The Crow

May the Lord have mercy on your soul if you don't love The Crow. Arguably THE movie of the 90's, The Crow had all the necessary pieces of a kick ass movie of the decade... dark and rainy cinematography, a solid rock soundtrack, and vengeance-fueled violence. A tragic story on-film and behind the scenes, The Crow centers on one Eric Draven who has come back from the grave to make his love's killers pay for their endless injustices. Eric is played by Brandon Lee (son of martial arts God, Bruce Lee) who - falling in the unfortunate footsteps of his father - died on-set during the filming on the movie. Eric has come back to life with new strength, invincibility and an animal guide in the shape of... yup... a crow. One by one, he hunts down and takes out each member of the 4-man gang that raped and killed his fiancee, and their employer - a local crime boss with a taste for mystic arts and his own sister. Grody. On that note, let's proceed with the reviews...

Original Release: 1994
Running Time: 102 minutes
(Fly on over to the rating system for a reminder.)
Death - $2
The body count itself isn't very high here, but the meaning behind each death is key. The movie starts with the murder of Eric and his fiancee Sarah which sets the stage for why the crow brings Eric back. Then, he takes out each one of T-Bird's thugs in the manner most fitting for them. Being stabbed with his own knives for Tin-Tin. A drug overdose for Fun Boy. You get the idea. Oh, and at one point a guy gets stabbed in the neck with a sword.

Acting - $1
For every decent performance you have in The Crow, there's a "they really get paid for this?" one right behind it. This might be due in part to some of the over-the-top characters... or the number of traditionally B-movie actors that were given less than minor roles. Either way, it is what it is and you it's not enough to make the movie suck.

Repeat Play - $1
I would be tempted to give this two bucks for repeatability, but I can't fairly do that knowing that it evaded my collection for over two years. When it hit me last week that I didn't own it anymore, I went out and bought it immediately. But I'm watching it now for the first time in a long time so I will have to just give it the Washington. I will undoubtedly be watching it again soon... but probably not in a "sit down and pay close attention" kind of way.

Pump up the Jams - $2
What a soundtrack! Nine Inch Nails... Stone Temple Pilots... The Cure... the soundtrack for this movie matched the tone and the times perfectly. Its hard to tell when you're watching if the music is part of the movie's score or if it is actually playing the background of the scene. I rocked out to this soundtrack in high school and still can today. It's just awesome.

Action and Ass-Kickery - $1
The Crow has a solid balance of action and the story necessary to explain the action. I wouldn't describe it as a "non-stop thrill ride" but there are plenty of altercations with a climactic one at the end. Brandon shows that he learned a thing or two from his dad, but big action or fight sequences aren't the point of this movie so I'm glad they didn't go that route. If this were made today I'm sure it would have annoying neon lights, nonsensical action, and George Clooney with rubber nipples.
Total Rating: $7

"I like the pretty lights." I don't know why, but that is one of my favorite movie quotes of all time. I say it every now and then and people look at me like I'm... well... me, actually. It is one of countless great one-liners in The Crow that will continue to make me grin as I continue to watch and enjoy it across decades to come. All you fans out there (and even you haters) can feel free to share your thoughts through a comment here or a Devil's Night greeting card. See you soon!