First Take Classics: The Crow- it can’t rain all the time

SYNOPSIS: A man brutally murdered comes back to life as an undead avenger of his and his fiancée’s murder.

It has legitimately taken the creation of a new podcast to get this one reviewed. Having covered this movie in depth on an episode of Ripped Ticket Review, it was high time that the film which put Alex Proyas on the map got a proper write-up.

 

Unlike his later works, Proyas’ direction is faultless, taking the atmosphere of the comics by James O’Barr and transferring it incredibly well to film. It’s an incredibly tight 1 hour 42 minute running time, paced to perfection, and once you add David J Schow and John Shirley’s script, it stays very true to the source material, in a way that makes it worthy enough to wear that 18 certificate with pride- it’s a heavy film, but given the tone and the way a lot of this plot is handled, it is completely justified. The cinematography also makes this film work, as Dariusz Wolski is behind the camera; plus Graeme Revell handles the score well. But let’s be real here- there is one reason why this film has become so well regarded.

And it’s this man. Brandon Lee. Giving the performance of his career, Lee’s work as Eric Draven- a man who has come back from the dead to avenge the murder of his wife- is truly iconic. Had the events of March 31st 1994 not occurred, we would have had the birth of a major star. Supporting him is a cast which includes Michael Wincott, Rochelle Davis, Sofia Shinas and many more, all putting in some fantastic work- and while we’re here, I have to mention the work of a stuntman called Chad Stahelski. He was a stuntman and the effective body double for Lee after the tragic events of that night in March, little did we know that 20 years on he would play a major role in redefining another genre, as he would go on to co-direct John Wick. But this film began a new age for Hollywood- the age of comic book films actually delivering on the hype.

THE VERDICT

The Crow is not only a superhero movie, but in the eyes of my Ripped Ticket co-host Dan Carver, a gothic romance that works on so many levels. It had a hell of an impact on pop culture, and for that, we have a lot to thank Brandon Lee. His performance made this film come alive.

RATING: 4.5/5

Listen to Jack and Dan Carver break apart this movie for a full hour on The Ripped Ticket Review- a TheJackSmit Ventures podcast, available on all good audio providers.