The spirit of the Crow resurrects a car mechanic seeking revenge for the murder of his son.The spirit of the Crow resurrects a car mechanic seeking revenge for the murder of his son.The spirit of the Crow resurrects a car mechanic seeking revenge for the murder of his son.
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- 2 wins & 3 nominations
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Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaWhile the filmmakers and studio originally intended to create a substantially different film to the first one (out of respect for Brandon Lee), Miramax ordered the film to be re-edited so as to resemble the earlier one as much as possible. Tim Pope refused and he, along with David S. Goyer, eventually disowned the film, as it did not represent their vision.
- Goofs(at around 22 mins) When Ashe is getting dressed in the leathers, we see his hand running up the side of his leg. Here he is already wearing the long leather jacket. A few minutes later, he dramatically puts on the jacket (for the first time).
- Quotes
Ashe Corven: One crow, sorrow. Two crows, joy. Three crows, a letter! Four crows, a boy.
[flashback]
Ashe Corven: Let him go. He's just a child.
[now]
Ashe Corven: Five crows, silver. Six crows, gold! Seven crows, a secret never to be told.
- Alternate versionsThe following scenes were in the original 160 minutes long workprint version of the film, but were cut from the theatrical version by Miramax and Harvey Weinsten in order to make The Crow: City of Angels more like The Crow. Originally, it was very different film with lot darker tone and story, and lot more focus on ultimately tragic love story between Ashe and Sarah;
- Sarah had a longer voice over in the beginning of the film.
- There were more scenes between all the villains throughout original cut.
- Opening scene originally showed Ashe and Danny being killed and more of gang's cruel mockery of them.
- Scene where Sarah is in her loft and has visions of Ashe's death was longer and it showed her being more freaked out by those visions.
- Scene where Sarah is tattooing her customer was longer and included him getting nervous and leaving to vomit in the bathroom, so she gives him some wine to calm his nerves.
- Scene where Curve attacks Noah and Sarah and the following scene of Sarah breaking down in parking lot originally took place in this part of the film. There was also some more dialogue between Noah and Sarah.
- Scene with Sarah and the Crow in her loft was longer.
- While he is underwater Ashe remembers reading stories to Danny.
- All the flashbacks throughout original cut showing Ashe and Danny were also longer.
- After Sarah takes him to her loft and he wakes up, Ashe does not believe he is dead so Sarah takes the kitchen knife and stabs him with it. Scared Ashe than runs away as in theatrical version.
- Ashe's last name (Corven) is clearly revealed as he runs back to his garage after his resurrection. The garage reads "Corven's Body Shop".
- Scene where mad Ashe is trashing his garage in a fit of rage was longer, and had more dialogue between him and Sarah, including Ashe talking more about Danny.
- Ashe originally had more of a "Poetic" dialogue, because he inherits a new personality after he is resurrected by the crow.
- When Ashe is going after Spidermonkey at the Trinity Drug Plant, he takes Spidermonkey's gun and says, "Don't try this at home, kids!", shoots himself in the head and falls on ground. Then as Spidermonkey approaches, Ashe gets up, scaring Spidermonkey.
- There was a scene which showed Ashe arriving at Live Girl building before Nemo.
- After killing Nemo, Ashe confronts Holly Daze, the stripper who was talking to Nemo at Live Girl building. Ashe grabs her and looks into her eyes, seeing all the sexual humiliation she went through her whole life. He tells her that she should value what's left of her soul and to never come back "here" again.
- After finding Nemo's dead body and Ashe's phone call, there was a dialogue scene between Curve and Kali, and when Curve walks out he sees the Crow.
- In original version, when Ashe builds Danny's grave he does not burn his painting.
- Originally, there was more dialogue and love scenes between Ashe and Sarah.
- Sarah tells Ashe about her past, about Eric and the events of the first film and how her mother Darla eventually became a junkie again and OD'd, causing Sarah to briefly fall into drugs before going clean and leaving Detroit with Gabriel. She also tells Ashe about Grace, thus explaining Ashe's run in with Grace, which originally took place after this scene. Ashe also tells her more about his own past before she finally tells him that if he refuses to leave the world of the living, he will be damned.
- Scene between Judah, Curve, Kali, and Sybil in the tower is longer and shows more of Curve's growing fear and paranoia and tension between him and Kali.
- The other scene in Judah's tower is also longer, and establishes how Judah figures out he needs the blood of the Crow.
