Directed by: Alex Proyas
Starring: Brandon Lee, Michael Wincott, Ernie Hudson, Sofia Shinas, Bai Ling, Rochelle Davis, Jon Polito
Brandon Lee's death during the filming of The Crow adds to its poignancy and depth. It's about a man who is killed along with his fiancee and is resurrected one year later to avenge the murders. The Crow, in essence, resurrects Brandon Lee for us and leaves us wondering what might have been. Lee, the son of Bruce Lee who also died young, is a naturally capable action actor who is able to summon the emotional capacity needed for the role of Eric Draven, who turns himself into The Crow and knocks off his killers one by one in chilling fashion. A crow, by the way, is the instrument of his rebirth and his conduit to the beyond.
There is a sadness to Eric's quest for vengeance. It will not bring back his fiancee nor will it ease his pain. It will simply close an open chapter and allow him to rest in peace. But The Crow, which takes place in a rainy, cold urban environment on Halloween night, has its moments of humor and levity. There is also a sympathetic police detective (Hudson), who witnessed Eric's fiancee Shelley (Shinas) die on the operating table and regrets not being able to solve the crimes. Eric's fight leads him to the menacing Top Dollar (Wincott), the crime boss who ordered the robbery which led to Eric's and Shelly's death.
Eric's powers come from the fact that he's already dead and the black crow which is always nearby. Top Dollar is a superb villain, which at that point in his career was his forte, in a movie that is shadows and darkness, but still a satisfying action thriller. The actual scene in which Lee was accidentally killed by a projectile from a supposedly blank gun is not in the film, but we know what happened and like Eric is a ghost, so is Brandon Lee. Thank goodness The Crow wasn't shelved since it was mostly completed at the time of Lee's death. What's left is an action movie with more power than expected.
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