Quote The Raven Nevermore John Cusack

Edgar Allan Poe deserves some respect. He was a drunk, a druggie, a racist, a windbag and a loon but also a literary genius. He gave his work popular appeal by delving masterfully into dark corners of the human psyche, not by spraying a movie set with ketchup. He gave his work lasting appeal by painstaking wordcraft, not by getting the big authors to endorse him. He deserves respect as the literary master of horror.






Casting John Cusack as Poe in The Raven was a respectful choice. Cusack has a commanding presence that hints of a darker reclusive side. There are moments when the film gives the taste of Poe's presence that a literary audience seeks. Plus, Edgar's last days are shrouded in enough mystery to provide legitimate space for fictional speculation or even just invention. Yet, the tragedy of Poe's cold, lonely end is not completely fair game for any movie regardless of legacy impact.

The Raven is entertaining to watch. It transports the viewer to the carriages and cobblestones of old Baltimore. However, the story seems stitched together from the serial killer film Seven and the good-taste-slaying episodes of CSI. Using Poe's literary fame and Cusack's dramatic rep to draw a cultured crowd demands a script that doesn't do too much to undo the reputation Poe himself treasured.

This movie doesn't fulfill its responsibility in that regard. Poe struggled through a lifetime of alienation to produce his dark art. The makers of this film should have struggled a little to come up with a cogent tale fit to ride on his austere-but-esteemed coattail. Quote The Raven nevermore John Cusack, unless you find a better script. In Mexico City, Edgar Allan Poe Street is located near those named for Shakespeare, Tolstoy, Homer and Cervantes. His placement there is debatable. Yet, posterity certainly shouldn't relegate him to an offshoot of Jerry Bruckheimer alley.