The Crow: City of Angels

Dir: Tim Pope

1996

**

Alex Proyas' 1994 adaptation of James O'Barr's 1989 graphic novel was a huge hit and is regarded as one of the decade’s classic movies. Overshadowed somewhat by the accidental death of its leading man Brandon Lee, it seems quite shocking and rather bad taste to follow up the film and replace him with another actor so soon after. That said, this is Hollywood, it's not really that shocking at all, The Crow made a ton of money for Miramax and the character had 'franchise potential' written all over it. To be fair, writer David S. Goyer wanted to avoid using Lee's original character out of respect and this is a different version of The Crow, The Crow now being more of a possessive force that travels from person to person (corpse to corpse) rather than being just one undead vigilante. Once again the story is one of revenge, all that is different is the body count. Tim Pope is better known as a music video artist, a very good one at that, his direction is nothing short of stunning throughout. Given his background and the fact that this was his first (and so far only) feature film, it's no surprise that he would ask a few of his friends and collaborators to join in the fun. The film features Iggy Pop, Ian Dury and the Deftones. Tori Amos was offered a part but declined and Jon Bon Jovi auditioned for the lead role but lost out to Vincent Perez. The Deftones appearance was well placed and non-cheesy and it's always a pleasure to see the legendary Ian Dury. Iggy Pop however, is a little bit of a distraction. It doesn't help that his 1977 hit The Passenger is played every time he's on screen and it helps less when all he seems to do is scowl and pout at the camera for an hour and a half. Vincent Perez looked the part but played the Crow like a Gothic ballerina, never matching the performance of his predecessor. It's a case of style over content on a huge scale. Some of the scenes just do not work with a small cast bunching together to give the illusion of cramped conditions (sweaty nightclub) when it's quite clear that there are only a few people there in a vast and spacious warehouse. The film fails to shock with its supporting cast of would be deviants and at times it is embarrassingly laughable. Pope himself has been vocal regarding the studios re-edit of the film and it doesn't sound like he's too fond of it. There are elements that should be applauded but overall it's really not that great.