Jimmy Cuervo is serving his last days of forced labor for killing a boy who was harassing his girlfriend Lilly. One day, Luc Crash, the leader of a satanic gang, kidnaps Jimmy and Lilly and kills them to complete a ritual that will transform him into an invincible being. But Jimmy comes back to life, awakened by the power of the crow, to take revenge on his executors and prevent Luc from transforming into a demonic being.
Produced for the home video of 2005, "Il Corvo 4 – Preghiera Maledetta" was inexplicably distributed in Italy with the title "The Cult" and only a few months later re-edited with the correct title. Strange maneuver by Dnc, perhaps pushed to change the title by the poor commercial success obtained by the previous "Il Corvo 3", but in any case a poor choice given the sure appeal that a franchise like "Il Corvo" still enjoys today and the total indifference with which the film was received with the title "The Cult".
Setting aside the distribution indiscretions, "Il Corvo 4" appears to us as a poor summer schedule film, which shares little with the previous chapters except the story of the hero's resurrection in search of revenge through a crow. However, it is worth appreciating the choice of the screenwriters (Lance Mungia, Jeff Most, and Sean Hood) to completely detach themselves from the atmosphere of the three previous films to focus the story in a sunny land, between sand and dust, in pure Rodriguez style; it is a bold and appreciable choice, although it must be recognized that a story of the "Il Corvo" saga and its characters adapt poorly to this location and this western atmosphere, probably due to the dark imagery that this title has already created in the collective imagination. Moreover, the aforementioned six-handed screenplay, inspired by a story by Norman Partridge, is not particularly fluid and, if it initially struggles to get to the heart of the matter, in the final part it becomes too rushed and messy, dwelling on ridiculous satanic rituals and disposing of the legendary executions of the Crow in a few seconds.
The great point in favor of "Corvo 4" is an all-star cast; although it is probably the most poorly used cast in cinema history, both due to the total inability of the director (such Lance Murgia, also among the screenwriters) to direct his actors and the indecorous choice in the assignment of roles. Therefore, we will have a Jimmy Cuervo played by Edward Furlong (the John Connor of "Terminator 2"), absolutely unsuited for a dark role like the one assigned to him due to a too childish face and little conviction in the performance; the great villain Luc is played by David Boreanaz ("Valentine – Appuntamento con la morte" and the TV series "Angel"), a particularly inexpressive actor unsuitable for playing the role of the bad guy. Among the supporting characters, we find Tara Reid ("American Pie", "Alone in the dark") in the role of the wicked dark lady, Luc's sidekick; while in the role of Lilly's reverend father, there is the man who least of all would have been able to play the role of a man of the church, that is, Danny Trejo ("Dal tramonto all'alba", "La Casa del Diavolo"). In a small role, we also see the very underutilized Dennis Hopper, in an increasingly slow decline in B-movie productions. It should also be noted the indecent Italian dubbing that, in addition to mangling the names (Jimmy Cuervo becomes ridiculously Jimmy il Corvo), underscores and highlights the already bad dialogues exhibited by the screenplay.
Therefore, "Il Corvo 4 – Preghiera Maledetta" is nothing more than a useless sequel that, despite some good ideas, sinks into the sea of products so mediocre that they are immediately forgotten after viewing. Not recommended.
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