As a lifelong fan of dark, brooding antiheroes, I must say that Rupert Sanders has delivered a masterful adaptation of “The Crow.” The film is a testament to his love for psychologically complex stories and visually compelling cinema. It’s not often you find an action movie that dares to portray its protagonist as an unskilled fighter, but the team behind this film managed it beautifully.
Hey there fellow cinephiles! If you haven’t yet seen “The Crow” gracing our movie screens, beware! This discussion might just shatter your suspense if you’re not already up-to-speed with its entire plot.
Director Rupert Sanders acknowledges that “The Crow,” being his third movie, is likely to be viewed with a sense of nostalgia, given its association with the popular 1994 cult classic.
“He expresses that his intention was simply to create something. He acknowledged that some might not approve, but he clarified that he hadn’t erased anyone’s VHS tape – the original movie is still intact for those who cherish it.”
Nevertheless, Sanders feels assured about his fresh portrayal of the antihero character. In this movie, Bill Skarsgård’s character Eric and his fiancee Shelly, played by FKA Twigs, are brutally murdered by crime lord Vincent Roeg (Danny Huston). However, fate gives Eric a second chance as he transforms into a potent, sinister vigilante called The Crow, seeking vengeance against Roeg’s entire organization by systematically eliminating each member.
When directing the second film version based on the 1989 comic, the director drew upon particular sources for inspiration.
“He mentions his fondness for films such as ‘Jacob’s Ladder’ and ‘Angel Heart’. These movies captivate visually and explore the complexities of worlds beyond our own, delving into psychological realms. He is drawn to tales of darkly romantic love stories that carry a melancholic beauty, much like a Cure song. For him, these stories encompass themes of love, sorrow, and mourning. He wanted to engage with people through this emotional perspective. … Our film aspires to be emotionally impactful, aiming to rival the big names in this genre.”
One key aspect that Sanders emphasized was ensuring the romantic elements were as captivating as the intense action sequences, while avoiding mere spectacle in the fight scenes.
The focus is on ensuring that a character’s presence and emotional state are conveyed effectively during action scenes, according to him. Bill delivered an exceptional performance, particularly in the movie’s climax. Coated in blood and drained from the carnage, he pauses for a moment of breath, on the verge of tears as he fights back his emotions. He doesn’t wish to kill, yet he must. In every action scene, there is a scripted dialogue replaced by choreographed movements. Essentially, it appears as though Bill could be speaking throughout those scenes, and in the initial action sequence, we see someone who has no idea how to inflict pain, doesn’t want to hurt anyone, but is forced to slay 20 people, and is left shattered by his actions.
“He goes on to say, ‘There’s a monotonous tiredness that comes from constantly seeing bodies fly around and explode in repetition.’ Our film can stand out against larger movies in this regard. I hope our audience will be deeply moved by the characters, which will make action scenes more impactful for them. We haven’t redefined cinematic action – we didn’t have the budget to stage a White House explosion. Instead, we opted for raw, gritty realism and an exceptional performance from our lead actor.”
As a movie enthusiast, I myself believe in infusing emotion into high-octane sequences. In this production, it was I who emphasized the importance of heart and poignancy in our action scenes, a viewpoint that was echoed by our stunt coordinator, Adam Horton.
“In an early meeting, we went in a different direction,” Horton says. “We realized, ‘Wait a minute. This guy is a normal guy that, within the transition from being Eric, has just come back from the dead.’ He hasn’t gone to a martial arts class. He’s just come back to this vengeful state. So we wanted to strip that back, and it was all due to the direction from Rupert and input from Bill. ‘Let’s really ground him. He hasn’t suddenly become a martial artist because he’s become The Crow. He’s still himself. He feels the pain.’ We want to sell that, we want to feel his journey and be emotional with him, sympathize with him. We made it brawly: What would somebody that had no skill do if you handed them a sword?”
In most action films, it’s not typical to depict a character who isn’t proficient at fighting. However, Horton found an unusual source of inspiration for this portrayal – the 2004 romantic comedy “Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason.”
“He mentions that in ‘Bridget Jones’, there’s a lovely brawl between the main characters that takes place on the street, which eventually leads them into a fountain. It’s as if they’ve never fought before – it’s been staged, but it feels so genuine. You can sense that instinctive reaction to act, rather than the audience being able to predict his moves.”
Just like numerous heartbreaking love tales, “The Crow” concludes with a melancholic yet passionate twist. In this case, Eric completes his grisly odyssey and is presented with the option to resurrect Shelly, provided he agrees to be exiled to the underworld.
The interview with Skarsgård in May’s Esquire sparked a minor uproar concerning the movie’s finale, as the actor seemed to suggest a preference for a more conclusive ending, which some interpreted as making sequels simpler. However, director Sanders feels that the film does not leave room for easy continuations in the future.
In an ironic twist, he asserts that statement isn’t accurate at all. If by some chance there is a sequel in the future, perhaps 30 years from now, they’ll need to find a creative way to resolve their legal predicament since it’s definitely not about moving forward to the next event. Presenting such a scenario would be uninspired and not reflective of the spirit in which we produced the film.
“Bill and I likely watched five endings together, while I trimmed approximately 20 others, he says. “I believe that the editing and cinematic language, rather than words, are what truly make the film exceptional. The final scene was a result of much experimentation: figuring out how to create an emotionally impactful ending. The characters we’ve followed throughout the movie cannot reunite, but we want the audience to feel that it was all worthwhile. Our chosen ending is fitting for the movie and carries a strong sense of finality. It’s not what you’d expect, it’s not happy, and it definitely isn’t hinting at a sequel.”
That said, Sanders has plenty of big ideas of what future installments could look like.
“He finds it challenging since it’s a heartwelt story about two characters. There were several creative concepts I had planned and pondered that were part of the script drafts or intriguing aspects I was incorporating, but they didn’t seem fully developed yet. As for his character’s path, I’m captivated by the notion of teleportation like Nightcrawler between worlds, manipulating people, and the imbalance of power between them – it’s truly fascinating.”
“There have been conversations about it, and my mind at the moment is a bit of a … I’ve given all I can creatively,” he continues. “But I’m sure a couple of weeks sitting around doing nothing after the film’s been off my radar for a bit, I’ll start to get the itch and start thinking, ‘Maybe it could be…’ But we’ll see. If we’re lucky enough to have those conversations, it would be great. And I’m sure that collectively the team behind this could deliver something incredible for the next chapter.”
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2024-08-24 02:17