The Crow (1994) review

Dir. Alex Proyas

By: Steve Pulaski

Rating: ★★★

Had it not been for the deeply tragic, on-set death of Brandon Lee, Bruce Lee’s son, Alex Proyas’ The Crow could’ve potentially been remembered first and foremost for being one of the original graphic-novel-esque horror-fantasies. However, a freak accident resulting in Lee’s death has etched the movie in the minds of many as being the late actor’s career-defining work before he even had the chance to make more.

The Crow should not be as good of a film as it is. In fact, it should be an oddity – an actor’s last film due to a fatal accident, which resulted in numerous production problems and costly reshoots, not to mention a horrible stain and mental-tax on the life of Michael Massee, who pulled the trigger on Lee. With that, it’s amazing to say how well put-together and interesting the entire film is. A dark, brooding picture, way before the likes of films like Sin City and Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy would come to make the style and the genre popular, The Crow‘s dark-as-night cinematography and gloomy narrative lend itself to making a successful, creepy film.

The film opens in Detroit on October 30th, also known as Devil’s Night, with Police Sergeant Albrecht (Ernie Hudson) investigating a recent shooting where the young couple of Eric Draven (Brandon Lee) and Shelly Webster (Sofia Shinas) were both assaulted in their home before being thrown out a window. Both eventually succumb to their injuries.

A year later, a crow taps on the gravestone of Eric, and because it’s said that crows have an ability to carry and represent the souls of the dead, this resurrects him almost instantly. He recalls that those responsible for his murder were members of a rag-tag street gang, made up of brutal men with cartoonish names — Tin Tin, Funboy, Skank, and their leader, T-Bird (David Patrick Kelly). The only resolution to him and his fiancée’s murders is very simple: an eye for an eye.

For a film with such a simple, straight-forward concept, it’s also pretty surprising just how impressive The Crow manages to be. I credit most of this to Lee, yet again, because he’s the character that not only has the most screentime, but so frequently steals the show with menace and a biting wit. His performance suggests undertones of agony and betrayal, on top of the malicious persona that’s inherent to this kind of character. He’s frequently frightening more often than not, and due to circumstances, each of his monologues about death and dishonor now feel painfully personal.

Cinematographer Dariusz Wolski — who would later go on to do the cinematography for Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean film series — keeps things as pitch-dark as they can be, but in such a way that pleasantly adds to the film rather than subtracts from the visibility. The cityscapes and dirty streets look as if they were soaked in blotches of black ink, and miserable color palette does a solid job at loaning itself to the film rather than being a distraction.

The Crow‘s legacy is an unfortunate one, but its quality is what works to save it and make it known for something else other than it being the final hallmark of a twenty-eight-year-old actor. To misconstrue the film and say the story of a freak accident is all it has to offer is woefully misguided. This is deeply impressive stuff, and one of the contemporary founding fathers of its genre.

My review of The Crow: City of Angels
My review of The Crow: Salvation
My review of The Crow: Wicked Prayer
My review of The Crow (2024)

Starring: Brandon Lee, Michael Wincott, David Patrick Kelly, Ernie Hudson, Michael Massee, and Sofia Shinas. Directed by: Alex Proyas.