Wolff rating: EXCELLENT
Plot summary: Young goth musician is killed by thugs in Detroit, but takes his terrible revenge despite being metabolically-challenged.
Biased, pithy comments: There isn't much to the story of this, and if you go looking for any plot beyound simple revenge, you've missed the point. Instead, this is a movie that exists purely for its mood---a grim melancholy of decay. All good things are temporary, subject to destruction by human evil. One can say that this rips off Goth fashions, but it does it one better---it rips off Goth *sensibilities*. Despite the dark cruelty of the protagonist, he is vulnerable; he is only here because his love was destroyed. It's also fantastically realized, with Detroit a miasma of trash and debris and the music awash in depression. It's a good action movie, and, if you can let yourself feel a little, it's got an understanding of the collateral damage that ``action'' can have.
Other Notes: As is well-known, poor Brandon Lee was killed by a gun stunt gone awry during filming. Although the irony is pretty heavy---young auteur killed senselessly in real life and in the story he was telling, the loss only underscores the movie in a haunting way. It's actually a tribute to Lee; his talent stands out even more starkly when you realize he won't have any more to say.
How many times I have seen it: x1
Starring: Brandon Lee