Lessons From The Crow, Brandon Lee's Greatest Movie.

Had Brandon Lee been still alive, he would be 58 years old at the time that this article is being written. This is a young age by today's standards and it gives even more weight to the loss the world faced when Brandon Lee was shot dead while filming The Crow. His death was deemed accidental, but the element of fate is still being discussed to this day. This is due to the circumstances under which his father Bruce Lee, one of the most iconic martial artists of all time, died. Although the reasons for their deaths were different, there are enough similarities to wonder how decisive fate can be in linking the destinies of two exceptional individuals bound by blood.

Brandon Lee was not as iconic as his father, but he was amazing in his own right. His initial movies were considered average but The Crow was such a massive upgrade that one can only wonder what he would have done had he lived another thirty years. The movie gained a massive cult following and any suggestion of a remake is often met with fiery hostility, the kind that would get people rioting in the streets.

What makes The Crow so special? Different viewers will have different opinions but most will agree that it is visually stunning and that the main role was tailored for Brandon Lee almost to perfection. Could another actor have done just as well as Lee? Certainly. But back in 1993, he was the man for a role that would have a lasting impact on viewers. Another feature of The Crow that is highly appreciated is the quality of its soundtrack. It is as underground 1990s as it gets for a movie that is based on the idea of vengeance. Legacy aside, what lessons can we draw from The Crow? Well, quite a few actually. The ones below are personal suggestions.

1. Trauma goes a long way in bringing out the monster within us.

When Eric Draven, the protagonist played by Brandon Lee, is brought back from the dead by a supernatural crow, he has enough humanity to remember his past but is sufficiently damaged by the very same past to become a full-blown monster. Before ending up in a grave, Eric Draven and his girlfriend Shelly were both brutally murdered by a blood-thirsty gang because they dared protest against forced evictions at their apartment building. The crime boss, nicknamed Top Dollar, who controls the gang is as ruthless as he is utterly deranged despite his sophisticated demeanor. It is this enemy that a resuscitated Eric Draven must eliminate for his soul to find peace. His new identity is not that of a hero. Eric Draven, as The Crow, IS a monster. This is what is needed to fight another monster of the caliber of Top Dollar. Super powers certainly help, but it is the radical change in Draven's attitude that is the game changer. Had he and Shelly survived the attack, his moral framework might not have been completely broken but when you're back from the dead with nuclear levels of anger...you get the picture. Key lesson: Every human being lives with a certain level of trauma. Most of the time, this is carefully kept under wraps to achieve adequate functionality on a daily basis. However, when the trauma becomes too big to contain, the 'F*** you, I don't care' attitude can reach levels of unimaginable proportions.

2. Associating with the right people goes a long way in achieving resourcefulness.

Perhaps one of the lesser appreciated characters of the movie is Sarah, the young girl who was looked after by Eric and Shelly when they were both alive. Sarah comes from a very dysfunctional family and her mother Darla is a drug addict who does not seem to care much about her. Worse, Sarah must witness her mother prostituting herself to men who have no problem talking to Sarah like she is completely worthless. The death of Eric and Shelly looks like an insurmountable blow since they were the anchor of her fragile existence. Still, despite massive odds stacked against her, Sarah soldiers on. She remains close to police officer Daryl Albrecht who investigated the murder of her friends. Albrecht takes on the responsibility of supporting Sarah as often as he can and this goes a very long way in righting many wrongs. Sergeant Albrecht is not trying to be a hero. He is just trying to reasonably help a young girl who suffered losses that are too big to recover from. This association becomes critical when Eric Draven reappears as The Crow. Had Albrecht not been there for Sarah, the worst could have happened to her and Eric Draven's grief would have been even bigger. Key Lesson: Making it on one's own can only go so far. As heroic as The One-Man or One-Woman army might sound, it quickly reaches its limits without quality support.

3. Second chances are a luxury. Make sure you can afford them.

Eric Draven coming back from the dead as a gothic superhero thanks to a crow pecking on his grave is an original portrayal of the idea of the second chance. It would be nice to have a crow like that flying around if we happen to leave this world quicker that we expected. I do not question the movie's script but all things considered, Draven's second chance is very costly. For one, he has no choice but to go on a killing spree with the corresponding amount of damage. While he does succeed in getting revenge for what the criminals did to him and Shelly, he does go back to an original position: leaving Sarah behind for a second time. The movie viewers will focus on the avenger story, but had The Crow existed in real life would it have been worth bringing Draven back? Society loves the idea of second chances but they never seem to go through the cost/benefit analysis that they deserve. Key lesson: It's perfectly ok to fail once, but if a second chance comes around it is worth taking a hard look at what it will cost if it is taken.

Conclusion: The Crow will forever be among the movies that defined the 1990s due to its quality and the dramatic death of Brandon Lee. As with any art, some messages and interpretations only appear with time. I have no doubt that The Crow will unveil other lessons thirty years from now.

Good luck,

Ashley Boolell | www.ashleyboolell.com

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