Constantine (2005)

Constantine tells the story of irreverent supernatural detective John Constantine, who has literally been to hell and back.

Director:

Francis Lawrence

Writers:

Jamie Delano (comic book "Hellblazer"), Garth Ennis (comic book "Hellblazer"),

Stars:

Keanu Reeves, Rachel Weisz, Shia LaBeouf

1 win & 5 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Keanu Reeves	...	John Constantine
Rachel Weisz	...	Angela Dodson / Isabel Dodson
Shia LaBeouf	...	Chas Kramer
Djimon Hounsou	...	Midnite
Max Baker	...	Beeman
Pruitt Taylor Vince	...	Father Hennessy
Gavin Rossdale	...	Balthazar
Tilda Swinton	...	Gabriel
Peter Stormare	...	Satan
Jesse Ramirez	...	Scavenger
José Zúñiga	...	Detective Weiss (as Jose Zuniga)
Francis Guinan	...	Father Garret
Larry Cedar	...	Vermin Man
April Grace	...	Dr. Leslie Archer
Suzanne Whang	...	Mother

Storyline

John Constantine is approached by Det. Angela Dodson who needs his help to prove that her twin sister Isabel's death was not a suicide. The dead woman was a devout Catholic and Angela refuses to accept that she would have taken her own life. She's asked Constantine for help because he has a reputation for dealing with the mystical. In fact, he is a demon hunter whose sole purpose on Earth is to send demons back to the nether regions. John himself has been to Hell - as a young man he too committed suicide and now knows that he is destined to return there on his death - but hopes that his good deeds may somehow find him a place in Heaven. As he looks into Isabel's death, he realizes that demons are trying to break through to the human world and his battles lead him into a direct conflict with Satan.

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Plot Keywords:

demon | hell | suicide | death | twin | 

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Taglines:

Hell wants him. Heaven won't take him. Earth needs him.

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Genres:

Fantasy | Horror

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence and demonic images

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Warner Bros.

Country:

USA Germany

Language:

English Filipino Tagalog

Release Date:

18 February 2005 (USA)

Also Known As:

Hellblazer

Filming Locations:

St. Vincent Catholic Church - 621 W. Adams Blvd., Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$100,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$1,176,865 (Japan) (15 April 2005)

Gross:

$75,500,759 (USA) (20 May 2005)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros., Village Roadshow Pictures, DC Comics

Technical Specs

Runtime:

121 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In the lower right-hand corner of Isabel's toe tag, there's the number 616. Whilst some people interpret the Mark of the Beast to be 666, others interpret it to be 616, hence its appearance on the toe tag.

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Goofs

The priest tells Angela that suicide is a mortal sin and therefore she cannot have a Catholic funeral. While the church does still consider it a sin, it is not done so in case of mental illness, which in modern times is every time, and in that case since she was in a mental institution is a moot point. People who commit suicide are no longer refused a Catholic funeral.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Scavenger #2: Manuel.
[Scavenger continues to walk away in a trance]
Scavenger #2: Manuel!

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Crazy Credits

The logos for Warner Bros, Village Roadshow Pictures, and DC/Vertigo Comics all appear, smolder and crumble in the hell setting.

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Connections

References Taxi Driver (1976)

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Soundtracks

"Take Five"
Written by Paul Desmond
Performed by the Dave Brubeck Quartet
Used by arrangement with Derry Music Company

User Reviews

See it! You won't be sorry!

"Constantine" is a dark, yet dazzling film. A terrific story backed up by spectacular special effects and great cinematography pull us into a dark and dangerous world - a world where half-angels and half-demons whisper to us mortals as God and Satan use us as pawns in an apocalyptic game of chess. Cursed with ability too see these spirits, John Constantine finds himself right in the middle of this showdown.

Keanu Reeves gives a fantastic turn as John Constantine. He infuses Constantine with a grim sense of purpose and dark humor. He is the ultimate anti-hero, and Reeves deftly takes Constantine from being someone we simply root for to someone we actually like and respect.

Rachel Weisz is terrific as well. Her tortured and soulful performance is the best of the film. Shia LaBeouf also blew me away.

I have not read the Hellblazer comics, but standing alone "Constantine" is a great film. This one is a must see!