‘It can’t rain all the time…’
Some films will always be inextricably linked to tragedy. Twilight Zone: The Movie will always be overshadowed by the horrific on set helicopter crash that took the lives of three people. It’s impossible to watch Poltergeist without acknowledging the tragic death of child actress Heather O’ Rourke. Similarly, The Crow will always be associated with the accidental death of Brandon Lee. Indeed, the graphic comic upon which the film was based was also rooted in tragedy having been written by James O’ Barr as a way to cope with the death of his fiancé. At least we can say one thing for certain, yes, the film is mired in tragedy, but it also cannot be denied that Lee’s sensational performance serves as the best kind of tribute…
When rock musician Eric Draven (Lee) and his fiancé Shelly are brutally murdered on Devil’s Night (the night before Halloween), the criminal low lives responsible don’t reckon with the supernatural return of Draven. Reluctantly assisting Draven in his quest is smart ass Detroit PD veteran, Sergeant Albrecht (Ernie Hudson), while Michael Wincott appears also stars as ruthless crime lord, Top Dollar.
Before the Marvelification of comic book adaptations, we had films like Spawn, The Crow, and, a little later, Sin City, that all traded in sex, violence and crime and were very much aimed at an adult audience. The Crow has more in common with John Wick than Iron Man, and it’s all the better for it. It’s easy to deify someone too much following a tragic death, but, honestly, Brandon Lee really is outstanding here. Charismatic, funny and yet vulnerable all at the same time, it’s an utterly winning performance that is the key to the cult success and continued legacy that The Crow enjoys (this also goes some way to explaining why the sequels all bombed so hard). This is far from a one man show, however. Wincott’s raspy voice is a heady mix of Satan himself and Sean Dyche. His enjoyably over-the-top performance ensures that we don’t need Lee in every scene for the film to still pop. Hudson, too, always an underrated actor, provides some much needed warmth in a film that is often relentlessly bleak (a shout out also to Rochelle Davis as Draven’s surrogate daughter, Sarah, the film’s narrator and heartbeat).
The Crow looks stunning (cinematographer Dariusz Wolski ensures that we always see everything we need to see despite the constant darkness and driving rain that frame the film), the screenplay is excellent and, as previously discussed, the cast are sensational. The ’90s is packed full of cinematic cult classics, but The Crow, despite being very much a genre film, is right up there with the best of them.
