Movie Review - a Murder of Crows (1998)

We are all familiar with a gaggle of geese, an exaltation of larks or a pride of lions to denote a group of certain animals. Many are not so familiar with a murder of crows, but the phrase comes to the fore in the movie of the same name.

In the film, lawyers are likened to crows which have great cunning, trickery, sagacity and sophisticated social behavior. The fact that five lawyers are killed gives the movie its unusual title - A Murder of Crows.

Cuba Gooding, Jr. plays a disbarred lawyer, Lawson Russell, whose conscience has started to bother him for defending known criminals just for the monetary reward. Russell's outburst in the courtroom accusing his client of guilt gets him disbarred by the conservative judge. He heads for Key West where he bides his time by taking passengers out for deep-sea fishing on his boat, one of which befriends Russell and asks him to read a manuscript of his unpublished novel.

The elderly author calls himself Christopher Marlowe and his novel has the unlikely name of A Murder of Crows. Russell is highly impressed with Marlowe's work and goes to his apartment to tell him so. Too late, he learns that the author has died, leaving no heirs. Russell struggles over the idea of seeking to publish the novel as his own work and does just that.

The novel is a huge success and Russell is on his way to becoming a millionaire when he is arrested and accused of murder since his novel provides details of the actual murders of five lawyers which only the perpetrator could have known. Russell has burned Marlowe's original manuscript which could have proved his innocence. Admission of plagiarism has less serious consequences than conviction for murder. He decides to disappear in order to learn what Christopher Marlowe really knew about the murders.

Hardly noticeable to the audience, extraneous characters - a college professor, a policeman, a fan of his novel - are introduced to which we pay little attention. Their importance in the final resolution of the problem escapes us initially.

Russell's long-time friend, Elizabeth Pope, also a lawyer, has lost faith in Russell after he tells her the truth about his novel. Tom Berenger and Eric Stolz play small but significant roles to flush out the cast. A wild chase down back alleys and main thoroughfares ensues when the police finally catch up with Russell.

It is fair to say that Cuba Gooding, Jr. carried this movie entirely. His charisma, his good looks, and his acting ability make him the center of attention in this film. The story line has a different twist which holds the attention of the audience. All in all, it was a worthwhile hour and a half to take in this movie.

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Movie - A Murder of Crows (1998)

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0133985