Imagine "RoboCop" if it was all about metal and demonic powers instead of punk and technology. Your result would be "The Crow."
In this city, every Halloween is filled with fire, chaos and all-out rage. The police are helpless against the roaming street gangs who rule this town with a bloody fist. These normally common thugs feel like they can do whatever they want, including murder a defenseless man and then rape and murder his fiancée. But one year later, this man, Eric Draven (Brandon Lee) is resurrected by a strange crow, and is now set on getting revenge against the men who murdered him and his girlfriend.
Like with "RoboCop," the reason this film works is because of the somewhat dystopian future the film portrays and a solid performance from the lead actor.
This city of "The Crow" reminds me of Gotham from the Tim Burton Batman films, with lots of gothic architecture and a never-ending night. Half of the city seems to be burned out and the other half belongs in the junk yard, let alone be inhabitable. We see very little of the people living in this city, outside of the vermin that rule the streets and the cops that fail to stop them. These criminals have zero concern for others and live every day like it was their last, eating bullets and washing them down with copious amounts of booze.
And then we get our protagonist, Eric Draven. Brandon Lee, who was unfortunately killed before the film was completed, communicates with his eyes throughout most of the film, as he relives the pain and misery of losing his girlfriend all over again, only to be refilled with a purpose when he realizes the men who did all this are still alive. Yet there remains a quiet humanity to all of this, as Draven sends some time helping out a little girl that he and his fiancée looked out for and the cop (Ernie Hudson) that stayed with his girlfriend while she suffered in the hospital.
This is not a film for the faint-off-heart, but if you're looking for a dark, edgy and unforgiving gothic horror action film, then "The Crow" will not disappoint.
Final Grade: B+
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