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A restless and angry crowd gathers at the state prison as they await the execution of Alex
Corvis (Eric Mabius) for the slaughter of his girlfriend, Lauren Randall. The victim's sister, Erin (Kristen Dunst) and the father witness the final moment with elation over
the death sentence, even as Alex professes his innocence and his love for the late Lauren. As the electric chair snuffs his life, the legendary crow appears to help the
innocent Alex avenge for his death and that of his girl. With a triumphant cry, the crow resurrects Alex and pumps his body with unusual strength and mobility and makes him
invulnerable to high-powered guns. The Crow
creates a maze of communication to his mind regarding the circumstance of his girl's gory death. He must now pursue Lauren's killers, and mete justice from the barrel of a gun. He must unravel the reason they killed Lauren and find the leader who can only be identified by the scars on his arm. Meanwhile, Alex succeeds in making Erin understand the power of the crow in his whole being, and as he carries out his revenge, he must be also be wary of her safety as she willingly assists him in his quest.
This is a machine gun-infested story of a dead man's revenge, with a generous coating of
fantasy. The viewer is placed through a roller coaster ride of physical torture, blood curdling scenes, and violent deaths which are successfully carried out by the good
cinematography. The visual and sound effects are exemplary in arousing fear, hatred, and hopelessness. It is a well-guided movie in terms of production design. Something
different was employed by the musical director. He used fast-paced rock music as background in scenes where he aims to escalate suspense. Although it offers glimpses of human
warmth, like the scenes between Alex and Erin, the story endorses violence as a means to mete justice, a far cry from the Christian teaching that "It is God who will take
revenge, and He will pay back."
The violent scenes will disturb the viewer's peace of mind and concept of the good, because of
the distorted presentation of truth and meting justice. CINEMA rates this film for mature viewers 18 and above.
(Date reviewed: April 20, 2001)
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