THE FOLLOWING REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS OF THE DISCUSSED FILM. READERS DISCRETION IS ADVISED.
The older you get, the more you realize that justice must take various shapes and forms in order to achieve the absolute. As I got older, I accepted this truth through watching The Crow.
PLOT
Inspired by James O’Barr’s titular comic book series, the 1994 film takes place in Detroit and follows rock musician Eric Draven, who he and his girlfriend Shelly Webster (Sofia Shinas) was murdered a year prior on Devils Night by a gang of four thugs: Tin Tin (Laurence Mason), T Bird (David Patrick Kelly), Skank (Angel David) and Funboy (Michael Massee). A year later, Draven’s restless spirit resurrected by a spiritual crow that allows him to set things right. When returning to his apartment disoriented & distressed, he recounts that he and Shelly were killed because they protested forced evictions in their apartment that were being seized by the gang’s leader, crime boss Top Dollar. With his injuries healed, he paints his face in the color scheme of black & white and is guided by the Crow to begin his quest for Justice. He first kills Tin Tin and regains his engagement ring from a pawn shop he ends up destroying. However, he tells the owner Gideon (Jon Polito) to tell Top Dollar’s men that he’s coming for them. As Sergeant Daryl Albrecht, a good hearted cop who accompanied Shelly to the hospital before she succumbed to her wounds, begins investigating Draven’s vigilant path. In the meantime, Draven himself gives Funboy a fatal overdose and purges the drugs from drug addict Darla Mohr (Anna Levine), telling her to return to her daughter Sarah who needs her since he took care of her before he died. He later meets Albrecht to confirm his identity and his intentions. He spares the cop when making contact with him and absorb the pain Shelly felt before she died. After he later reunites with Sarah, he kills T-Bird when causing an explosion and goes after Skank in the middle of a meeting held by Top Dollar. Although this starts a gunfight, he is able to throw Skank out a window the same way he did to him. Since Top Dollar survives the shootout, his lover and half-sister Myca deduces and shares with him the crow is Eric’s source of immortality. Satisfied in avenging his fiancé, Draven gift Sarah the ring but trouble doesn’t stop there as she would be abducted by Top Dollar, who takes the ring and holds her captive in an abandoned church. The protagonist would be alerted by the crow of what happened and try to rescue her, only to walk into an ambush as Top Dollar’s right hand man wounds the crow, which in turn makes him vulnerable. Daryl is able to arrive in time to help by killing Grange. When Myca tries to kill the crow, the bird retaliates by clawing her eyes out which causes her to fall to her death. Top Dollar takes Sarah to the rooftop and when Draven follows, the criminal severely wounds him. Before he could finish him off, the protagonist transfers Shelly’s pain to him, causing him to stumble off the roof and get impaled by a gargoyle statue. With no other obstacle left, Draven returns to his and his fiancé’s grave to return his body to rest. The film ends in another time jump, showing Sarah visit the graves again and being returned the ring by the same crow.
THOUGHTS
Growing up, I only knew Marvel & DC as the elite brands of comic book storytelling. So little did I expect I was behind on the realm of content owned IDW which provided this particular tale. Director Alex Proyas gives such a captivating journey that leaves you certain it won’t end well yet you’re hooked on how it’s gonna get there. The editing is quite impressive as it successfully gets you on edge with every moment that proceeds. The reason why I deem this story as special as the many comic book adaptations that came before and after us because I’m able to understand the meaning to heal. We are capable of being free of the pain that holds us back mentally & physically, but it is up to us on how we choose to deal with it by either ignoring it or confronting it. Through an mesmerizing performance by Brandon Lee, who sadly died from a prop gun on set, Eric Draven is the kind of protagonist that chooses to do the latter because he was wronged for speaking up and wasn’t going to rest until he gave what was coming to those who deserved it. It made sense that a crow brought him back because the said bird represent change and he was someone who was trying to make a sense, only to be killed for it. The fact he took down a powerful figure and healed others in need only proved he wasn’t doing it just for him but to all those in need. He painted his face because it represents how his resurrection changed him drastically and was willing to embrace it at every given moment. Even though he didn’t plan to die again in the new path he took, his personal success proved it was all worth it. And due to his understanding emotions, there’s no doubt how it affected others who are just as good as him. While we feel hopeful for the young Sarah as Rochelle Davis shows her to be headstrong in the midst of the wasteland around her, Ernie Hudson really brought the most heart as Daryl whereas Lee was arguably the soul. Albrecht is highly likable throughout because he doesn’t have an agenda compared to others around him. All he wants is to do the right thing when seeking the truth, but gets ridiculed each time yet he stays true to himself whenever it happens. Eric respected him the way we came to because he cares for everyone more than himself which feels rare to see from people these days. Not only does he prove it when it came to being there when Shelly drew her last breath, but also kept in touch with Sarah and had Eric’s back in the end. If there were more people like him, police wouldn’t be as ridiculed as they are now. As much as we cherish good people, it’s a given when saying bad will follow wherever food goes Vice versa. Top Dollar stands out from the past villains we’ve seen because Michael Wincott he feels the most twisted compared to his followers. He enjoys tearing the city apart and destroying everything in sight. He is someone who wants to prove his power by said destruction because he felt no one could stop him. With a seductive equal Bai Ling makes out of Myca and a loyal brute Tony Todd is as Grange, it felt like he could’ve succeeded had Draven not gotten a second chance in life. Crime may have not stopped after the downfall of Top Dollar, but it proves to show that good will eventually come around in stopping bad and I think that helps Sarah be at peace with herself because it proved hope will take many shapes & forms. In her case, it was a crow that represented Eric will always watch over her in spirit. While I think this overall film holds up well, there are still a handful of things that don’t age well. From the very top, I was so rattled that a cop questioned the idea of getting married on Halloween when Shelly is clinging on to her last breath. The guy could’ve waited to share that comment til after she was placed in the ambulance but instead, he was a total dick which may be the point, but I do not have to like it. Also, why is Draven’s apartment still left as is? Not only was it a crime scene but no one was living there after he and Shelly died. If that apartment was abandoned, I’m surprised there weren’t any bums squatting the place. And I don’t understand why Draven needed Gideon to tell him where the others were when the crow already guided him to Tin Tin. Even though he wants to give a warning, it almost defeats the purpose for the crow to do so. I even wonder why doesn’t Grange try shooting at Draven when he’s out the window? He technically had the jump on him since he had his gun out. And although he doesn’t know of his powers yet, it wouldn’t have hurt for him to try. Other than that, this movie remains overall entertaining. In short, The Crow is an excellent action thriller that should be remembered for the good and not the bad. If comic book adaptations are your preference, check this out.
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