Most movies that try to blend so many diverse elements are failures. In "The Crow", we have martial arts, massive gunplay, supernatural elements, dark humor, and a love story all taking place in a neogothic urban setting...and it works...
[+] Read Full Review

Most movies that try to blend so many diverse elements are failures. In "The Crow", we have martial arts, massive gunplay, supernatural elements, dark humor, and a love story all taking place in a neogothic urban setting...and it works bigtime here! Based on a mediocre comic series, director Proyas does all of the right things, including an outstanding soundtrack, and even manages to rescue the movie from a tragic event, the death of star Brandon Lee.
And what a star Lee is here. His Depp-like natural acting ability, coupled with his athletic skills, are an awesome combination. He's perfect for the role and the role is perfect for him. It's impossible to imagine anyone else playing the role of Eric Draven (and the sequels proved that to be very true).
Proyas' filmmaking skills give the film an incredible look, and his handling of the screenplay is a job well-done...it would have easy to be overly-sentimental in some scenes, and the action is kept at a believable level. And extra credit is earned for doing a masterful job of editing it all together after Lee was killed before all of the filming was done.
It's hard not to be moved by the film, when one considers that Lee had just found his intended place in the world of cinema and had much more to give us. One consolation is that he left behind a great performance in this fine film for us to enjoy and admire.