- Curve and Kali's interrogation of Noah was longer, and Curve gets angry with Kali for murdering him, but she justifies herself by saying Noah dishonored her by calling her a bitch. Curve discovers Sarah's address in some business papers, thus explaining how Kali and the Twins knew where she lived. When they leave, Curve feels his crow tattoo bleeding and flees in terror, knowing he's next.
- In this workprint/original cut of the film Kali's and Curve's deaths happened the other way around.
- In the scene where Ashe is being shot by thugs at bar while Curve escapes, Ashe grabs the shotgun he took earlier when he killed Nemo and kills the thugs.
- The final confrontation between Ashe and Curve was longer, with Ashe quoting A Rendezvous with Death poem to freak Curve out, which is effective when he screams "You think I'm afraid of you?!" before rushing at Ashe in a kamikaze move.
- When Ashe blows up Curve's motorcycle with his shotgun, Curve is on the ground with his crotch on fire. Glimpse of this scene is still visible in theatrical version when Curve hits the ground. After the crash, Ashe tosses the shotgun away.
- After dragging the injured Curve into the river, Ashe takes Curve's handgun and puts it into his coat. It's hard to see in theatrical version, but once Curve starts floating away his handgun disappears from his pants.
- Scene where Kali and the Twins break into Sarah's loft was longer, with them shooting at her apartment door features, and Sarah trying to hide in the bathroom, where she hides Gabriel in a closet before Kali drags her out. Kali says that Judah has given orders for Sarah not to be harmed, but she still wants to see Sarah suffer so orders the Twins to destroy her loft and personally slashes Sarah's paintings herself.
- The fight scene between Ashe and Kali was originally longer and had Kali using a 2x4, which Ashe dodges and proceeds to break Kali's arm. Ashe 'psychotic' behavior also continued in this scene.
- When Kali is thrown out of the window, a shadow of a giant crow morphing into Ashe is visible showing that the Crow and Ashe are one. This shot is actually one of the shots of the deleted scenes which can still be seen in theatrical and TV trailers for the film.
- Kali's death is different. She is still alive, though crippled and unable to move, due to her back being broken after being thrown out of the window, and she is seen crawling along the ground. Ashe comes out of nowhere and Kali begs him to kill her because she is in pain. Ashe refuses and smiles as he stands over her, telling her that he has already sent her to Hell
- Sarah's scene with Judah and Sybil was much longer, and Judah reveals Noah's death to Sarah to torment her and his motivations in wanting the crow's power; he tells her how when he was a child, he had a near-death experience when fell into icy water, drowning and nearly dying and visiting Hell before he was revived. He enjoyed what he saw but came back with forbidden knowledge and compares it to what Hamlet's father said about the afterlife, leading to his obsession with the occult and becoming the way that he is, and now he wants the power to defeat death itself and uses Dante's Inferno as an example of what to do. To escape hell one must go to its center and to defeat death one must trade places with it.
- Judah explains what the Camera Obscura is to Sarah before showing her the misericords.
- Ashe's talk with the ghost of Danny was different. Instead of Danny saying to Ashe "If you give up now, we won't be together" Danny is pleading for his dad to come to the land of the dead, telling him if he keeps fighting they can never be together again. Ashe can't bring himself to abandon Sarah, so forces himself to refuse, cursing himself to live on earth for eternity (since he is already dead and hence can't die). But Danny warns Ashe in a dark voice, hinting at some other dark spirit involved in the Crow, before pleading with his dad one last time and saying a tearful goodbye before vanishing into the crowd.
- After Ashe wakes up from his vision, he catches a glimpse of a small child-like figure in the crowd. and chases after what he thinks is Danny into the crowd, only to run into a drunk dwarf who mocks Ashe, thinking he wants sex.
- Judah bursts out of the doors of the tower with newfound raw strength, using the chains that held the door to attack Ashe.
- Ashe and Judah's fight was much longer and more personal, with more dialogue between them during the fight before Ashe pulls out Curve's handgun which he took from him earlier and unloads it into Judah's chest, who withstands it and then begins to lay a brutal beat down on Ashe, while the crowd think it's just a show that Judah is putting on for them in celebration of Day of the Dead. Ashe tries to punch Judah, but Judah crushes his hand.
- Sybil explains herself to Sarah after freeing her, saying that the Judah she once loved is gone and could take over the world with his newfound invincibility if he's not stopped. As Sarah gets into an elevator and heads for the street, Sybil begs God to forgive her for her part in Judah's evil.
- Judah was originally violently ripped and torn apart by the crows, his flesh torn from his body before his still living and screaming skeleton is taken away by the murder of crows.
