Constantine

John Constantine (Keanu Reeves) can see things, you know. Demons, angels, stuff like that. Oddly enough, though, people believe he can - mostly because he moonlights as an exorcist, trapping demons - who shall not stay in his plane! - in mirrors and smashing them to teeny bits. World weary and constantly sucking on a coffin nail, Constantine is beleaguered and burned out, a noir detective for the afterlife, if you will. But he's alive; he's just cursed with the gift of seeing demons and angels. And he's a suicide, having been clinically dead for two minutes once upon a time, a time during which he literally saw Hell.

Cop Angela Dodson (Rachel Weisz) just lost her sister, a patient who jumped off the top of a mental hospital; Angela thinks her sister also Saw Something, and so she goes to John for help. Did Isabel know something? Where is she now? Can Angela see, too? Well, she can, actually, because Isabel was her twin sister, and as we all know twins share everything. So, using Angela, Constantine learns that the Bad Guys (demons), who are supposed to stay in Hell, have been crossing over to the plane of the living, presumably to raise hell. But Constnatine knows there's something else afoot, something only witchcraft, voodoo, and other otherworldly things can uncover.

If there was ever a role that the adult Reeves was born to play (besides that of Neo), it's that of John Constantine. Constantine wanders hither and yon, doing good deeds and helping with crimes involving the occult, and so forth, all with a resigned and - pardon another pun - rather soulless attitude. Constantine knows he's doomed to a lifetime of doing this, partly because he tried to kill himself and partly because he has The Gift. It's this kind of dispassionate nihilism that plays perfectly to Reeves' own dull, emotionless acting range. He's perfect for the role, based on a comic book called Hellblazer.

Weisz is pretty good - believable, at least - as the clumsily named Angela, but the real standout among the supporting cast is Peter Stormare as Satan himself. Incredibly creepy; he looks like a kindergarten teacher but behaves like a pedophile. The hair on the back of your neck will rise when Stormare enters the picture about three-fourths through.

Two other things the movie has going for it are a rather simplistic plot and some fantastic special effects (for example, a demon made up of bugs). Movies based on comic books tend to overburden themselves and the viewer with far too many plot twists. It's not tough - you have a good guy, you have a bad guy, and the first must defeat the second. Throw in some ethical and moral conflicts, give the good guy a power of sorts, and you're off and running. Constantine does this pretty well.

The atmosphere of the film is riveting as well, with effects special and otherwise transporting the viewer to Right There, whether it's a voodoo bar, Hell, or the mean streets of the city.

If you watch the movie with the idea that it's a filmed comic book, you shouldn't be dissatisfied with the result. John Constantine lives in a world in which he sees unspeakable evil on a daily basis, and he himself has literally been to Hell and back on more than one occasion. His lot is to suffer for his sin; can he find redemption in a cutie named Angela?

This is a fable...it's not supposed to be so rooted in reality that we scoff at the implausibilities and the plot holes... We're not watching it to say "look at how that happened" or "why is it all happening here in L.A. when we have these worldwide problems" or...whatever... It has to happen somewhere; either you buy off on the fable and get into the story or you flush it...

While not being Catholic, through theological edification I was able to make sense of storyline, ironies, metaphors, etc... I liked Reaves' character and again, it's a matter of preference - love or hate - but he played Constantine's miserable demon-cop just right - Reaves continues to find rolls suited to his particular, dark style. Special effects were great, and I give the film kudos for not diving in and becoming an effects extravaganza...it remains online to the story and where we're going... Weisz as heroine and Peter Stormare as Lucifer himself were well-cast. What can I say? It was great diversion and a fun DVD to watch. Check it out!

Funny enough watching another really original film brought me here. I was telling someone about it and they said oh you have to watch Constantine, The prophecy, and Devil's Advocate.

Loved The Harbinger and now love all Four of these! This movie has a great ambience and darkness without being a pure jump scare movie. I love the overall mood.

I've seen enough devil movies to know that a lot of them are not very original but these 4 are.

Won't give spoilers, but love the endings to all of them. The Harbinger and The Prophecy have a native American element which I thought was cool, but these two Constantine and Devil's Advocate still have master storytelling and a much higher production value than The Harbinger. Devils Advocate is slightly ahead of Constantine for me. But Thumbs up on Constantine and fun watch!

Context.

You need context.

This review penned in 2017, some 12 years after the release.

In this period, Marvel and DC are at each other's throats, each trying to monetize every character, sub-character, plot device and dust bunny from their respective libraries. Regardless of merit. It is all about the dollars.

A story as pure as this one -- penned by Kevin Brodbin -- could never be done today because it lacks the setup for a dozen spinoffs and sequels, as well as the mandatory backstory and product placements.

Sporting two of the most charismatic and photogenic stars of all time, at the peak of their careers, we have a story with no bad lines, no lapses in the arcs, and no time wasted. Just pure, engrossing, film pleasure from beginning to end.

Yes, I know that it was not appreciated in its day. But the future is always the final judge.

((Designated "IMDb Top Reviewer." Please check out my list "167+ Nearly-Perfect Movies (with the occasional Anime or TV miniseries) you can/should see again and again (1932 to the present))

I've seen Constantine three times and I enjoy it more each time I watch it! It is truly well-done and extremely entertaining, and I can guarantee that if you like horror, suspense and/or fantasy you will love this movie! Keanu Reeves plays a very cool Constantine, who is a modern-day exorcist but most certainly not to be confused with a priest, as he has his issues and a burden of sins from his past that he carries with him. Constantine is a very realistic and human hero who is devoid of superpowers but has all the cool gadgets and the kick-ass attitude needed to survive in a world slowly being invaded by demons and scheming angels. He meets Angela (Rachel Wiesz) after she loses her sister, Isabel to the forces of evil. She comes to Constantine in search of an answer on where Isabel has ended up following her apparent suicide. Constantine journeys to other realms/dimensions in an attempt to get those answers, even paying a couple of visits to hell. Needless to say, with such a plot the special effects, acting, sets, script and even wardrobe have to be carefully conceived and executed to make it believable, and they are... in spades.

Constantine achieves what all great movies always do: it takes you into another world that makes you forget everything about your own world the whole time you are watching it. And really, in the end, isn't that what great cinema is all about?