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.
Review of The Crow: City of Angels
