The Crow (1994)

Director:

Alex Proyas

Writers (WGA):

James O'Barr (comic book series and comic strip)
David J. Schow (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

11 May 1994 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Crime | Fantasy | Romance | Thriller

Tagline:

It Can't Rain All The Time

Plot:

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

Plot Keywords:

Crow | Death | The Crow | Revenge | Halloween

Awards:

2 wins & 6 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Sun. Dec. 27

11:00 PM

SYFY

Cast

Brandon Lee	...	Eric Draven
Rochelle Davis	...	Sarah
Ernie Hudson	...	Sergeant Albrecht
Michael Wincott	...	Top Dollar
Ling Bai	...	Myca (as Bai Ling)
Sofia Shinas	...	Shelly Webster
Anna Levine	...	Darla (as Anna Thomson)
David Patrick Kelly	...	T-Bird
Angel David	...	Skank
Laurence Mason	...	Tin Tin
Michael Massee	...	Funboy
Tony Todd	...	Grange
Jon Polito	...	Gideon, Pawn Shop Owner
Bill Raymond	...	Mickey, Lunch Stand Owner
Marco Rodríguez	...	Torres, Homicide Detective

MPAA:

Rated R for a great amount of strong violence and language, and for drug use and some sexuality.

Runtime:

102 min | Germany:98 min (cut version) | Australia:97 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby | DTS

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Hungary:16 | Finland:K-16 (1994) (cut) (video rating) | Finland:K-18 (1994) (theatrical release) | Finland:K-18 (1999) (uncut) (video re-rating) | Philippines:R-18 | Brazil:16 | Italy:VM14 | Australia:MA | Belgium:KNT | Canada:16+ (Quebec) | Canada:18 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:R (Manitoba/Ontario) | France:-12 | Germany:18 | Netherlands:16 | New Zealand:R16 | Norway:18 | Singapore:M18 (re-rating) | Singapore:R(A) (original rating) | South Korea:18 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Crowvision Inc.

Trivia:

Although the tone of the film is very similar to the comic, there were many changes. In the comics, Top Dollar is a member of T-Bird's gang as opposed to heading up crime in the city. Myca and Grange were also not present in the comic and there was never any mention about the crow being a power source. Also in the comic, Skank was not involved in the murders of Eric and Shelly, instead a character named Tom-Tom was. Sarah also served a minor role, first meeting Eric after his death and Albrecht as he appears in the movie is a combination of a street officer named Albrecht in the comics and Police Captain Hook. Another major change is Eric is a mechanic in the comic and his last name was never mentioned. He was changed to a musician as an homage to all the music references James O'Barr had in the comic. In the comic, the murders are actually a twist of bad luck with T-Bird's gang while high on drugs ambushing Eric and Shelly when their car breaks down. And in the comic, Eric is actually the one who lasts for thirty hours of intensive care with most of the events implied as possibly being a revenge fantasy as he lies in a coma.

Goofs:

Audio/visual unsynchronized: When Eric Draven returns home for the first time after his resurrection, the camera pans past the crow. When the crow is out of the frame, we hear the sound of its wings fluttering, even though the shadow stays still.

Quotes:

Top Dollar: It's all been done before, you see what I'm sayin'?
Bad Ass Criminal: That's no reason to quit.
Top Dollar: Wrong. Best reason to quit. *Only* reason to quit.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Nexus Generation: Fans & Filmmakers (2007) (V)

The best comic book to film translation.

The Crow is an excellent tragic film made even more tragic by the real life tragedies surrounding the film (Brandon Lee's death during filming, and the fact that the story is a result of James O'Barr's personal loss of his fiancée). Based on a very dark comic book, the film has the same dark feel. The movie does deviate from the comic book in some points, but in general is fairly faithful. If you can get it, I would recommend the DVD Collector's set with the 2 DVD version of The Crow (just to see the interview with James O'Barr is worth the price).

The story is a basically about revenge from beyond the grave, and how true love is forever. The movie has a good (but fairly basic) plot, excellent action sequences, and very good casting. Brandon Lee gives a good performance (not excellent, but good), as does Ernie Hudson. The supporting villains are excellent in their villainy, and you do feel better when they get it in the end. But the real star of this film is the mood and the feel. It feels gritty, bleak, and depressing, but surprisingly uplifting at the end. Alex Proyas did an excellent job of transferring this feeling from the book onto celluloid. All in all, one of the best comic book to film translations I have ever seen.

You do not have to be familiar with the comic book to thoroughly enjoy this film (like you do with some other comic book adaptations).

Rating : 4.5 out of 5