I don’t know why I by no means obtained round to seeing the THE CROW sequel from the director of SIX-STRING SAMURAI. All the time was curious. Nonetheless took me 19 years. Lance Mungia’s THE CROW: WICKED PRAYER, identical to the earlier one, was meant for theaters, however I feel it solely performed someplace round right here? Wiki(dprayer)pedia says its theatrical run was solely in Seattle and just for one week, and I do bear in mind seeing an advert for it and being confused, however I used to be pondering it was in Japanese Washington. Anyway, I didn’t go.

It’s the one THE CROW film up to now with a author/director. Mungia wrote the script with THE CROW collection producer Jeff Most, after which there was a rewrite by Sean Hood (HALLOWEEN: RESURRECTION, CUBE 2: HYPERCUBE, Masters of Horror: Sick Woman, CONAN THE BARBARIAN, THE LEGEND OF HERCULES). Oddly it’s “impressed by” a circa-2000 THE CROW tie-in novel by Norman Partridge, who later wrote the e-book Darkish Harvest that turned a reasonably cool film final 12 months.

What I didn’t count on is that it’s just a little like what I image the unproduced Rob Zombie CROW film would’ve been like – loosely linked to the unique idea however with a very completely different tone and aesthetic. Zombie’s film would’ve been extra fashionable, I’m positive, however I wouldn’t have been shocked if it had a redneck satanic priest villain, his gang every named after the 4 Horsemen of the Apocalypse, driving personalized autos with their names airbrushed on the aspect, tormenting harmless victims whereas sporting feathered cranium masks. And Danny Trejo as a tribal council chief/Christian preacher.

WICKED PRAYER takes place in “the polluted mining city of Lake Ravasu,” which “sits on the Raven Aztec Reservation.” The tribe is about to shut “the poisonous mine to open a Resort On line casino,” so identical to the cities of the primary two and the… generic Salt Lake Metropolis warehouse district of the third one this can be a place with little hope. Polluted mine and on line casino each have destructive connotations. Within the opening scene individuals are protesting the mine (Why? Didn’t you simply inform me they’re closing it?) whereas on the opposite aspect of the fence the miners chant “Save our jobs!” The title card says “the miners are at a breaking level.”

Then we see three completely different staff, seemingly sleeper brokers, on the point of do one thing huge. They’re given freeze body introductory playing cards telling us their names and in addition their motives. For instance:

There’s Battle (Marcus Chong, THE MATRIX, PANTHER) hanging up his helmet and pulling out a shotgun, Famine (former UFC Mild Heavyweight Champion Tito Ortiz) leaving his taco truck after poisoning a bunch of the miners, and Pestilence (Seattle’s personal Yuji Okumoto, NEMESIS) pulling up in his El Camino, kicking some guys and spraying himself with poisonous waste for enjoyable. The playing cards are telling us what they’re indignant about: Battle misplaced three brothers (working within the mine?), Famine was rejected from the tribe for being a “halfbreed,” and Pestilence has most cancers from working the mine. So I assume they’re gonna go on a rampage towards… everyone?

In the meantime, by a close-by church, prisoners from the county jail are doing pressured labor on the street. A sniper, Lola Byrne (Tara Reid, JOSIE AND THE PUSSYCATS) scopes out the cops from the steeple. Once they get phrase that the protest on the mine is popping right into a riot they attempt to collect up the prisoners, and put a bag over one’s head. Lola fires a shot that breaks the prisoner’s wrist chain and detonates an explosion (or possibly that half’s taking place in one other location?) and the prisoner beats down the cops and pulls the bag off to disclose he’s David Boreanaz, star of VALENTINE, as Luc Crash, a.okay.a. Dying, chief of the gang. Or truly as the cardboard places it…

Then we meet our protagonist Jimmy Cuervo (Edward Furlong, PET SEMATARY TWO), who lives in a rusty motor residence full of rooster feathers, empty Modelo bottles and dwell scorpions. Though Furlong is significantly youthful than Boreanaz, Jimmy and Luc grew up collectively, however had a falling out. Despite the fact that Jimmy’s not evil like Luc, everyone on the town thinks he’s a bit of shit as a result of he killed a child in a struggle exterior his highschool promenade. Even right this moment individuals are freshly spraypainting “INJUN KILLER” on his residence.

Issues are trying up although as a result of his parole ends at midnight and the one one who likes him, his radiant girlfriend Lilly (Emmanuelle Chriqui, 13), has agreed to run off to “the coast”. She simply has a pure love for him, doesn’t look like she sees him as a foul boy, however her dad Padre Harold (Trejo, DEATH WISH 4: THE CRACKDOWN) and massive brother Sheriff Tanner (Dave Baez, CASA DE LOS BABYS) strongly object to the connection and preserve attempting to scare Jimmy off.

