THE CROW

Abstract: Brandon Lee stars as a rock musician who returns from the dead to seek revenge on his murderers.

Summary: "People once believed that when someone dies, a crow carries their soul to the land of the dead. But, sometimes, something so bad happens that a terrible sadness is carried within and the soul can't rest. And ... sometimes ... just sometimes ... the crow can bring that soul back to set the wrong things right." It is difficult to listen to the prologue opening The Crow and not be chilled by the ominous significance. The star of the motion picture, rising action/adventure star and martial- arts expert Brandon Lee (1965- 1993), was killed while filming it. The tragedy occurred about one week before filming ended and while his fiancee, Eliza Hutton, was flying out to be with him. They were to be married in Ensenada, Mexico, immediately after Lee finished the film.

Lee was making the motion picture in Wilmington, North Carolina, at Carolco Studios on Stage Number 4. The date was March 30, 1993. The shooting schedule for that evening consisted of nine shots and filming began close to 8:00 p.m. Lee was not needed until later, so he came onto the set close to midnight. Lee's character, killed by hoodlums at the beginning of the film, returns from the dead seeking vengeance on his killers. The filming that night, ironically, was to be his character's death scene. Lee was to come into his attic apartment with a bag of groceries and see four thugs violating his sweetheart. Before he could stop them, one of the punks was supposed to shoot him at close range. Unknown either to Lee, the "killer," the director, or the prop person, the real gun used-a silver .44 magnum-had a bullet tip lodged sideways in the barrel, left from several weeks before. The barrel was not checked when it was loaded with a blank shell, which then discharged the object. It entered just below Lee' s navel, lodging in his spine. His vital organs were severely damaged, and he lost a lot of blood. Lee died later that day while in the intensive-care unit.

All the film footage taken during the shooting was destroyed, and the killing scene was later reworked, using doubles and specialized technology. This choice by the filmmakers showed their respect for Lee and his family by not sensationalizing his death and holding it up for public viewing and respect for their film, which could attract viewers on its own merits-on Lee's acting ability and not on his death.

For Brandon Lee, son of legendary martial-arts master and international film star Bruce Lee (1941-1973), his acting career was just taking off at the time of his death. Prior to The Crow, Lee had appeared in a pair of Kung Fu television films with David Carradine, starred in two feature films in Hong Kong, made his American screen debut in Showdown in Little Tokyo (1991), with Dolph Lundgren, and starred in Rapid Fire (1992). Lee appeared well on his way to wearing the martial-arts mantle of his illustrious father. He saw The Crow as a turning point in his career. The actor was enthusiastic about the role and had already signed an agreement to make two sequels if the film was successful.

The Crow is set in the inner-city slums of Detroit, in some bleak, future time. It is Devil's Night, the evening preceding Halloween, when violence and murder stalk the streets. The camera races over the city rooftops as the prologue is spoken and swoops down to two victims lying on the street below. The Detroit police are investigating the crime. One victim is Eric Draven (Brandon Lee), a promising rock guitarist, who was stabbed, shot twice, and fell six stories to his death. The other is his fiancee, Shelly Webster (Sofia Shinas), who was brutally raped and stabbed. They were to be married the next day. Hours later, Shelly dies in the hospital. Two sympathetic characters are introduced-Sarah (Rochelle Davis), an abandoned, skateboarding street child who had been befriended by Shelly, and Albrecht (Ernie Hudson), an honest street cop, later demoted because he investigated the crime too closely.

Cut to one year later, again on Devil's Night. Eric Draven crawls out of his grave, screaming, with a crow on hand to guide and assist him. The bird lends significance to the hero's name-Eric D-raven. He rips off his clothes, wanders half-naked to his abandoned loft apartment, and discovers his pet cat, Gabriel, waiting. While there, he begins experiencing flashbacks that occur regularly throughout the film. The audience eventually learns that Shelly and Eric had been fighting an eviction notice by an unscrupulous slumlord. Four thugs-T-Bird (David Patrick Kelly), Skank (Angel David), Tin Tin (Lawrence Mason), and Funboy (Michael Massee)-were sent to intimidate and silence the lovers. Somehow, the hoodlums veer out of control and proceed to molest Shelly and kill Eric. The newly aroused "Lazarus" swears vengeance for the crimes, dons black clothes, applies white clown makeup, and goes out, seeking the killers with The Crow as his guide. One character dubs Eric "The Mime From Hell." Eric, possessed of supernatural powers, cannot be stopped by ordinary means.

The middle section of The Crow is spent with Eric tracking down each of the four killers and murdering them in imaginatively grim fashion. All the confrontational scenes are violent and showcase Lee's martial- arts abilities. During this same period, five other characters are introduced-the sleazy pawnshop owner, Gideon (Jon Polito); Sarah' s drug-addict mother, Darla (Anna Thomson); the film's primary villain, Top Dollar (Michael Wincott); his sadistic sister, Myca (Bai Ling); and his ruthless lieutenant, Grange (Tony Todd).