- After the crows have taken Judah, Ashe looks down at his hands. His wounds close up and the blood is gone from his mouth. By passing through him, they have "cleaned" his body. This explains the goof in the theatrical version where the blood on Ashe's mouth is suddenly gone in the next shot when he lays down by Sarah on the ground.
- In original version, Sarah's death was longer, with Ashe crying the whole time. Ashe says he stayed on earth for her. Sarah gives Ashe her ring and tells him that "If two people really love each other, nothing can keep them apart.. nothing." Ashe cries. Sarah tells him that she'll wait for him, "Forever if i have to." Because Ashe chose Sarah on Earth over Danny in Heaven which led to her (an innocent person) being killed, Ashe must stay on Earth forever as part of the undead without her or Danny.
- Ending was very different than the one which was re-shot for theatrical version. Scene where Ashe carries dead Sarah to the church was longer. Trailers for the film show parts of the original ending, like Ashe kissing Sarah when he puts her on altar. This ending also featured Ashe wearing Sarah's ring like Brandon Lee's character Eric did in the first movie. When he sits down, he is looking at Sarah's ring (also shown in trailers). The word "Forever" is inscribed inside of it. The priest from earlier in the film enters the church and, knowing that Ashe is walking dead, asks why he is "still here". Ashe replies that he has no where to go. Priest then asks Ashe, "What will you do now, my son", slightly angered Ashe replies (since he is cursed to walk the earth for eternity) "This city is full of shadows, one more won't make it any darker." He leaves the church to find the sun rising, and clutches the ring to his chest before the scene where he sees Grace and talks to her.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Hole: Gold Dust Woman (1996)
- SoundtracksIn a Lonely Place
Performed by Bush
Produced by Tricky
Written by Ian Curtis (as I. Curtis), Peter Hook (as P. Hook), Stephen Morris (as S. Morris) and Bernard Sumner (as B. Summer)
Courtesy of Fractured Music (all rights controlled by Zomba Enterprises, Inc. for the U.S. and Canada (ASCAP) / Zomba Music Publishers, Ltd. for the rest of the world)
Recorded at Platinum Island Studios (New York) and Bush 8-Track (London)
Engineered by Rock (New York) and Pely (London)
Assistant Engineer: Vaughan Sessions
Mixed by Tricky at Platinum Island Studios (New York)
Bush appear courtesy of Trauma / Interscope Records
Featured review
Many people who claim to be crowfans say that this film isn't what the Crow is all about but they don't bother to explain why. Many of those people only like the first film and nothing else. While the first movie is my favorite film, it's sequel is certainly worthy of the Crow title and upholds the mythology set by the first film.
This movie could have been better than it was, however. 1/4 of the movie was left on the cutting room floor. Alternate dialogue. Alternate endings. The very good fight/death scene of Kali was actually a great scene beforehand. She doesn't die as soon as she is thrown out the window, but there is some additionally dialogue that expands both her character and the character of Ashe.
When a powerless Ashe falls from grace at the end of the film, rather than Danny's ghost telling his father that "if you stop now, we can never be together", Danny tells Ashe that "it's time to go" but Ashe refuses because he can't leave Sarah to die. With that, Danny turns his back on his father and we don't see him for the rest of the film. This scene solifies Ashe's internal conflict in a very tragic, heart-breaking manor.
What internal conflict you ask? Ashe was torn on whether or not he should complete his mission and join his son in the afterlife or stay with Sarah in the world of the living. You weren't aware of this in the film? It was really only hinted at in the current version. So it all ends happily right? Ashe, Sarah, and Danny are cross into the land of the dead and we have one big happy family, right? Wrong. In the original version, Ashe doesn't go back because his crow is too...well, dead to carry his soul back to the land of the dead. So he is forced to walk the earth separated from those he really loves.
COA was originally a more depressing take on the themes of the first film. There was less similarity in story. Saldy, many scenes were cut for no reason and the ending was changed to make the film more hollywood. What could have been a great film with a great story turned out to be a visually impressive film with vague bits and pieces of a story. It didn't have the deep emotional story of the first because it didn't try to. It was a rather depressing drama of a hero who succeeds and fails at the same time. A different take on the Crow.
But the complaints of the story being too similar does ring true here. Mostly because the stuff that made it different was cut. The makers were probably afraid of fan backlash. Ironic, huh? Vincent Perez was AWESOME as Ashe. I like Brandon Lee better, but Perez manages to give a good performance of a man who contemplates what exactly to do with the second chance he's been given. He also has the insanity thing going well for him. He's different from Brandon Lee/Eric Draven. Standouts from the supporting cast are Iggy Pop and Thomas Jane. Jane's strip club scene was hilarious and Iggy gives a badly written role more energy than it deserved. His scenes with Vincent were great.
