The Crow

Eric Draven tries the new 'moody Goth with bird on shoulder' look. It works.

Ah yes, The Crow. The Crow is, without a doubt, one of the finest, darkest, most hauntingly gothic action films that I have ever seen. It tells the tale of Eric Draven, who, a year after he and his girlfriend Shelly are murdered by a gang of punks, is brought back from the dead and given the power to avenge the deaths of him and his girlfriend. But like so many of the other films on thewse pages, there's more. For this is no simple mindlessly tale of revenge. This is a dark fairytale; a portrait of a world gone rotten, where hope is almost gone and evening the balance means turning the enemies' weapons of pain and hate against them.

It is also a film of amazing beauty. The grim, dark cityscapes and the industrial/gothic soundtrack work well together, and when added to the story create an atmosphere of such grief and loss that it is impossible to judge the film as amoral. Like all fairytales it has a simple, almost naive, morality about the sanctity of life and humanity that it never forces at you but simply maintains with a faith that wins you over. And through this you forgive it its faults, so that lines such as 'Mother is the name of God on the lips of all small children' becomes endearing, not cloying; and the revenge becomes understandable, not inhuman.

A gratuitous picture of Top Dollar for my cybersis Wendy to drool over

Eric feels angst whilst Sarah looks on worried

It also has to be said (and I apologise in advance if anyone finds this offensive) that the film's mood is given an extra dimension of loss by the fact that Brandon Lee died whilst filming it. Which is a tragedy, because if this film is anything to go by he had the beginnings of being quite a passable actor. But sadly he died, and that fact haunts the film's every frame.

(Please note, all pictures displayed here are not mine are used without permission of their owners because I'm recommending that you go out and rent/see/buy a copy of this film, thus increasing their profits. However, should they disapprove, please can they mail me and I'll remove them.)