Crow (2016)
Starring Andrew Howard, Nick Moran, Danny Webb, Terence Stamp, Elen Rhys, Tom Rhys Harries
Directed by Wyndham Price
Screened at FrightFest 2016
Uptight and upper class English property developer Tucker (Moran) decides to build his own mansion on a tract of land in Wales. A stick in his spokes, however, is the presence of a band of hippie-like squatters, who aren’t too pleased that Tucker plans to renege on the agreement the land’s previous owner made with them. But a bigger threat lies between the two in the form of the titular Crow (Harries), a wild young man who seems to live solely within the woods – mystically linked to the land, communing often with an esoteric figure (Stamp) who regularly reminds him of his duty as protector and guardian of this ancient grove.
As disagreements between Tucker and the squatters devolve into physically violent territory and the brutish Englishman becomes ever more unstable, the land itself begins to fight back, orchestrating the likes of chainsaw accidents and puncturing unwary workmen with thorny CGI tendrils. Meanwhile, young Crow himself – when he isn’t running around pontificating – builds his strength for an inevitable confrontation with the budding property tycoon. Stuck in the middle is Tucker’s increasingly despondent wife, Alicia (Rhys), whose research leads her to believe that this particular stretch of land is best left well enough alone.
Adapted from a stage play by writer/director Wyndham Price, the theatrical origins of Crow are readily apparent in a number of cinematically flat and drawn-out monologues. In fact, that’s what most of the film is: flat. More eco-drama than horror, this is a film that desperately wants to get its point across – but sedate dialogue and too many ponderous sequences form a weighty sense of self-importance that isn’t necessarily earned. At times it feels akin to being lectured to; force-fed an eco-warrior message without that vital persuasive hook.
Characterisation is, however, good – Moran’s Tucker is an increasingly despicable, power-hungry tyrant who isn’t above abuse and threats in order to get what he wants (and the results are sufficiently shocking in their callousness), while Harries imbues his Crow with a striking amount of unpredictability. Wild-eyed and skittish, he deftly blends vulnerability and menace so that his every appearance is fraught with a tension that seems urgently in need of release.
It’s a shame that this is contained within the film’s glacially-paced narrative, which struggles to restrain so much animosity at the measured rate in which it wants to unfold. The result is a frustrating experience that more often feels like it’s talking at you rather than leading a conversation.
Where the narrative falls down, Crow’s visuals remain appealing. Besides some low quality CGI, the film’s technical aspects are pro-grade and Price’s blocking doesn’t often feel stagey, relishing in the open environs of its setting. Harshly affecting, too, is the violence – which Price has no qualms with making as ugly as possible.
Part fantasy, part drama, (a tiny) part horror but all preach, Crow just spends far too much time cracking the audience over the head with its message – and no amount of flowery language can make that more palatable.
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Film
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