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Vincent Perez, Mia Kirshner, Richard Brooks (VI), Iggy Pop, Thomas Jane ... see more see more... , Vincent Castellanos , Shelly Desai , Ian Dury , Tracey Ellis , Alan Gelfant , Kerry Rossall , Holley Chant , Beverley Mitchell

It is said that when a man dies wrongfully, a crow may bring him back to life to seek vengeance upon his killer. Like the first Crow, this revenge saga is set in a fantastical urban nightmare and is b... read more read more...ased upon the dark comic book stories of artist James O. Barr. The first film was set in a horrifying Detroit. The second is set in a similar version of Los Angeles. This time, the crow flies on behalf of Ashe, a motorcycle mechanic who was murdered along with his young son after they have witnessed a murder. After rising from the dead, Ashe dons the traditional black garb and funereal white pancake make-up that marks the crow's chosen one. While getting his violent revenge, Ashe is befriended by Sarah, a tattoo expert with great knowledge of the crow legend. Together, they defeat the vile criminals Curve and Kali. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Flixster Users

50% liked it

63,368 ratings

Critics

12% liked it

33 critics

R, 1 hr. 24 min.

Directed by: Tim Pope

Release Date: August 30, 1996

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DVD Release Date: February 3, 1998

Stats: 2,037 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (2,037)

  • phubbs1
    October 11, 2011
    phubbs1
    Hmmm great soundtrack, truely great and looks amazing, its practically a music video really but shame its kind of a rerun of the original (which can't be bettered) but its the last of The Crow flicks that was any good. Style and design is faultless, costume and action set pieces ... read moreare stunning and the villains are a lovely motley crew of nutters and killers that just happen to look like a bunch of ladyboys and transvestites.

    Its just a shame it wasn't received better but I think the obvious way they tried to replace or copy the 'Draven' character with 'Ash' in both looks and behaviour was the wrong choice and fans didn't accept it. The first film was one of those moments in film history that can't be repeated and Lee will always be the ultimate Crow.
  • purplemegan
    September 18, 2011
    purplemegan
    This .was actually not too bad until the end which was ridiculous.
  • cancercapricorn2002
    July 12, 2010
    cancercapricorn2002
    The Crow: City of Angels suffers from the greatest sin in movie making; too many hands in the editing cookie jar.

    Had the film that Tim Pope shot been allowed to be presented, I think fan reaction would not be near as harsh as it has been and had the studio trusted Pope's vision... read more more and most importantly, trusted the audience more, this film had the potential to be great.

    As is, I love the style of the film and the performances of Vincent Perez and Mia Kirshner. In my original viewing my issue with casting issue was made in the form of one Iggy Pop. What I told friends at the time was roughly that granted, the man is a living legend in the Punk circles and is a personal hero of Crow graphic novel creator James O'Barr (Eric's movements are based on the lean Pop's stage antics)., one can not escape the reality that Iggy Pop was way over his head acting wise in this. A far more seasoned actor could have turned Iggy Pop's "Curve" into a great scene stealer. As is, he may look the part and at times even act the part, but he never IS the part. Now I think about those statements and not sure that they're valid. Its very likely his best parts of the performance along with other plot elements are laid to waste on the cutting room floor.

    Now we get to the biggest flaw and that is the tampering done by the studio in regard to the romance..I read and still have the original script which wasn't bad at all but when the film was done, they did some knee-jerk cutting of the film when some test screenings showed people were weary of a romance between essentially a dead man and a woman who is alive. However, had the core audience been trusted, but more importantly, had Pope's original vision and script been trusted, they could have pushed that doomed relationship story arc further. It would have given the story a lot better balance than it has (when a director makes one film and the studio wants edits to make it something else, you lose a lot of story cohesion). Along with that, sticking to the original story would have given us a darker ending, but none the less, an ending truer to the story than the eluded to happy ending we have.

    The final trapping of the film is that with all of the input outside of the director's, too many story elements are repeated from the first film to try and make it more in line with it (the first film) than being something entirely of its own accord. This caused an even harsher reaction from fans as they saw this as merely being a product pushed on the coat tails of the first film.

