Product Details

• Actors: Cuba Gooding Jr., Tom Berenger, Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Eric Stoltz, Mark Pellegrino
• Directors: Rowdy Herrington
• Writers: Rowdy Herrington
• Producers: Cuba Gooding Jr., Derek Broes, Andrew Stevens, Ashok Amritraj, Elie Samaha
• Format: Color, NTSC
• Rated: R (Restricted)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Studio / Sterling
• VHS Release Date: May 22, 2001
• Run Time: 102 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (54 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6305432260
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #293,105 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Writer-director Rowdy Herrington takes innocence, guilt, ambition, and morality, and twists them into a suspenseful, seductive spiral that can't help but suck you in. When defense attorney Russell Lawson (Cuba Gooding Jr.) realizes his client (Eric Stoltz) is guilty, he turns on him mid-trial--a move that costs him both the case and his career. Disbarred and disheartened, he retreats to Key West, where he meets a peculiar retired teacher named Christopher Marlowe and the film's roller coaster ride begins. In a quick reversal of fortune, Lawson makes an ethical compromise and becomes wildly successful--and then just as suddenly becomes a fugitive from the law, trying to track down a murderer before being tracked down himself. Gooding's constant voice-overs tend to distract from the story rather than add to it; however, his down-home earnestness makes him a good foil for a cranky cop (Tom Berenger) who appears to be more interested in making an arrest than in finding the truth. But then nothing here is what it first appears to be, and although Herrington leaves just enough clues for the astute viewer to pick up on the film's central metaphor, the conclusion still manages to surprise. With such a talented cast and tight writing, it's hard to fathom why A Murder of Crows didn't do better in theaters. At least on video the film, like Lawson, is given a second chance. --Larisa Lomacky Moore

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Incredibly Well Done, November 30, 2001

By 

"sillyrabbit" - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Murder of Crows (DVD)

A MURDER OF CROWS redeems Rowdy Herrington and Cuba Gooding Jr. for every bad film they have ever made, and combined... that's a lot of bad films.

MURDER revolves around a disbarred lawyer who scams his way into a success, but, through a devious plot twist, becomes the main suspect in a string of brilliant homicides. The script by Herrington is absolutely involving. It's detailed, well paced, and very smart. Despite a few goofy or cheesy lines, which are pretty much due to bad acting in certain parts, the script is solid.

The direction is as haunting as it should be in this type of film and Herrington really turns up the suspense. His slow shots or disoriated handhelds are in the right places, and it only adds to the tenseness of the story.

Cuba Gooding Jr. is completely fascinating in this role. He gets into it all the way and makes you believe him, even in the most incredible scenes. Tom Berrenger, however, does not fare as well. Even though he proved in the past that he was a decent actor, he slips a bit, and some of his lines are given like he was reading them off of cue cards. However, he's good enough that it doesn't distract from anything else, and in some scenes, he's excellent. The supporting cast, including Marianne Jean Baptiste and Eric Stoltz, is very good and only adds to the film. Stoltz is smarmy and oozes charisma and Baptiste has a very soothing, sweet, grandmother-type air about her. They are the best they could be.

Overall, A MURDER OF CROWS is a highly overlooked film that should be scene by lovers of suspense. The guessing game that is involved throughout the story doesn't make you feel stupid, but it doesn't give much away either.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A smart thriller that is one of the best ever made, November 26, 2004

By 

M. Schreuder (provo, utah United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Murder of Crows (DVD)

One of my favorite movies of all time, this film teaches a number of moral lessons as it takes the audience on a bungee ride of suspense and murder. In the classic Shakespeare tradition (King Lear; Hamlet), the protoganist Cuba Gooding, takes a tremendous fall from power, wealth, and acclaim to find himself a fugitive thanks to his plagirized book in which he accurately tells of a number of gruesome murders, including details that only the killer could know. The ensuing manhant and redemption rank up there with the best potboilers of their kind (Fugitive), and the smart intelligent script weaves a number of literary allegories into the plot that left an impact on me long after I finished viewing it.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great movie, lousy transfer, May 7, 2002

By 

C. A. Luster "The Rook" (Burke, VA USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: A Murder of Crows (DVD)

This is an interesting mystery with Cuba Gooding Jr., and Tom Berenger. They do nice jobs of playing a corrupted lawyer and a good cop. Gooding after causing the mistrial of his guilty client, is disbarred and tries to write a book to get by at a home he inherited from his father. He is tempted by a book offered to him to critique by an elderly man that dies shortly after that. What ensues takes many twists and turns that keep you guessing. It is ashame the transfer from the film to DVD was done in such a poor manner. Sterling Millenium Series should be avoided if this is the type of DVD quality they produce. I have purchased many movies that were 30 or more years old that were a much better transfer (e.g. The Vikings). If it was not such a great movie I would have sent it back.