Right here’s why this looks like a compelling THE CROW sequel at first: for the primary time, they’ve a drastically completely different character within the lead. Eric Draven match the city gothic fashion of THE CROW, and the The Remedy/9 Inch Nails/Jesus and Mary Chain compilation soundtrack. Jimmy Cuervo exists in a world with extra of a dusty spaghetti western vibe, a guitar-and-flute-centric rating by Jamie Christopherson (BOA VS. PYTHON, John Woo’s Stranglehold), and songs by “The Gunslingers that includes Lance Mungia.” He doesn’t appear to be Eric Draven, doesn’t appear to be he may hang around with Eric Draven, probly wouldn’t give a fuck about Eric Draven’s band. He’s a working class, trailer park fuck up, attempting to do higher, and keen to appear to be a dork doing it. To run off with and suggest to his girlfriend he places on an outdated swimsuit that’s means too huge for him, like a hand-me-down. He owns a overwhelmed up little hatchback painted just like the Normal Lee from Dukes of Hazzard, however the engine received’t begin, so he takes his bouquet of flowers and rides a motorbike with a banana seat to go meet her.

On his means there, Lilly’s huge brother aspect swipes him along with his cop automobile so Jimmy falls down within the grime. However he’s used to consuming shit, so he holds his head excessive, lights a cigarette, has some fairly good wiseass comebacks.

Sadly Jimmy and Lola are targets of Dying and his gang, as a result of they wish to do a ritual that requires sacrificing an Indian with blue eyes who has “redeemed a killer’s coronary heart with love.” (Small world.) So earlier than he can suggest he and his sweetheart get strung up, she loses her eyes, he loses his coronary heart, their our bodies are put in an outdated fridge and dumped in a pond. Lola magically attain’s Lilly’s “shaman’s eyes,” part of Lilly she has at all times envied, however paradoxically they trigger her to recollect the killings from Lilly’s point-of-view and be horrified by them.

They preserve mentioning that the ritual is gonna make Luc turn out to be Devil, no matter meaning. To provide you an instance of his humorousness, he has all of them eat deviled ham, deviled eggs and satan’s meals cake “dusted with Lola’s magical peyote combine.” Whereas they’re tripping out, Jimmy crawls out of the fridge, screams in anguish, and throws a toaster on the crow. As you or I might. When he finds Lilly’s physique he says, “Oh my god, what have I completed,” which I assumed was fascinating. Placing it on himself. He solely realizes he’s unkillable as a result of he tries to shoot himself.

I don’t know if he’s conversant in the earlier CROW motion pictures or what, however for some cause he decides he has to wrap black rags round his arms, placed on lipstick, choker and trench coat, goth it up. The mime make-up is defined with a reminiscence of Lilly making him up that means as a joke, and the twist is he attracts it on with Sharpie. Now he seems like what we affiliate with The Crow as he units his trailer on hearth and walks away in gradual movement and the crow (raven?) lands on his shoulder. I can perceive why they felt that they had to do that, however for me it kinda kills the film, it doesn’t look like the identical man anymore, he simply looks like a complete poser, a lot much less fascinating and funky than once they have been going out of their technique to keep away from a faux Brandon Lee.

Then he goes round bugging his eyes out like a loopy man, speaking intensely to individuals, all of the sudden he does just a little primary martial arts and jumps and stuff. There’s a scene I like the concept of the place he tries to consolation a lady (Rena Owen, ONCE WERE WARRIORS, voice of Taun We, ATTACK OF THE CLONES), who’s suicidal as a result of Luc killed her husband throughout an assault on a kind of Vegas fashion quickie marriage ceremony chapels this small city apparently has for some cause. Then Jimmy’s trying round at her household images and realizes that is the mom of the man he killed again within the day.

However the cause he realizes it’s that she has a framed article along with his mugshot and the headline “LAKE RAVASU TEEN SLAYS LOCAL FOOTBALL STAR.” I personally wouldn’t wish to preserve a framed article about my son’s “slaying.” That’s one of many causes I had a tough time taking the scene critically.

When Jimmy flashes again to that traumatic day we will see that he solely attacked the man to cease a sexual assault. And it’s not like he saved beating on him too lengthy, it was only a fast accident. So it appears far more justifiable than anybody ever acknowledges, and he doesn’t attempt to defend it.

One be aware concerning the marriage ceremony chapel scene: there’s a great joke the place Lola tries to decide on the bride for a virgin sacrifice however she turns round and may be very pregnant.

For their very own marriage ceremony/satanic ritual they go to a much bigger church, one changed into a strip membership referred to as Iniquity the place they get frisked by Macy Grey (THE PAPERBOY) after which go to El Niño (Dennis Hopper, WATERWORLD), a pimp on a throne sporting a coat with an enormous fur collar who agrees to be their officiant. Neither of these characters are within the film a lot, however it’s form of a thrill to throw them in there late within the recreation once we’ve already had a shocking variety of acquainted faces.

A lesser identified face that I occur to acknowledge is that of Michael Keaton’s BATMAN struggle double David Lea. He was the struggle and stunt coordinator for WICKED PRAYER, as he was on SALVATION. In that one he performed a doorman at a bar, right here he’s a bartender at a spot referred to as The Black Moth (the place bug zappers appear to be a part of the theming and one is used to zap a human). I gotta assume it’s the identical character taking no matter bar jobs he can get.

