What can I say. Each day I find myself quoting The Crow at least a dozen times. Usually people just give me strange looks. Sometimes (like when I say, "I got stabbed! I shot the sonnovabitch! I watched the bullet hole close by itself. And then my business gets blown up real good. Other than that, my day sucked!") people call security on me.
This movie is a one-of-a-kind. It's grunge, it's goth, it's dark, it's funny, it's touching and it's inspiring... even if it merely inspires you to slap mime makeup on your face and walk the streets at night yelling, "I guess it's not a good day to be a bad guy, huh SKANK?!!"
Seriously, as Roger Ebert said, it's an experience. Even though the plot is pretty straightforward (rockstar gets killed & comes back from the grave to seek revenge), it's done in a way that keeps you riveted every minute. The same way "Peewee's Big Adventure" is just about a guy looking for his bike, The Crow takes the same approach of using a minimalist plot and coating it in heaps of style, music and surreal visuals. Except The Crow has a few dozen more murders than Peewee.
What makes this film a visual feast is the way it stylistically mirrors the comic book that inspired it. Like the comic, it's very monochrome... almost black & white, but with some icy tints to it. It has a very wet look to it, making it seem glossy and muted at the same time. Like another favourite film of mine "City of Lost Children", it achieves a certain vivid appearance even though the colour palette is very limited.
As far as action flicks go, this is quite a literary extravaganza. Quotes from Poe's "The Raven", Milton's "Paradise Lost", Thackeray's "Vanity Fair" and who knows what else, lend an air of classiness and antiquity to the film. And of course the movie generates its own memorable quotes. Like "Greed is for amateurs. Disorder, chaos, anarchy... now that's fun!"
Paired with an entertaining script full of great zingers, the acting is first rate all around. Each & every character, no matter how large or minor, delivers a memorable performance. Of course Brandon Lee is the standout, playing the cold-hearted, vengeful killer but with a gentleness that makes you want to take him home to meet your folks. Conversely, the bad guys are brutal but so comic you can't help but love them.
A word about Brandon's death... yes, it's true that he was killed by a malfunctioning prop gun during the apartment scene. But that reel of film was reportedly destroyed by the director. The movie still had several scenes that needed to be filmed, and the director compensated by recycling other scenes with some very interesting effects. For example, when Brandon punches the mirror, it's actually a double punching the mirror with Brandon's "reflection" (from another scene) digitally imposed on the glass. Tricks like that are not obvious, and they add a certain otherworldly feel to the movie. It also makes the film feel more fragmented and incomplete (in a good way), leaving more to the imagination. If you're like me and you hate movies that over-explain everything, the minimalistic presentation of The Crow will be right up your alley.
Lastly, the music. If you were alive & remotely cool in the 90s you'll love the soundtrack. The Cure, Nine Inch Nails, Rage Against the Machine, Violent Femmes, Stone Temple Pilots, Henry Rollins, the list goes on...
If you're familiar with the director Alex Proyas, you'll recognize this as possibly his greatest work (alongside "Dark City", "Garage Days" and some great, surreal music videos like Sting "All This Time"). The feel of The Crow is also reminiscent of director Frank Miller's work ("The Spirit", "Sin City"). And although I haven't seen it, I've heard the Batman film "Dark Knight" pays tribute to this film, particularly Heath Ledger's Joker who is hauntingly close to Brandon Lee's character. If you like artsy movies, this fits right in, reminding me of Jean Pierre Jeunet ("City of Lost Children", "Delicatessen") and the darker side of Tim Burton ("Sweeny Todd"). Maybe there's even a bit of "Blade Runner" thrown in.
If you get a chance, see The Crow on a rainy night with all the lights off. Lose yourself in the mood, the music and the memory of Brandon, the greatest star who never was. Halloween is coming up, so get your favourite Crow costume ready. If you live in a sheltered town like mine, chances are nobody will recognize who you're supposed to be. Although quite a few people think I'm Edward Scissorhands who is also pretty cool, so whatever...
