The Crow

18101 min

Based upon the comic book series by James O’Barr, The Crow is a haunting tale of violence, tragedy, love and revenge. Set against the nighttime cityscape of an economically deprived and decaying Detroit, the film begins with a violent home invasion that leads to rape and murder, leaving Shelly Webster and her rock musician boyfriend Eric Draven dead. A child narrator explains that according to legend crows guide the living soul to the land of the dead but sometimes they can bring the soul back to ‘put the wrong things right’. A year after this unholy crime, Draven is revived by the crow and crawls out of his grave, reborn as a living dead avenger, haunted by the memories of his violent death and the loss of Shelly. Dressed in black leather, with black and white face paint, reminiscent of the somnambulist Ceasare (Conrad Veit) in Cabinet of Caligari, Draven sets about enacting his violent revenge. Brandon Lee’s performance as Draven is brooding, romantic, and balletic in fight scenes that are impressive and exhilarating. Directed by Alex Proyas, best known for his Metropolis and Nosferatu inspired Dark City, The Crow reimagines the superhero genre as a hybrid of Gothic tragedy and horror revenge narrative, presented through the visual language Film Noir. The film is visually spectacular and has a soundtrack of 90s alternative, Goth, and industrial music, but at the heart of the film is the tragedy that surrounds the characters and fuels the narrative. Lee brings a haunting depth to The Crow, rendered even more poignant by his untimely death but the film’s growing cult status is a tribute to Lee’s performance and the film’s gothic power.