The Crow (Miramax/Dimension Collector's Series)

Loaded with intense, nonstop action and a hot #1 hit soundtrack, THE CROW delivers exhilarating, fast-paced entertainment! Brandon Lee (RAPID FIRE) plays Eric Draven, a young rock guitarist who, along with his fiancee, is brutally killed by a ruthless gang of criminals. Exactly one year after his death, Eric returns -- watched over by a hypnotic crow -- to seek revenge, battling the evil crime lord and his band of urban thugs, who must answer for their crimes. Catch the explosive, action-packed hit that thrilled moviegoers and dazzled critics everywhere!

Guided by a portentous crow (standing in for Poe's raven), Lee plays a deceased rock musician who returns from the grave to systematically torture and kill the outlandishly violent gang of hoodlums who murdered him and his fiancée the year before. The film is worth watching for its compelling visuals and genuinely nightmarish, otherworldly ambience. Indeed, it is probably more fascinating for that post-production story than for the tale on the screen. The filmmakers were able to digitally sample what they'd captured of Lee's performance and piece together enough footage to make the movie releasable. The Crow set the standard for dark and violent comic-book movies (like Spawn or director Alex Proyas's superior follow-up, Dark City), but it will forever be remembered as the film during which star Brandon Lee (son of martial arts legend Bruce Lee) was accidentally killed on the set by a loaded gun. --Jim Emerson The Crow is appropriately cloaked in ominous expressionistic shadows, oozing urban dread and occult menace from every dank concrete crack, but it really adds up to a simple and perfunctory tale of ritual revenge.