The final section of The Crow deals with Eric's discovery that Top Dollar is responsible not only for the murders of Draven and his girlfriend but for all the violence plaguing Detroit. On three separate occasions, the avenger gives the evildoer an opportunity to walk away from harm, but the charming and corrupt chieftain, who snacks on eyeballs former lovers, refuses. The final showdown, played out on a church rooftop, surrounded by spires and gargoyles, costs him his life. The motion picture closes with Eric saying farewell to Albrecht, and Sarah receiving Shelly's engagement ring. The final sequence shows Eric being reunited with his dead sweetheart in the graveyard.

The Crow is a fascinating film to watch. The motion picture is taken from a comic-book series by writer/artist James O'Barr, who created the character in the early 1980's from a personal tragedy. Screenwriter David J. Schow and John Shirley adapted and rearranged the material for the screen. The book's dark Gothic quality is captured by production designer Alex McDowell, who creates wonderful atmospherics of death and decay, eerily reminiscent of Batman (1989) and Blade Runner (1982), but on a much smaller budget. The use of The Crow, introduced at the opening and appearing continuously to the end, serves to unify the artistic, visual, psychological, and symbolic elements. The film, like O'Barr's original creation, was heavily inspired by American horror writer and poet Edgar Allan Poe. In one sequence, Draven even quotes from Poe's "The Raven," in case anyone misses the connection.

Credit should also go to Australian director Alex Proyas, better known for his American television commercials and rock videos. He, too, captures O'Barr's original vision, shows flashes of originality, introduces an interesting visual style, coaxes strongly etched performances from his cast, and sustains interest to the finale. Cinematographer Dariusz Wolski should also be mentioned for his collaborative contributions in creating a well-executed mythical world. Finally, Graeme Revell' s haunting music score, complemented by fourteen rock songs, adds much to the film's overall effect. Within several weeks of release, the sound-track album quickly rose to number one on the music charts.

The Crow, however, suffers from a number of critical weaknesses. First, and foremost, is the clunky plot, which is poorly written and suffers from continuity problem. There is no room for subtleties or interesting subplots. The film could have used more imaginative dialogue; the few witty one-liners given to Albrecht and Top Dollar begged for much more. All the actors playing villains give over-the- top performances as if in competition to win the most-scuzzy contest. The motion picture, sadly, failed to sustain a strong anticrime or antidrug message and glorifies violence for its own sake. Also, there is a slick superficial feel to the film that robs it of much-needed poignancy.

Even so, what makes The Crow work as an interesting, if flawed, film is Lee himself. The actor poured all his energies into it. He shed fifteen pounds for the role, modeled his character's look after rock singer Chris Robinson, and invested Eric with a gaunt, daunting cinematic aura. An avenging angel, clad in black with mime makeup, heightened by teardrops and black lips, Lee exuded sweetness, lithe grace, and mesmerizing intensity. Like other teen idols who die young such as James Dean and River Phoenix-Lee will be missed as much for his presence as well as his future promise. (Reviewed by Terry Theodore.)

Country of Origin: USA

Release Date: 1994

Production Line: Edward R. Pressman and Jeff Most for Entertainment Media Investment Corporation; released by Miramax/Dimension Films

Director: Alex Proyas

Cinematographer: Dariusz Wolski

File Editor: Dov Hoenig Scott Smith

Additional Credits: Production design - Alex McDowell Art direction - Simon Murton Set design - William Barcley Set decoration - Marthe Pineau Casting - Billy Hopkins - Suzanne Smith Visual effects supervision - Andrew Mason Sound - Buddy Alper Special makeup effects - Lance Anderson Costume Design - Arianne Phillips Stunt coordination - Jeff Imada Music - Graeme Revell

MPAA Rating: R

Run Time: 100 minutes

Cast: Eric Draven - Brandon Lee Albrecht - Ernie Hudson Top Dollar - Michael Wincott T-Bird - David Patrick Kelly Skank - Angel David Sarah - Rochelle Davis Myca - Bai Ling Tin Tin - Lawrence Mason Funboy - Michael Massee Shelly - Sofia Shinas Darla - Anna Thomson Grange - Tony Todd Gideon - Jon Polito

Review Sources: Entertainment Weekly. May 13, 1994, p. 40. The Hollywood Reporter. April 29-May 11, 1994, p. 6. Los Angeles Times. May 11, 1994, p. F1. The New York Times. May 11, 1994, p. B3. Newsweek. CXXIII, May 16, 1994, p. 66. People Weekly. XLI, May 16, 1994, p. 27. Variety. April 29, 1994, p. 2.

Named persons in Production Credits: Edward R. Pressman Jeff Most

Studios named in Production Credits: Entertainment Media Investment Corporation Miramax/Dimension Films

Screenplay (Author): David J. Schow John Shirley James O'Barr

Color

Video Available.

Genre: Action/Adventure, Crime, Science Fiction/Fantasy

Notes: Lead Brandon Lee, son of action star Bruce Lee, was accidentally shot and killed while filming The Crow. The unfinished motion picture would have been shelved except for the direct intervention of Lee' s fiancee, Eliza Hutton, and his mother, Linda Lee Cadwell. The Crow is dedicated: "To Brandon and Eliza."

Magill's Survey of Cinema, © June 1995