Let me say upfront, I love this film, I love the graphic novel, and I’ll argue until the c(r)ows come home with anyone who disagrees. Right, that’s out of the way. The Crow is known for a number of things, the wonderful/terrible vision of a dystopian future, the tragic death of Brandon Lee during filming, the amazing visuals and cinematography, and the plot itself, which is a teenage goth’s wet dream. A sexy rock star is murdered along with his fiancée the day before their planned Halloween wedding, but rises from the dead as an avenging superpowered angel, and with a look crossing The Joker and Marilyn Manson, tracks down and avenges himself on the gang responsible. To a soundtrack including The Cure, Jesus and Mary Chain and Nine Inch Nails. With the obligatory kindly old cop who believes in people, and a cute kid on a skateboard. What’s not to love?
Alex Proyas’ direction is inspired, the mood, the colour palette visual style and pace make it irresistible, the artwork and added dimensions in the James O’Barr original are haunting and achingly romantic. Hell, even the lesser sequels with participants as diverse as Iggy Pop, Danny Trejo, Edward Furling and Kirsten Dunst are great.
In terms of influence, I have great memories of watching it with others (including one very special evening), and alone on stormy and whiskeyed nights, but it also left a huge impression on me. It was a rewatch of this which was the original inspiration and starting point for The Raven Sound (the working title was “The Crow Story”), and while I don’t follow the plot, the idea of redemption, the atmosphere in my head as I wrote it (and even borrowing the name Shelly for the wife) came directly from here. If I ever create anything half as evocative or memorable, I can rest happy.
The amazing fact the film was completed after the lead, Brandon Lee (Bruce Lee’s son), was accidentally shot and killed part way through filming gives me a twisted belief that nothing can set something back which is meant to be, and a recent rewatch confirms the film stands up today as well as when it came out.
If these influences posts do one thing, I hope they convince at least one more person to watch, read and submerge themselves in The Crow, and it will all have been worth it.
Stay safe,
Kit