The Great Crow Conspiracy

Immediately after Alex Proyas called "cut" and it was discovered that Brandon Lee had been mortally wounded, the conspiracy and curse believers shifted into overdrive. If we had chosen to believe them, we would have believed that there was a sinister plot concocted by the Production Company and Brandon’s family. An ominous scheme devised to kill Brandon to increase ticket sales for the movie or to cover up the real reason for his death. Being the son of Bruce Lee was, in a sense, difficult for Brandon. He was faced with the expectations of following in his father’s footsteps. He felt a certain destiny to live in the shadow of a man deemed, by many, as the greatest martial artist ever. Even in death, Brandon was shrouded by his father’s image. It seems Brandon could not even die without a comparison being made of the two. He had hoped that by taking on the role in The Crow, he would be seen as a serious actor. That he could rightfully gain the respect he deserved based on his acting ability, not because he was the son of a famous man. Although Brandon had come to terms with the reality that being the son of a celebrity was an encumbrance he would have to live with, he still wanted to make his own mark in the world. The conspiracy and curse seekers have robbed Brandon of that dream. With the exception of a few, we, the people, can not make any claims to having first hand knowledge of the events of March 30, 1993. We can rely only on official reports, investigations and, for some, the conspiracy seekers spin on the events of that day. Given the information provided us, it is easy to separate fact from fantasy. No cryptic evidence has unfolded in this case. There is no magic bullet such as the one found in the JFK assassination. This case, given the basic facts, is pretty simple to figure out. The final events of March 30^th were the culmination of poor judgement and indifference to safety rules on the part of the Production Staff. Decisions made, from the beginning, caused the set to be constantly marred with accidents. In the end, the Production Staff, unwittingly, contributed to Brandon’s death, due to concerns over money. The proper measures were not followed to clear the weapon being used during the scene. The weapons master was sent home to save money. In his place, an inexperienced prop master was summoned to perform the crucial weapons check. In order to save money, the cast and predominately the star of the movie was put in harm’s way. Little did anyone know that this cost cutting decision, along with others made throughout the filming of the movie, had put into motion what would ultimately lead to the tragic events of March 30^th. In the end, you can choose to believe what you will, but I say we let Brandon rest. I like what was said at the end of the movie "Dragon", which is the bio-pic of Bruce Lee. Lauren Holly, who plays Linda Lee in the movie, says, during the final scene, that many people still question the manner in which Bruce Lee died. She, however, chooses to remember how he lived. I say we do the same for Brandon. If there was premeditated malice in Brandon’s death, the persons involved will, in turn, pay their toll. For us to repeatedly question Brandon’s death based on unsubstantiated claims and rumor, in a way, is even more tragic than the events that took his life. Let us be concerned with how Brandon lived, and take heed to how precious and uncertain life really is.

Take care

LLcruize