The Crow

Starring: Brandon Lee, Rochelle Davis, Ernie Hudson, Michael Wincott, Ling Bai
Directed by: Alex Proyas
Rating: R
Genre: Action, Crime, Fantasy
1994

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A man (Brandon Lee) comes back from the dead after being brutally murdered to extract revenge on those guilty of the crime.

Review:

Tim: I'm not going to pull any punches here- I believe that The Crow is an overrated movie because of the tragedy surrounding the film. It is incredibly sad how a horrible accident claimed the young life of Brandon Lee during filming. I understand wanting to honor and respect him, especially since this is his last film. However, I'm still a bit surprised people like this movie as much as they do. I think it's a decent effort, but not much more than that.

Lee's untimely death certainly hurts the quality of the film. His scenes had not finished, and so they had to use a double and some Hollywood magic to film his incomplete scenes. This detracts from the quality of the film because the scenes are at the beginning. Instead of a real connection with his character, he feels removed from the audience. When he finally shows up, it doesn't feel like we're seeing a resurrected individual- it feels like we're meeting him for the first time. This is an unfortunate circumstance, but it hurts the movie.

If I'm being completely honest with myself, I have to admit I wasn't a huge fan of Lee in this film. He certainly has some very good moments, but overall, his acting was pretty suspect and is far too often way too over-the-top. Had the accident not occurred, I believe people would have been much more harsh on him. I will admit that Lee shows flashes of solid acting, and this film made me lament the potential talent that we never got to see. Still, Lee's performance here isn't great.

I liked the supporting cast fine, but I really enjoyed Ernie Hudson. I think Hudson should have had a much better career than he did. He was pretty fantastic in this film, and gave easily the best performance.

The movie itself is pretty forgettable. Eric Draven does inflict destruction on those responsible for murdering him and his girlfriend, but these scenes are only mildly interesting. For 90% of the film, Draven gets his revenge while he is completely invincible. How much fun is it to watch a guy kill others when there is no suspense as to his own well being? Not a lot of fun, actually. I felt no tension and no real interest because of his invincibility. His lack of vulnerability made me not care. Eventually, his loses his power, and the stakes definitely are raised. However, at that point, it's too late to really care, and the film is pretty predictable anyway.

I really wanted to like The Crow. I'd heard so much about it for so many years, and I wanted Lee's final film to be fantastic. Unfortunately, Alex Proyas directs a movie that falls far short of its potential. It's not a bad movie, but needed to be so much better. I admire the producers and everyone involved for finishing the film despite the horrible tragedy, but the quality was simply bound to suffer on a movie that was patched together in the end. I'd recommend this film simply for the spellbinding experience of watching a man act, not knowing that the end of his life was just around the corner. That aspect of the film is haunting and unforgettable. I just wish the rest of the movie lived up to that.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 6.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: The Crow: City of Angels