Review: Constantine

Directed by Francis Lawrence
Story by Kevin Brodbin
Screenplay by Kevin Brodbin, Mark Bomback and Frank Capello
Based on the DC/Vertigo comic book Hellblazer

Constantine begins with a quote about the Spear of Destiny, which is fabled to have been the spear that pierced Jesus’ side while he hung from the cross. A young man in Mexico finds the Spear and when he touches it, his body becomes possessed and he begins a journey, as does the audience.

We cut to Los Angeles where John Constantine performs an exorcism on a young girl, but this one felt different to John; a demon was trying to use its host as a doorway into this plane, which is against the rules of the game set up by God and Satan, who are competing to see who can win the most souls. The internal struggle that we wrestle with between good and evil has been shifted into an external struggle, one waged fiercely by angels and demons. They can influence people, but do nothing more. That is, until now, but then it’s no surprise that demons would break the rules.

Constantine has been aware of the game for a long time. From a very young age, he’s been able to see the angels and demons among us. He started battling demons and sending them back to Hell in an effort to earn his place into Heaven when he learned that his soul was damned because he took a life.

Constantine seeks answers to what is altering the game from sources like the archangel Gabriel and a voodoo witch doctor named Papa Midnight who runs a nightclub where good and evil mingle; neither has anything to offer. However, the mystery begins to reveal itself when police detective Angela Dodson seeks out Constantine’s help after her sister Isabel’s suicide. Angela says Isabel would never have committed suicide and believes that something influenced her to do it. As Constantine works with Angela, he soon discovers that others want to get in on God and Satan’s game, which doesn’t bode well for mankind.

I enjoyed this film a lot. It’s a fun romp through the fantasy/horror genre filled with action, thrills and intrigue set amidst Biblical mythology. Constantine is an interesting character with as much depth as can be expected in an action film. He’s a brooding demon-fighter, well versed in the occult arts, who suffers from excessive cigarette smoking. Keanu does a good job bringing him to life. He captures the quiet, subdued, except when called to action, qualities of the character, creating an anti-action hero. He’ll probably go over well with the angst-filled, dressed-in-black demographic.

Article Author: El Bicho

El Bicho writes for a number of movie web sites, including Cinema Sentries, which he runs for the geniuses of Forwerd Media. He also occasionally cleans up around here. Follow at twitter.com/ElBicho_CS

Visit El Bicho's author page — El Bicho's Blog