Crow, The: City of Angels MPAA Rating: R Entertainment: +2 1/2 Content: -3

Partly because of the accidental death of its star, Brandon Lee, THE CROW enjoyed some box office success and spawned this sequel. Lee's character does not return. Ashe (Vincent Perez) and his young son are murdered when they accidentally encounter some drug dealers. Death is not the end, however, as Ashe is resurrected, apparently by a mystical crow. He wanders through Los Angeles, taking his revenge by killing everyone responsible for his murder, and confronts druglord Judah Earl (Richard Brooks). This film copies the original, without Lee's strong presence to carry its limited story line. A blaring hard rock score and rapid-fire editing make it seem like a lengthy music video. With an emphasis on outlandish killing, this sequel quickly grows tiresome.

THE CROW: CITY OF ANGELS has seriously occultic tones. Ashe comes back from the dead with supernatural powers to set things right. Except for flashbacks to his murder, the focus is on his violent killing spree. The incessant violence includes a woman thrown out an upper story window who falls to her death and a man injured by an exploding motorcycle. Breast nudity appears in a female sex scene and a woman strips for a man in a peep show booth, with self-gratification implied. Ashe visits a dance club where patrons are dressed in outfits that include nudity and near nudity. Frequent foul language includes two dozen f-words and a dozen s-words. With its gruesome and disgusting story centered on death, you'll want this CROW to fly away quickly.

Preview Reviewer: Mark Perry
Distributor: Miramax Films/Dimension Films, 375 Greenwich, New York, NY 10013