The Crow (1994)

A man brutally murdered comes back to life as an undead avenger of his and his fiancée's murder.

Director:

Alex Proyas

Writers:

James O'Barr (comic book series and comic strip), David J. Schow (screenplay)

Stars:

Brandon Lee, Michael Wincott, Rochelle Davis

3 wins & 6 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Brandon Lee	...	Eric
Rochelle Davis	...	Sarah
Ernie Hudson	...	Albrecht
Michael Wincott	...	Top Dollar
Bai Ling	...	Myca
Sofia Shinas	...	Shelly
Anna Levine	...	Darla (as Anna Thomson)
David Patrick Kelly	...	T-Bird
Angel David	...	Skank
Laurence Mason	...	Tin Tin
Michael Massee	...	Funboy
Tony Todd	...	Grange
Jon Polito	...	Gideon
Bill Raymond	...	Mickey
Marco Rodríguez	...	Torres

Storyline

A poetic guitarist Eric Draven is brought back to life by a crow a year after he and his fiancée are murdered. The crow guides him through the land of the living, and leads him to his killers: knife thrower Tin-tin, drugetic Funboy, car buff T-Bird, and the unsophisticated Skank. One by one, Eric gives these thugs a taste of their own medicine. However their leader Top-Dollar, a world-class crime lord who will dispatch his enemies with a Japanese sword and joke about it later, will soon learn the legend of the crow and the secret to the vigilante's invincibility.

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Plot Keywords:

back from the dead | vigilante | crime boss | gothic | star died during filming | 

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Taglines:

Real love is forever.

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Genres:

Action | Drama | Fantasy

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for a great amount of strong violence and language, and for drug use and some sexuality

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

13 May 1994 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Crow

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$23,000,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$50,693,162

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$94,000,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

Crowvision Inc., Edward R. Pressman Film, Entertainment Media Investment Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

102 min 98 min (cut)

Sound Mix:

Dolby DTS Dolby SR

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Set in Detroit (evidenced by references to "Devil's Night" (the traditional arson and vandalism "holiday") and "motor city").

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Goofs

(at around 1h 2 mins) When the girl walks up from the street to the door of Eric's apartment, dolly-tracks are clearly visible in the full-frame version.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Sarah: [voiceover] People once believed that when someone dies, a crow carries their soul to the land of the dead. But sometimes, something so bad happens that a terrible sadness is carried with it and the soul can't rest. Then sometimes, just sometimes, the crow can bring that soul back to put the wrong things right.

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Crazy Credits

For Brandon and Eliza

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Alternate Versions

A scene was cut from the film version in which Skank was shot in the leg by someone robbing the liquor store from which he was ordered to get smokes and road beers. This scene was supposed to show that crime is indiscriminant and even happens to criminals. This is why Skank is limping when he runs after T-Bird's car.

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Connections

Referenced in Hellboy (2019)

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Soundtracks

Burn
Performed by The Cure
Courtesy of Fiction Records Ltd. (worldwide), Elektra Entertainment (in U.S. and Canada), Warner Music (Australia and New Zealand) and Polydor Records (all other territories)
Written by Robert Smith, Simon Gallup, Boris Williams, Perry Bamonte
Produced by Robert Smith and Bryan 'Chuck' New
©1993 Fiction Songs Ltd. (ASCAP)

User Reviews

There must be an angel ...

I approached this film after reading the hype and controversy surrounding its making and release, not really expecting very much. Surprised to find it an intelligent, beautifully-filmed, engrossing and touching thriller. I'd recommend it to anyone who has a fondness for weird gothic mythological stories. I didn't find the horror aspect overdone - in fact it was believable, and the script was superior to other films of this genre I've seen. As for Brandon Lee, this really was a superb performance and it is a terrible tragedy that his life ended so abruptly. This film is a fitting memorial to what could have become a major star.