There were downsides besides the ones I just mentioned. The movie lacked the good action sequences of the first film. There were a few stand outs but that's it. I was displeased that they never showed Ashe's wounds heal up. The final confrontation between Ashe and Judah should've been longer. The CGI in the movie was terrible. Judah should have been savagely picked apart when he was attacked by the crows, not disappear into nothing. The girl who played Sarah could get extremely annoying at times and the early scenes that focus on her are quite boring. It takes a bit too long for Ashe to get painted up and start on his mission. Why some of the crap scenes were left in and some of the good parts were cut out is a mystery.
Oh and for those who complain about this movie disrespecting Brandon Lee, how do you figure that? Really, I'd like to know. I've heard that this movie was done for money...all movies are done for money. Yes, even the first Crow.
All in all, COA does have serious problems and an annoying plothole or two, but it is far from one of the worst movies ever. See it if you liked the first film and you're looking for an alternative story with the same themes.
Current Version-6 If the original footage was left intact-8.5 or 9
This movie could have been better than it was, however. 1/4 of the movie was left on the cutting room floor. Alternate dialogue. Alternate endings. The very good fight/death scene of Kali was actually a great scene beforehand. She doesn't die as soon as she is thrown out the window, but there is some additionally dialogue that expands both her character and the character of Ashe.
When a powerless Ashe falls from grace at the end of the film, rather than Danny's ghost telling his father that "if you stop now, we can never be together", Danny tells Ashe that "it's time to go" but Ashe refuses because he can't leave Sarah to die. With that, Danny turns his back on his father and we don't see him for the rest of the film. This scene solifies Ashe's internal conflict in a very tragic, heart-breaking manor.
What internal conflict you ask? Ashe was torn on whether or not he should complete his mission and join his son in the afterlife or stay with Sarah in the world of the living. You weren't aware of this in the film? It was really only hinted at in the current version. So it all ends happily right? Ashe, Sarah, and Danny are cross into the land of the dead and we have one big happy family, right? Wrong. In the original version, Ashe doesn't go back because his crow is too...well, dead to carry his soul back to the land of the dead. So he is forced to walk the earth separated from those he really loves.
COA was originally a more depressing take on the themes of the first film. There was less similarity in story. Saldy, many scenes were cut for no reason and the ending was changed to make the film more hollywood. What could have been a great film with a great story turned out to be a visually impressive film with vague bits and pieces of a story. It didn't have the deep emotional story of the first because it didn't try to. It was a rather depressing drama of a hero who succeeds and fails at the same time. A different take on the Crow.
But the complaints of the story being too similar does ring true here. Mostly because the stuff that made it different was cut. The makers were probably afraid of fan backlash. Ironic, huh? Vincent Perez was AWESOME as Ashe. I like Brandon Lee better, but Perez manages to give a good performance of a man who contemplates what exactly to do with the second chance he's been given. He also has the insanity thing going well for him. He's different from Brandon Lee/Eric Draven. Standouts from the supporting cast are Iggy Pop and Thomas Jane. Jane's strip club scene was hilarious and Iggy gives a badly written role more energy than it deserved. His scenes with Vincent were great.
There were downsides besides the ones I just mentioned. The movie lacked the good action sequences of the first film. There were a few stand outs but that's it. I was displeased that they never showed Ashe's wounds heal up. The final confrontation between Ashe and Judah should've been longer. The CGI in the movie was terrible. Judah should have been savagely picked apart when he was attacked by the crows, not disappear into nothing. The girl who played Sarah could get extremely annoying at times and the early scenes that focus on her are quite boring. It takes a bit too long for Ashe to get painted up and start on his mission. Why some of the crap scenes were left in and some of the good parts were cut out is a mystery.
Oh and for those who complain about this movie disrespecting Brandon Lee, how do you figure that? Really, I'd like to know. I've heard that this movie was done for money...all movies are done for money. Yes, even the first Crow.
All in all, COA does have serious problems and an annoying plothole or two, but it is far from one of the worst movies ever. See it if you liked the first film and you're looking for an alternative story with the same themes.
Current Version-6 If the original footage was left intact-8.5 or 9
- Zophael979
- Mar 10, 2001
- Permalink
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Official sites
- Language
- Also known as
- El cuervo 2: ciudad de ángeles
- Filming locations
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $13,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $17,917,287
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $9,785,111
- Sep 2, 1996
- Gross worldwide
- $17,917,287
- Runtime1 hour 24 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1
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