Believe in the power of another

"I believe there's a place where the restless souls wander. Burdened by the weight of their own sadness they cannot enter heaven. And so they wait, trapped between this world and the next, endlessly searching for a way to rid themselves of their pain - in the hope that somehow, some day, they will be reunited with the ones they Love."

I was not disappointed.

Though the original is the better film, the second outing is a good movie as far as I'm concerned. Extremely moving, gripping, and beautifully filmed. Though the storyline is a virtual clone of the original, the differences are frequent enough to make it interesting, and the similarities can be regarded as symbolic. The mood of the film, as well as its look, are very different. The original had very dark, gothic overtones, and a very earthy, gritty atmosphere. The use of yellow lights and sepia toned sets lend a very artistic, elegant feel to "City of Angels".

Ashe (the new inheritor of the Crow's burden.) is quite different from Eric Draven. Vincent Perez does a good job in differentiating his performance from that of Brandon Lee. Lee's character was not only in spiritual agony, he also comes off as somewhat less than sane. This facet of Eric Draven is best displayed in the scene where he returns to the loft that he shared with Shelly. Eric, unable to cope with the tragedy that overcame his life, remakes himself in death. Forming a persona that is both capable of dealing with the tragedy, and also able to carry out his mission of vengeance, Eric paints his face in the pattern of the theatrical mask of irony. Ashe is different in manner. Being filled with an even greater rage (if such is possible), and also passion, which surfaces in several of his scenes with Sarah (Mia Kirshner). This passion leads to a spiritual conflict within the new avatar. A portion of him wishes to join his departed son, Daniel, in death. However, a part of him also wishes to remain with Sarah in the land of the living. In contrast, Eric Draven's only desire is to complete his dark task so that he might return to Shelly, whom he loved beyond all else.

It must also be mentioned that the theatrical release of COA is not the film that Tim Pope had originally intended. In his original cut, the film had several different scenes, and a vastly different ending. Miramax/Dimension films demanded that certain changes be made, and the result was a shorter film that was cut to resemble the original to a greater degree. The biggest changes damaged the film's narrative, particularly at the end, and in the eyes of many, the film suffered greatly as a result of Miramax's meddling. Here's a list of some of the most important changes, courtesy of Wikipedia:

• After Ashe's resurrection and Sarah takes him back to her loft and he wakes up. He doesn't want to believe that he is dead, so Sarah stabs him in the chest with a kitchen knife to prove her claim. Ashe, with a look of horror and disbelief, pulls the knife out of his chest. He then runs away like in the released theatrical version.

• In the Ashe/Spider-Monkey's Ashe picks up a pistol and says, "Don't try this at home, kids" before shooting himself in the head to display his invincibility. Ashe then collapses to the ground faking death. As Spider-Monkey approaches him, Ashe pops back up to his feet and scares Spider-Monkey.

• After Nemo is killed, Ashe grabs Holly Daze (the stripper Nemo was visiting) and tells her not to return to the strip-club.

• Ashe doesn't burn Danny's painting. Instead, it falls out of Ashe's coat pocket during the Ashe/Judah finale scene where Judah rips it up.

• Kali is still alive after being thrown out of the window. Kali then commands/begs Ashe to finish her quickly, rather than let her die slowly. Ashe refuses and leaves her to die slowly and in torment, as some nearby thugs descend on her.

• Ashe changes from a crow then reverts back to human form when he goes down to Kali after throwing her out of the window.

• Judah tells Sarah when he's captured her about himself drowning and nearly dying leading to his obsession with evil and the occult.

• The ending is vastlydifferent. When Ashe sees the spectre of Danny at the festival, instead of Danny saying to Ashe "if you give up now, we won't be together", he instead says "It is time to go now" and Ashe refuses saying he has to save Sarah. By doing so he gives up his chance to return to heaven, damning himself to live on earth for eternity (since he is already dead and hence can't die). When he carries Sarah's body to the church the priest asks him "What will you do now, my son?" Ashe replies that he can't let another shadow take over Los Angeles. The flashback shown at the end of the released film that shows Ashe and Danny was originally at an earlier point in the film, and was a flashback to the trip they had taken up the coast.

• The screenplay aslo inferred that Sarah's love for Ashe would allow her to return as the newest avatar of the Crow.

Some of these scenes were included in the version shown later on Pay Per View (most notable among them being Kali's extended death), a version that was somewhat truer to Pope's vision. Unfortunately, for some reason, this version wasn't included in the film's later DVD release. However, much of this can be seen in Kitchen Sink's comic adaptation of the film, and also Chet Williamson's novelisation. While these are out of print, they can be found online if you look, eBay being your best bet.

I will say that though I was moved by the film, it didn't bring the tears that the first one did (and still does). I hesitate to say why, because I'm not quite sure of the reason. Perhaps its because the death of Brandon Lee haunted me throughout the first, perhaps not. Nonetheless, it doesn't detract from my opinion of "City of Angels". I still enjoy it for many reasons.

Lastly, in the January/February 1997 issue of Cinescape, reviewer Frieda Noone summed up the film wonderfully in her video review.

"If you accept that the CROW: City of Angels is not really a movie, then it's quite possible to enjoy it. More a visually intense tone poem than a film, City of Angels resembles a lavish picture book - which is the medium from which the CROW films sprang."

That about sums it up. If you haven't seen the film, then drop your preconceived notions about the Crow sequel and avoid the easy temptation of comparing it to the original film. Accept the fact that this is indeed another time, another place, and another Crow avatar. Watch it with an open mind and judge it on its own merit.

City of Angels: Sub-Navigation

Intro | COA Soundtrack/Score | Lyrics