The Crow: City of Angels (1996)

User Rating:

3.9/10   

Director:

Tim Pope

Writers (WGA):

James O'Barr (comic book series and comic strip)
David S. Goyer (written by)

Release Date:

30 August 1996 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Fantasy | Thriller | Crime

Tagline:

There will be another.

Plot:

Some time ago, Ashe Corven and his son Danny were killed when they stumbled across a pack of drug dealers murdering a fellow dealer...

Plot Keywords:

Crow | The Crow | Revenge | Drugs | Murder

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Vincent Perez	...	Ashe Corven / The Crow
Mia Kirshner	...	Sarah
Richard Brooks	...	Judah Earl
Iggy Pop	...	Curve
Thomas Jane	...	Nemo
Vincent Castellanos	...	Spider Monkey
Thuy Trang	...	Kali
Eric Acosta	...	Danny
Ian Dury	...	Noah
Tracey Ellis	...	Sybil
Beverley Mitchell	...	Grace
Aaron Thell Smith	...	Tattoo Customer
Alan Gelfant	...	Bassett
Shelly Desai	...	Hindu
Holley Chant	...	Holly Daze

Also Known As:

The Crow II

MPAA:

Rated R for strong violence, drug content, language and sexuality.

Runtime:

84 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:R (certificate #34831) | Singapore:R21 (re-rating) | Iceland:16 | Brazil:16 | Netherlands:12 | Netherlands:16 (VHS/DVD rating) | South Korea:18 | France:-12 | New Zealand:R18 | Australia:MA | Belgium:KNT | Denmark:16 | Finland:K-16 (video premiere) | Germany:16 | Hong Kong:IIB | Norway:18 | Portugal:M/18 | Singapore:R(A) | Spain:18 | UK:18

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Bad Bird Productions

Trivia:

Originally, the main character's name was going to be "Michael Corvin"

Goofs:

Continuity: The last drawing of the child.

Quotes:

Ashe Corven: One crow, sorrow. Two crows, joy. Three crows, a letter! Four crows, a boy.
[flashback]
Ashe Corven: Let him go. He's just a child.
[now]
Ashe Corven: Five crows, silver. Six crows, gold! Seven crows, a secret never to be told.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Dialogue: An Interview with Screenwriter David Goyer (2006) (V)

Soundtrack:

Shelf Life

Homesick for the Motor City...

Considering the tragic death of actor Brandon Lee during an on-set accident didn't stop Hollywood from completing the original Crow film, it shouldn't come as a big surprise that the premise quickly got exploited even further with a couple of (very inferior) sequels. James O'Barr's brilliant comic strip idea revives as a boisterous and 80-minutes-lasting music video that doesn't feature the slightest bit of creativity. As informed by the title, the setting moved from Detroit to Los Angeles and, no matter how hard director Tim Pope and his crew try to reproduce the original's brooding atmosphere, it's just not dark or disturbing enough! The story is pretty much identical, with a resurrected father avenging his own murder and – especially – that of his 5 year old son by a violent gang of drug dealers. The best story elements are simply copied from the original film (such as the big boss' spiritual sidekick and even the entire capture-the-crow finale) and the acting performances all are far below average. Vincent Perez is forgiven though, as I realize it's an ungrateful part to play after Brandon Lee, but particularly main bad guy Richard Brooks comes out really weak. Positive aspects include an exciting, albeit messy, climax sequence and a memorable supportive role for rock star Iggy Pop as the rough biker-gangster.