The Crow is, of course, a film that can never be disassociated from the real life tragedy that might easily have kept it from being completed when, with eight days of filming left to do, leading man Brandon Lee was killed on set by an improperly maintained prop gun. This shadows falls heavily over the film, and only more so given the story centres on a man who returns from the grave to avenge the rape and murder of his fiancee. Factor in that the original comic book by James O'Barr was written as a means for the author to process his grief after his girlfriend was killed by a drunk driver, and one can be forgiven for almost feeling the film itself is somehow haunted. Still, for much of The Crow the sadness is held at bay by the action, as Lee's undead avenger Eric Draven kicks, punches, shoots and stabs his way through the city's gangland to reach his targets. But once his mission is completed and Eric returns to his grave to rest, we see the ghost of his lost love Shelley (Sofia Shinas) return to his side; Graeme Revell's stirring love theme swells, and there's no one in the audience without a lump in their throat.
