The Crow (1994)

May 21, 2022

1,438 6 minutes read

Film and Plot Synopsis

Visually stunning and action-packed, this hit movie, based on the comic book series, follows the return from the grave of a young rock guitarist who, along with his fiancée, is brutally killed by a ruthless gang of criminals. Exactly one year after his death, watched over by a hypnotic crow, he rises to seek revenge. Now, the search is on for an evil crime lord and his band of thugs, who must answer for their crimes. Featuring the final, and critically acclaimed film performance of Brandon Lee.

‘The Crow’ Movie Summary

The summary below contains spoilers.

“People once believed that when someone dies, a crow carries their soul to the land of the dead. But sometimes, something so bad happens that a terrible sadness is carried with it and the soul can’t rest. Then sometimes, just sometimes, the crow can bring that soul back to put the wrong things right.”

October 30th in Detroit is known as Devil’s Night. The crime lord, Top Dollar, enlists his minions to set various pieces of real estate ablaze, and murder anyone who resists them, to promote fear throughout the city. On this night, Sergeant Daryl Albrecht investigates a crime scene where a young couple, Eric Draven and Shelly Webster, were brutally attacked by Top Dollar’s gang. Shelly was raped and beaten, until Eric came home, saving his fiance’s life. Eric was shot, stabbed, and thrown from their apartment window, ultimately dying in the street. Shelly initially survives the attack but dies after thirty hours of fighting for her life in the hospital. Before Sergeant Albrecht heads to the hospital, to stand by Shelly during her fight, he has the unfortunate duty of telling a young girl, Sarah, that both of her friends are going to be gone forever.

We flash forward one year, where Sarah is visiting Eric and Shelly’s graves. But Sarah is not the only visitor. A lone crow sits atop Eric’s gravestone and begins to peck away at the monument. Magically, Eric’s grave opens, and he rises from his resting place. The crow leads Eric back to the ransacked apartment where he and Shelly were attacked. Eric has painful flashbacks of that horrific night but realizes he has become invincible and has the beastmaster-esque power of seeing through the eyes of the crow. Eric paints his face to resemble a clown mask he and Shelly owned, dresses all in black, then heads out to seek revenge on those who murdered his finance.

The crow leads Eric to one of the four gang members who murdered him, Tin Tin. Tin Tin, an expert in using knives, does everything he can to cut down Eric, but Eric is able to turn the tide. Eric uses Tin Tin’s own knives to persuade the butcher into confessing to his crimes, then places knives in all of Tin Tin’s vital organs, killing him. Eric takes Tin Tin’s long black leather jacket at the end of the battle, completing his iconic wardrobe. Eric makes his way to visit a local pawn shop owner named Gideon. Tin Tin had pawned Shelly’s engagement ring at Gideon’s shop. Eric successfully retrieved the ring, just before getting information about Tin Tin’s fellow gang member, Funboy, and his love nest at a bar called The Pit. To send out a warning to Top Dollar, Gideon’s shop is blown up and put out of business,forever.

On his way to The Pit, Eric stops by Albreht’s apartment to fill him in on who he really is and his mission to get revenge. Eric learns of Shelly’s thirty-hour struggle by simply touching Albrecht. As Eric leaves the apartment building, he saves Sarah from getting hit by a car. At this point, the young girl knows Eric is “alive,” even if she doesn’t fully believe it.

Eric immediately pays a visit to Funboy and his drugged-up girlfriend, Darla, at The Pit. Funboy shoots Eric three times but is unable to mortally wound him. Eric gets the gun from Funboy and shoot the gangster. Eric saves Darla from the morphine she injected into her system, then sends her on way out of The Pit. Eric tells Darla to go be a good mother to her daughter…Sarah. Eric turns his attention back to Funboy and kills him off by injecting him with syringes filled with lethal drugs.

Gideon goes to Top Dollar’s lair, where he rats out Eric to the crime lord. Top Dollar, his half-sister/lover, Myca, along with their enforcer, Grange, prepare for war with Eric, but Top Dollar finishes off Gideon first by stabbing the pawnbroker in the throat with a long sword then shooting him for good measure.

Eric sets his sights on the foreman of Top Dollar’s gang, T-bird. T-bird and Skank, the remaining members of the quartet that killed Shelly, get trailed to a convenience store, where Eric kidnaps T-bird. T-bird is subsequently taken on a fast and furious car ride to the docks, where Eric blows up the car and the criminal. Skank is allowed to live for another day, but he must report to Top Dollar about Eric’s activities. Grange goes to the cemetery to find Eric’s grave empty, so Top Dollar calls a meeting with all his street warriors to confirm their Devil’s Night plans.

Sarah goes to Eric and Shelly’s apartment to tell Eric about her “born again” mother and thank him for saving her life. Eric reveals himself to Sarah and promises to protect the girl from all evil that may come her way. Eric leaves Sarah to interrupt Top Dollar’s legion of doom meeting, to get revenge on Skank. Eric is eventually shot by the multitude of Top Dollar soldiers who attended the meeting, but he is able to kill all of them, including Skank, who gets tossed out of the gangster’s building. Top Dollar, Grange, and Myca are able to escape and work on a way to kill the deadman, once and for all. Myca tells her associates the crow will need to die because it is Eric’s connection to the powers making him omnipotent.

Eric decides to return to his grave now that Shelly’s killers have murdered. He and Sarah say their goodbyes and he passes on Shelly’s engagement ring to his young friend. However, this won’t be the last time they will see each other on this night. Top Dollar has Sarah kidnapped by Grange, who takes the girl to a nearby church where Top Dollar and Myca set a trap for Eric. The crow leads Eric to the church but is shot and wounded by Grange as it flies into the church. The magic powers Eric received from the crow are now negated, allowing him to be injured by the gun shots. Just when Top Dollar, Grange, and Myca take the upper hand, Sergeant Albrecht arrives and opens fire, saving the day, just before getting wounded himself.

Myca grabs hold of the grounded crow, wanting to pull its power for her own dastardly deeds. However, the crow uses the strength it has in its pecker to stab Myca, claw her eyes, and send her falling down a bell tower to a much-deserved death. Top Dollar takes Sarah through the bell tower to the roof to escape, just as Albrecht recovers to kill Grange. Eric chases after Top Dollar and they struggle on the roof of the church. Top Dollar confesses to Eric that he ordered the gang to murder Shelly and Eric, which further enrages Eric. Eric grabs ahold of Top Dollar and magically passes on Shelly’s thirty hours of pain and suffering, which he obtained from Albrecht. The overwhelming pain causes Top Dollar to fall from the roof top and become impaled on a metal cross. Eric saves Sarah, bringing her safely to the ground.

Shortly after the battle, Albrecht is taken to the hospital where he is treated for his wounds and Eric returns to his grave, for a permanent rest. Shelly’s spirit arrives at their grave sites to reward Eric for avenging their deaths. Now the couple can rest in peace together. Sarah comes to the cemetery to say goodbye to her friends yet again. The crow meets her at Eric’s grave site, returning Shelly’s engagement ring to her. The young girl will carry the symbol of Eric and Shelly’s undying love with her forever.

The end.