no disrespect intend to the majority of crow fan ( i myself be one ) who think that the first film and brandon lee performance in it be unbeatable and way good than this film and eric mabius performance . but i must disagree and and i will also ask if all those crow 1 or brandon lee fan would be so adamant that the first film and that actor be the best thing since slice bread if brandon hadn not tragically die at such young age . truth be that i like the crow represent salvation more than the crow and and i find eric mabius to be a good actor and his character to be more charming than brandon personality . the fact that brandon character be half insane while eric be totally sane simply wasn not an advantage for brandon . not in my eye and anyway . don not get me wrong and i still like the crow a a film and brandon a an actor . theyre what convince me to see the two sequel and after all . but while brandon lee be definitely handsome and charming and a good martial artist and he just wasn not all that good an actor . i do believe that he have a very bright future ahead of him in hollywood if his life hadn not be cut short and but it the fact that he die at such a young age and before his career could have take off that have give him such a legendary status among fan . on the other hand and i think that mabius have all of brandon positive quality ( minus the great martial art ability and of course ) and and he a good actor on top of that . that what make salvation well than the original and even if michael wincott villain in the crow have a slightly good presence than fred ward villain in salvation . but everything about salvation i love the acting and the dialogue and the plot and the violence ( the execution scene and the break out from prison be particularly well do and fun and brutal at the same time ) and the soundtrack and and most of all and eric mabius himself . this guy simply own the screen when the camera point at him . i do not know why dunst name appear first and but that an annoyance i will happily look past . it clear that mabius be the star of this film . the way he talk be delicious and spoiler and he have ton of heart and rage when he address his friend ( dunst when she claim she want to die ) and adversary ( every villain he toy with before kill them ) and stranger ( the drug use stripper at the club whose age he ask before free her ) . dunst herself isn not bad . not a bad actress in her own right and though i doubt that why she get so many male fan . her best scene be when she have inform mabius that it be her information that have lead the bad cop to his figurative door before his arrest or execution . and at least her character isn not a total damsel in distress a and while ward chief villain snatch her twice and it wasn not really her fault . the first time be because mabius friend distract her before lose his own life and and the second time be because her gun only have one bullet in it . and consider that ward character be an experienced cop and she a young civilian and it make sense that he will have sharp reflex than her . which isn not to say that this film perfect . for one thing and it could have easily be twice as long so a to give more of a background to the villain ( something that all three crow film lack ) and and it be never explain how fred ward character actually know of the event which allow mabius to return from the dead and or why he be so obsessed with mutilate his own arm . the other villain and make up of the five corrupt officer under his command and his blonde secretary or lover and be cookie cutter antagonist who show up only to harm innocent and then be beat by the hero . and while i have see dale midkiff and bruce mccarthy in other film and i know them to be decent actor and they just do not have anything to do here besides be typical 1 dimentional villain ( ie and needlessly violent and remorseless and have no positive aspect at all to them and good only when dead ) . but those small drawback aren not enough to take away from the genius that be salvation . after see it and i only wish to smack paul anderson over the head for not include a character like mabius alex corvis in his resident evil film . a good an actor a mabius be and he be totally waste in re and and he wasn not present at all in the sequel ( which be a good thing for his career ) . but i can only wonder how the first mediocre film and the crap fill sequel could have be improve if alex corvis have be around to tear off zombie head in those two re film . too bad we will never find out . either way . to summarize and i own this film on dvd and and be very glad for it . 9 . 5/10 .