I friggin' loved the shit out of The Crow, like it's been a sec since I have geeked out over a film and really walking in I wasn't expecting it to be up my alley. Based on a comic book series the story follows Eric Draven who after being brutally murdered alongside his fiancee returns to the land of the living to reap retribution on all who had a hand in their cruel deaths. Simple plot, told rather perfectly, and I mean they don't waste a damn second of your time by the 8 minute mark he's back from the grave and the other 90 odd minutes are pure revenge flick. Can I quantify exactly why I loved it so much? Well it spans a great many aspects, chiefly the look and mood and atmosphere the film creates. It is a bleak, filthy, and at times gothic cityscape that adds such a flavor to the film, it almost is like if you combined the aesthetics of Tim Burton's Gotham City with Christopher Nolan's Gotham specifically the Narrows. From abandoned apartments, city streets almost drowning in rain, and nifty miniatures to show the scattered rooftops it's a very visual film. Second, really love the cast! Brandon Lee is flawlessly cast in my opinion, being an intimidating presence but also made me laugh a good fair bit, and with an edge of romanticism that no doubt made many a spooky girl's dead heart flutter. He's a great presence and has charm even as a revenant wraith, and it's kinda hard not to support his character. Ernie Hudson was a surprising face to see here as a field duty cop who investigates all the killings and to follow our DC analogy very much becomes the Jim Gordon equivalent, I love that man to bits so it was great to see him! Michael Wincott as the big bad is such an interesting performamce because he's such a black sheep in this crime landscape where every other gangbanging looking mothertrucker does look like a criminal, and it took me a sec to pin it down but he looks like Brad Pitt from An Interview With A Vampire. I mean...the hair, the choice of clothes, I feel fairly accurate here! Though you don't see him much, he is that villain you hiss and curse at whenever he's on screen. Even minor roles like this young girl Sarah played by Rochelle Davis and right hand man henchman played by my number one guy Tony Todd, are memorable and great! The soundtrack is pretty killer too, like I will listen to this entire soundtrack and may even buy it too. I mean I know people joke, primarily in the goth community that every goth has this film on VHS, loves The Cure track Burn, really points to it as a cornerstone of their media and I'm just over here like....is that a bad thing though? Cause I'm not really that far off myself! I genuinely thought this movie rocked and I need little excuse to purchase another VHS tape, so consider me a fan this very moment. Now is it for everyone? Not a long shot. But man, all the elements just mixed for me and I really fullheartedly love the film! And we almost didn't get it, through many setbacks and accidents during production and depressingly of all the loss of Brandon. It's not easy to talk about and I frankly have no authority or right to discuss it, but I will say I'm sad to live in a world where I can't watch recent movies of his. And on that terrible bombshell it is time to end, thank you so much for tuning in. 4 stars, 9/10, and I'm more than likely gonna pick up the comics after this.
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