    In the end its most definitely a very flawed film. Not great but not terrible. If you can find the original script, give it read. A much better script than final film due to studio tampering.
  • FilmFanatik
    February 23, 2010
    FilmFanatik
    "**** you, bird-dick!" That line alone should tell you something about this terrible sequel.
  • kiriyamakazou
    March 2, 2009
    kiriyamakazou
    Just as dark and just as dangerous as the first installment. Perhaps it is just too similar, with the bad guys and heroes being carbon copies of those from the first. The only real difference is the lead character. Following in Brandon Lee's footsteps is a tough job, especially b... read moreecause of the tragic circumstances. Luckily though, Perez isn't the same character. His Crow is a lot more disturbed. At both being The Crow and the events that have led to him donning the makeup. He also seems to take more, diabolical joy in his actions. It makes him harder to connect with, but this avenue should have been explored more. It becomes easy to forget why he is killing these people and it would have been interesting if the film purposefully disconnected it's "hero" in this way. The bad guys are far too into the whole Crow thing, with fortune telling and blood drinking. Once again there is an awesome soundtrack, but the film places too much faith in it's musical connections. Even casting Iggy Pop and Ian Dury. If you're into your dark and brooding tales, this is an easy watch. But not one that deserves too much attention.
  • puffchunk
    October 1, 2007
    puffchunk
    So bad... I hate people that love these movies.
  • gatorgirl13
    June 2, 2007
    gatorgirl13
    Not nearly as good as the first one but its watchable.
  • deano
    May 21, 2007
    deano
    It's great and believe this is not a sequel, but a virtual remake of the 1994 film, with French actor Vincent Perez as a motorcycle mechanic back from the dead to avenge his own murder including his son. This time, the urban-hell atmosphere is ever darker and dirtier. The chic de... read morespair and morbid obsession with death is overwrought, and at times unintentionally comic. Brandon Lee was the best original character avengeful hero.
  • garyX
    April 28, 2007
    garyX
    This dismal sequel goes to show what a loss the death of Brandon Lee really was. The original was stylish, exciting, and Lee oozed charisma. Perez has all the chemistry of a used tea bag. And (incomprehensibly considering the subject matter) it was boring.
  • superclerk25
    January 31, 2007
    superclerk25
    I liked this one fine but you could telll they really missed Brandon Lee.

View All The Crow: City of Angels Reviews

Critic Reviews

Owen Gleiberman
July 6, 2010
Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly

Even for teens hooked on the grandiloquence of death-metal masochism, the movie may seem closer to an endless Sunday in church. Full Review

Joe Leydon
May 3, 2007
Joe Leydon, Variety

Stunningly awful. Full Review

Richard Harrington
January 22, 2002
Richard Harrington, Washington Post

Fans of both O'Barr's source inspiration and Brandon Lee's initial embodiment may want to nit-pick, but this Crow has something to crow about. Full Review

Jack Mathews
February 14, 2001
Jack Mathews, Los Angeles Times

The city of overacting, the city of bad writing and the city of truly dreadful sequels. Full Review

Keith Simanton
January 1, 2000
Keith Simanton, Film.com

It verges on the misanthropic and necrophiliac; more in love with the absence of characters, their demise, than with flesh and blood.

Peter Stack
January 1, 2000
Peter Stack, San Francisco Chronicle

Comes across as a scattershot video with corny and contrived action scenes. Full Review

James Berardinelli
January 1, 2000
James Berardinelli, ReelViews

Little more than a subpar remake of the first outing. Full Review

Stephen Holden
January 1, 2000
Stephen Holden, New York Times

Utterly devoid of energy and shock value. Full Review

May 3, 2007
TV Guide's Movie Guide

Memo to Edward R. Pressman: Gloomy Goth teens like the Romeo and Juliet stuff, not parental devotion from beyond the grave. Full Review

February 9, 2006
Time Out

Although the setting has moved from Detroit to LA, the stylised urban wasteland, morbid atmosphere and basic plot remain the same. Full Review

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

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The Crow: City of Angels Trivia

  • name the 1996 movie based on the audio clip (hint vincent perez)  Answer »
  • "Life is only a dream on the way to death" Where does this line comes from?  Answer »
  • Who plays Curve in The Crow: City Of Angels?  Answer »
  • who reprised the role of eric draven in the film the crow 2 the city of angels  Answer »
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