I feel Furlong was actually good casting for the alive half, however unhealthy casting for the The Crow half. They need to’ve let him do a brisker spin on it. If Mungia may make Buddy Holly with a sword cool I’m positive he may consider one thing higher to do with Furlong than gown him as Brandon Lee. The remainder of the solid fares higher, with Boreanaz being particularly energetic. I may also say sincerely that Reid brings one thing distinctive to the character. The enhancing makes her just a little inconsistent (seeming to thrill within the murders moments after having misgivings) however I feel she does a great job with Lola being jealous of Lilly, trying harm by Luc’s attraction to her, and in addition being the one one who begins to indicate regret, however not in a means that makes us assume she’s alleged to have depth to her. She’s simply form of a dummy who obtained swept up on this shit along with her asshole boyfriend. She additionally has a pair instances when she will get to say humorous issues, so she’s not simply an empty vessel, there’s extra cause for Luc to need her round aside from with the ability to use her.

I used to be too gradual to appreciate that Cuervo means raven. So it’s true that each one cinematic The Crows have bird-derived names. They usually work the crow theme in with the identify of the tribe, who even have an annual social gathering referred to as Rave-N Fest that will get ruined by Dying and pals. What a bunch of jerks and bums. The film additionally implies that the THE CROW mythos are tied to Native folklore when Lilly makes a speech imploring individuals to recollect “the outdated tales” the place “We’re instructed that when somebody dies the crow carries their soul to the land of the lifeless. Then typically, simply typically, the crow can deliver that soul again to launch it of its burden. To place the flawed issues proper.” Luc and Lola usually are not current for that speech however they have to’ve heard it on the radio as a result of they quote it later and make the connection that Jimmy is “the crow, like within the legend.”

I feel they’ve some fairly good concepts right here, however the storytelling is muddled – it’s laborious to parse Jimmy’s backstory, what Luc is attempting to do, whether or not or not he truly turns into Devil (since he doesn’t appear any completely different), or a number of the particulars concerning the city (for instance the specifics of Jimmy’s “aspect of the street” that everybody retains mentioning). However I may positively forgive a few of that if the story of Jimmy Cuervo was extra compelling. I simply assume when he turns into The Crow he’s so profoundly uncool as a personality that we will’t actually get enthusiastic about something he does. That righteous taunting of individuals he’s gonna kill already kinda grosses me out within the unique. After we get to the fourth technology dub of it there’s no excuse. Whilst residence viewers we’re too embarrassed to be related to this man.

However I do assume Mungia’s making an attempt so as to add some new layers to the usual THE CROW revenge situation, and I respect that. In an interview with JoBlo he mentioned, “I actually thought it was fascinating to take essentially the most unlikely hero doable, a man that everybody hated besides his real love, and make him the savior this city has been crying out for. I just like the underdog in Furlong. I additionally preferred that the villains may have simply as simply been abnormal individuals too at one level. That they selected the trail they’re on for good cause, all of them, as a result of no person thinks of themselves as unhealthy.”

There are a pair issues with that. Most notably, it could by no means happen to me from watching the film that the villains have been supposed to have some type of nuance to them. Luc is launched as a “Satanic Cult Chief” who makes a priest assume he’s going to burn him alive, says “Simply kidding,” then tries to shoot him. And naturally he cuts out the eyes and coronary heart of a pair outdated pals. I positively wouldn’t have identified his buddies had motives if it wasn’t written on display screen. They nonetheless play their characters as completely, cartoonishly, purely evil. That’s not a grievance, that’s what’s enjoyable about it, I assumed.

And so far as Jimmy being the savior of the city, I didn’t catch that. However the concept of getting the hero be flawed is an efficient one. As Mungia places it on the making-of featurette, “The opposite CROW motion pictures have been about an harmless taking revenge for a flawed. However my tackle it’s that you simply’re not an harmless. There are not any innocents. It’s like, you do one thing, they do one thing to you, there’s nonetheless repercussions for that.” I suppose Jimmy does get to homicide his killers, however the way in which the crow “places the flawed issues proper” on the finish is that Jimmy’s spirit (or no matter) will get to suggest to Lilly.

So there nonetheless shouldn’t be a great THE CROW sequel. CITY OF ANGELS is certainly the one with the most effective filmmaking (it seems attractive), however that is the one which’s essentially the most fascinating try to do one thing worthwhile. I’ll finish with a couple of screengrabs that present that on the very least it’s not nameless – it does the truth is appear to be the followup to SIX-STRING SAMURAI.

P.S. I haven’t been in a position to determine why, however there’s a “Equipment Carson” credited as co-producer, and yeah, IMDb says that’s L.M. Equipment Carson, the author of BREATHLESS (1983), PARIS, TEXAS and TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE 2. He additionally produced BOTTLE ROCKET, each the quick and the characteristic. Possibly he thought Mungia could possibly be one other Wes Anderson.