REEL ACTION: Alex Proyas’ The Crow

Last Updated on July 23, 2021

THE CROW (1994)
Rating: 4 out of 4 /Buy the DVD Here

Tagline: Believe in Angels.

Directed by: Alex Proyas
Starring: Brandon Lee, Ernie Hudson, Michael Wincott, Bai Ling and Tony Todd

PLOT: A murdered rocker returns from the grave with the help of a mystical crow to avenge himself and his fiance one year after they were slain by lowlives.

REVIEW: What better Reel Action entry during the Halloween season than THE CROW? Despite the fact that the undead hero essentially wears a spooky leather costume and paints his face, the flick takes place in the days leading up to our favorite Fall holiday, making it a perfect movie if you’re looking for a bit of an action fix to go along with the frights.

THE CROW is a beautiful movie, despite its dank, dark setting and frequently brutal acts of violence. It’s a haunting revenge thriller with a rock n roll soundtrack, while also a somber comic-book tragedy about heartbreak and death. Yes, it’s an odd bird (ha ha), but everything adds up in the end, leaving us melancholy and worn out, yet thrilled to have just been through such an exciting, energetic experience.

THE CROW theatrical trailer

Most of the credit must go to director Alex Proyas, who up until that point was just another music video director. Proyas vision is a distinct one, even if the rainy neo-noir sometimes brings to mind the similarly soggy BLADE RUNNER, at least in terms of its intimidating urban landscape and overall pessimistic, semi-dystopian tone. The director elicits a couple of really terrific performances too, from the protagonist (who I’ll talk more about in a bit) to the myriad supporting players. More convincingly grizzled, war-torn people you’re not likely to see in a comic-book adaptation; the villains and the virtuous alike look like they haven’t had a sun-lit day in their entire lives. (The only person who seems to rise above the gloom is the main villain, Top Dollar, who, as played by Michael Wincott, is a bemused king making do atop his cruddy castle. )

This freaky brother and sister duo deserve their own prequel, methinks…

None of Proyas’ visual magic would have much resonance if the story weren’t a knock-out, and the story wouldn’t be a knock-out if the lead didn’t sell it. But Brandon Lee does in a very strong performance. A risky casting decision too, as the young son of Bruce Lee had really only made a fleeting impression in two films prior: SHOWDOWN IN LITTLE TOKYO and RAPID FIRE. Not exactly a resume to be thrilled with. Yes, Lee was cast because he’s athletic, and Eric Draven needs to be incredibly physical, but it’s his humanity and humor that really surprises and makes him a real character. Draven isn’t just a machine bent on revenge (although he can be pretty scary when he wants to be); he still has a soul. Lee, unrecognizable underneath the make-up, proves here that he could have been a real star, making his untimely death all the more depressing.

Draven has just been told about all the lame sequels that are set to follow…

Of course, THE CROW isn’t just pain and sadness. It’s frequently an explosive action flick; after all the dismay you witness, it’s easy to forget that this movie features car chases, shoot-outs, beatdowns and even a rooftop battle. True to its comic-book origins, THE CROW brings us a few dizzying action set-pieces, like when Draven goes on the run from the cops with a hostage, or when he breaks into a meeting of the city’s worst baddies and blows them away in a sequence that’s like BATMAN meets ROBOCOP. This is the fun stuff, when THE CROW’s pulse rate really amps up. After all, it can’t rain all the time.

Have a happy Devil’s Night.

TOP DEATH: A great amount of slaying goes down in THE CROW, but for the most satisfying one, you’d have to look no further than the death of head sonofabitch Top Dollar – falling onto a gargoyle is never advised.

TOP ACTION: Draven’s two-gun massacre of the city’s biggest scumbags is all sorts of kickass. So what if the undead pack glocks?

FEMALE EXPLOITATION: Naked Bai Ling in the shower? Check.

HOMOEROTIC MOMENT: Draven has a nice scene of quality bonding with Ernie Hudson’s friendly neighborhood cop.

TOP DIALOGUE: “Abashed the Devil stood and felt how awful goodness is.” Yeah, I know John Milton wrote it over 300 years ago, but f*ck it, it’s still awesome.

DRINKING GAME: Drink whenever Draven kills one of this enemies. You’ll be trying to jump across the rooftops with your mom’s pancake make-up on your face before the night is through…

TRIVIA: Rochelle Davis, who plays the young friend of Eric and his deceased love, has never appeared in another movie since THE CROW. (She, not unlike many of the others involved, was reportedly traumatized by the actor’s death.)

Up until THE CROW, co-writer David J. Schow’s filmography consisted of LEATHERFACE, two CRITTERS sequels and an episode of “Freddy’s Nightmares”.

BUY THE DVD HERE!