C O N S T A N T I N E

John Constantine (Keanu Reeves) has been to hell and back. Literally! Tormented as a child by a 'gift' which allows him to see half-breed angels and demons he attempted to commit suicide which sent him straight to hell but he was resuscitated and returned to earth.

The half-breed angels come from heaven and the demons from Hell and they complete with each other for human souls. These spirits must obey certain rules but if they don't,  exorcist John Constantine steps in to keep the peace. Any deviants found breaking the rules, for example processing a human body, will be returned from whence they came. John knows that after his attempted suicide he is destined for hell but hopes that his work keeping the balance between good and evil will buy him a place in Heaven.

Approached by Detective Angela Dodson (Rachel Weisz) who is investigating her sister's apparent suicide John discovers that there is something more sinister than the usual angel-demon squabbling going on...

Based on the comic book Hellblazer this type of movie will not appeal to everyone. Some will view it as just another  nonsensical superhero horror with monsters and demons, but on another level the movie has some interesting ideas and the story gets while complex at times. Thankfully the story isn't over-explained and Constantine is possibly the type of movie that viewers will notice different ideas and themes if they watch it a second time. The central theme that angels and demons inhabit the earth and compete for the souls of humans is surrounded by loads of other ideas borrowed from the teachings of the Catholic Church about faith, sacrifice and salvation. There are some powerful depictions of Hell and the poor souls who will, supposedly, burn there for eternity! I wonder if it is too late to turn over a new leaf!

There is also quite a bit of dark humour in the story and the main character John Constantine is a cynical, reluctant hero. When he asks one angel about his fate she replies in a tone of delight that he will die young because he smokes 30 cigarettes a day and that he will go to hell because of the life he chose! John Constantine doesn't look for respect or sympathy and he doesn't send demons back to hell because he thinks it's the right thing to do. He does what he does to try and buy himself a place in heaven.

There are some really good special effects in the movie that make the action scenes exciting but also add to the surreal images of this "parallel world" inhabited by the half-breeds.

Bottom Line: Constantine is essentially a special-effects action/horror movie but it manages to incorporate some interesting ideas.

Reviewed by Niall Quinn, Premier Movie Reviews 2005.

RELATED MOVIE REVIEWS:

KEANU REEVES:  The Matrix Revolutions,  Something's Gotta Give,  Sweet November.

RACHEL WEISZ:  Confidence.

PRUITT TAYLOR VINCE:  Identity,  Monster,  Trapped.

DJIMON HOUNSOU:  In America.

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Genre: Action/Fantasy/Horror

Director: Francis Lawrence

Certificate: Constantine was rated 16 by the Irish Film Censor's Office (www.ifco.ie). Suitable for persons of sixteen years or over. The film contains strong violence and mild sex/nudity and language.

Official Movie Website: Constantine

~ MAIN CAST ~

Keanu Reeves

Rachel Weisz

Shia LaBeouf

Tilda Swinton

Pruitt Taylor Vince

Djimon Hounsou

Peter Stormore

Gavin Rossdale