Review of The Crow (1994) by Berc — 10 Jun 2016

The artistic medium of film is very subjective. Every audience member has a different set of criteria they use to measure their viewing experience. Not everyone shares the same set of criteria. If we did, what a bland and uninspired world this would be.

What I Personally Liked About "The Crow":

Let's start off by saying that this is a very dark film, both in script and on screen. It's also not afraid of being a dark film. It embraces its midnight black storytelling and chimerical visuals. It makes this film feel like the kind of campfire ghost story a perpetually haunted masochist would tell the other unlucky inhabitants circling the flickering flames. The uncertainty that festers under the visage of each and every character aids in forming those dark ripples we see shimmering across the pool known as our silver screen. From our angst-ridden hero to our villains who currently question their purpose in life, it's nice to see a simple melodramatic revenge flick transformed into a brooding, elegiac guignol. This film also presented an interesting turn of events for villainous performers in the cinematic world. In just two short years, Tony Todd went from being a towering titan of terror (in "Candyman") to a third rate henchman while Michael Wincott took three years to go from being a third rate henchman who gets run through by a sword (in "Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves") to a masterly crafted top tier evil doer who runs other people through with swords. A specific performance I enjoyed was the one given by Bai Ling. Her ultra reserved characterization stuck with me for a long time after my original viewing of the production. I've since seen her turn in a few lunatic performances ("Crank: High Voltage" anyone?) which is shameful considering the real talent she possesses for more conservative dramatic acting. I'm also a big fan of Graeme Revell's disconsolate score filled with pulsating electric guitars, caliginous orchestral string arrangements and mournful vocals.

What I Personally Disliked About "The Crow":

I really dislike the fact they cut the Skull Cowboy from the film. I was really looking forward to Michael Berryman's appearance and I feel the character could have added an entirely new depth to the movie. I'm also not that big a fan of Rochelle Davis's acting as Sarah. She is only on her game about a third of the time she's on screen. The rest of the time, she looks like she's out of her league and she knows it. Then, of course, there's the fact that Brandon Lee had to die so this movie could live. Okay, so that's a bit too sensational a way of putting it, but his death still helped a phenomenal film reach a wider audience than it probably would have otherwise.

My Overall Impression of "The Crow":

All of the right elements are present to create a Stygian classic and, for the most part, those elements succeed beautifully. I find myself drawn back to this film time and time again and that is the mark of a truly great work: to be able to revisit the piece endlessly and still derive pleasure from its pulchritude.