The Crow (1994)
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Directed by Alex Proyas
Written by David J. Schow and John Shirley
Adapted from a graphic novel by James O'Barr
As superhero films go, this is one of the better ones and, for the love of God, it's not because of the plot. Anything not previously found in Mad Max or Robocop will most assuredly be found in ancient ghost stories. I would hazard a guess that a story about an angry revenant coming back from the grave to wreak violent justice on his murderers probably count among the earliest stories ever written. What makes this movie so much fun is its atmosphere. What makes it important is the fact that it's the first big-budget film created by one of my favorite directors—Alex Proyas.
The Crow takes place in a fictional gothic-noir city. We know it's fictional almost immediately because its residents are celebrating a holiday called Devil's Night which takes place the day before Halloween. It's a celebration of vandalism, so we see criminals starting fires, smashing up storefronts and setting off explosives. Cops are nowhere to be found, and we strangely don't wonder too much about that. Again, the atmosphere is strong, and while I believe it is distinctly Proyas' style, we know a few things about contemporary noir: crime is everywhere, cops are for obstructing good guys, and justice is met only through vigilantism. This is to the movie's credit. It is, after all, an action romp, and the sooner we get to the cars, guns, and face-wanchy the better.
We get all of these things, for sure, and all the while it's a marvel to look at. Proyas' city is cavernous, dark and wet, featuring seedy dive bars with attached motels, never-ending cemeteries and dizzyingly tall gothic cathedrals. In other words, it's what Rob Zombie wishes he could do in his heart of hearts. Actually, Rob Zombie campaigned for a go at this franchise, and considering much of his inspiration as a filmmaker must have come from here, I would kill to be able to see what was shot before the producers pulled the plug on him.
Within this world, a happy couple—brutally murdered. It is filmed in an intentionally choppy fashion, and these scenes are used later as flashbacks when out hero rises from the dead to have his revenge. This method of editing really, really works for two reasons. One, it breaks up a truly horrific scene, which is important. Stanley Kubrick's A Clockwork Orange shows an equally vicious crime in its entirety, and while the scene was extremely powerful and undeniably effective, it is probably way too much for the target demographic of The Crow . Secondly, most of this movie features The Crow as a mass-murderer. Lest we forget, the flashbacks periodically remind us of his motives, so we don't begin to wonder if he's, like, over-reacting or something.
There are a few little plots swimming around in this crazy pool of cinematography: a bad mom finds redemption by cleaning up her act, her daughter retains hope in an awful world, and what noir would be complete without a hardscrabble detective cracking the case? Not to diminish the impact of these scenes, but who really cares? This is a movie for people who want to watch a car explode while someone does a slow-motion back flip off the side of a building. Sure it's silly, but it's never dull, and for what it promises, this movie is an absolute pisser.
Review by James Scotto-Lavino
OVERALL: 4.3
(Acting: 4, Plot: 4, Visuals: 4.5, Wanchy: 5, WTF: 4)
WTF deductions:
• Out-the-window disappearing act obviously lifted from Batman. (0.5)
• Some plot elements obviously lifted from Robocop. (0.5)