I love "The Crow," and there's not much in my mind that could be done in a sequel to top it. "Salvation," unlike "City of Angels," doesn't try to top the first one, or rip it off... The characters are solid, the performances are great, and the action is non-stop. But what singles this movie out is the story. It's a good story, not just another "Crow" movie. The direction of the film reminds me of the first, very dark, yet crisp (not gritty like the 2nd), and the trick camera angles mixed with the impressive special effects keep the supernatural elements alive as the very human story rolls along.

I work at a video store, and I see all kinds of movies that bypass theatres and come direct to video, and usually there's something about them that tells you why, even the good ones. This had the look and feel of something that, if released at the appropriate time, would have done well in the theatres. It wouldn't have been a smash hit, and it certainty wouldn't bring in as many people as the original did, but it deserves much better than this.

If you're fans of the franchise, I highly recommend that you see this. If you like the first one, but that's it, then expand your horizons a little and try to see this for what it is, and not what you thought it would be. It's a sequel to a GREAT movie, and it ends up being a pretty good movie on it's own...

After murder his girlfriend(Jody Lynn O'Keefe), a young named Alex Corvis(Eric Mabius) is condemned electric chair. The execution is watched by her father(William Atherton) and her sister(Kirsten Dunst). But he returns to life and rises from death in order to seek vengeance on those who murdered his fiancée and wrongly framed him like killer and battling nasties hoodlums and corrupts policemen from inner city.As always, one time resurrected is guided by a spectral crow. Alex with tragic melancholy pulls off bloody revenge,one by one, killing violently enemies.

This is a dark , rainy, colorful film with mostly scenes developing into the night. The movie packs loads of violence, grisly killing, blood and gore. Based on the black and white comic strip by James O'Barr. Spectacular production design with strong style and creepy sepia-toned by magnificent cinematography in charge of Carolyne Chen though quite gloomy. Eerie music score by Marco Beltrani, adding heavy rock soundtrack. The motion picture is professionally directed by Bharat Nalluri, usual television movies director(Tsunami). The original movie ¨The Crow¨(1994,Alex Proyas) with Brandon Lee(died accidentally shortly before was complete) is much better, but this one is better than ¨The Crow 2: City of Angels¨(1996,Tim Pope)with Vincent Perez ,and followed by TV series with Mark Dacascos; and recently, in production, a new sequel by Rod Zombie.

A wrongfully executed man named Alex(Eric Mabius), resurrected from the dead by the crow, returns with a vengeance to find the man with a scar on his arm that killed his beloved Lauren(Jodi Lyn O'Keefe). To find that man, Alex will first seek out the four men who falsely accused him on the witness stand which led to his death via electric chair. The crow will guide him on his journey to finding those responsible. Erin(Kirsten Dunst), Lauren's sister, and Peter Walsh(Grant Shaud;was Alex's attorney)are Alex's only allies in the search for retribution. Soon dirty cops are unmasked leading straight to the Captain(Fred Ward)and even Erin and Lauren's own father, Nathan(William Atherton). I like this film and think the reason it turns out better than I expected is due to the heart of the picture..one man's will to find the one's responsible for the death of his love. There is some strong talent in the cast for a direct-to-video feature and the young leads of Mabius and Dunst{..not to mention Ward, Atherton, Midkiff, and Shaud}bring much to this film. The film's budget is exceedingly lower, but I felt it makes up for it in keeping the plot simple instead of overloading us with an overkill of sick visuals. Now, that's not to say it doesn't lack punch and edge. There are some very gruesome moments indeed and much flesh is displayed, but the levels are down exceedingly. Plus, this film doesn't make out the perversion as beautiful, but with a disdain towards those young ones exploited{example being when Alex confronts the young girl tied to a pole in the strip club owned by the dirty cops}. The film doesn't speak highly for the cops on the force under the Captain. The world of this film isn't Gothic like the other two but just as corrupt. While the other two felt like they were set in a much darker time and place, this film feels closer to our time in modern society. That might turn some away who like the dark, noirish vision of the first two. But, I do feel the heart of the story is still here and the element of man's link with the crow is quite present here.