Brandon Lee, did critics back then overdo it in their praise due to the fatal shooting (similar to how they overhyped Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight), or did Brandon’s last film actually deserve the hype (and cult status)?
Brandon Lee, the son of martial arts legend Bruce Lee, leads the cast in The Crow. While his film career was just getting started (with films like Showdown in Little Tokyo and Rapid Fire being the most notable), he really showcases here his potential. While his previous roles were mostly action comedy, this was a much darker twist, and really let him free to be an actor, even while engaging in different fights. He brings an emotional quality to a film that’s basically a revenge pic, and really draws the viewer in to his personal vendetta.
The rest of the cast isn’t half bad, either. Ernie Hudson steps away from Ghostbusters to take on a more serious role, and does a pretty good job of it. Michael Wincott, of Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves plays a villainous bad guy the viewer will love to hate (again) and Bai Ling (Red Corner) pops up as a mystical wacko. Even Tony Todd (Candyman) pops up as an enforcer. The rest aren’t as well known, but also put in decent performances, with young Rochelle Davis especially doing a good job, despite her young age.
The storyline is a basic revenge flick with a twist: The Crow starts off with the murder of its protagonist. This leads Eric Draven (Lee) coming back to avenge his and his fiancée’s murders by picking off the group of guys who did it one by one. If not for Lee, and director Alex Proyas (Dark City), this could have been largely overlooked.
Proyas gives The Crow a gothic romance vibe that is surprisingly good, without being overbearing. While some films go a bit too overboard with their gothic vibe, it just seems right here. It gives the film an eerie pall, as if the whole film is mourning the death of the lead. Rainy and dark, the film delivers the revenge pic set to a hard-edged yet haunting soundtrack (including Stone Temple Pilots “Big Empty”) that turns this gothic hell into a fitting setting for Draven’s revenge.
A gothic, rainy, dark revenge flick, The Crow, thanks to Brandon Lee, will probably be remembered forever. Of course, it would anyway, thanks to the tragic accident that took Brandon’s life during shooting. But, even without that, Brandon’s strong performance in the film really helps it hit hard with viewers, who should enjoy every second of his final performance.
