Constantine (2005)

User Rating:

6.7/10   

Director:

Francis Lawrence

Writers (WGA):

Jamie Delano (comic book "Hellblazer") &
Garth Ennis (comic book "Hellblazer") ...

Release Date:

18 February 2005 (USA)

Genre:

Fantasy | Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

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

Plot:

Based on the DC/Vertigo comic book Hellblazer and written by Kevin Brodbin, Mark Bomback and Frank Capello, Constantine tells the story of irreverent supernatural detective John Constantine (Keanu Reeves), who has literally been to hell and back.

Plot Keywords:

Hell | Demon | Twin Sister | Suicide | Twin

Awards:

1 win & 4 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Fri. July 17	10:00 PM	AMC
Tue. July 21	5:30 PM	AMC

Cast

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

Also Known As:

Constantine (Germany)
Hellblazer (USA) (working title)
John Constantine: Hellblazer (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for violence and demonic images.

Runtime:

121 min

Country:

USA | Germany

Language:

English | Filipino | Tagalog

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

USA:R (certificate #41423) | Taiwan:R-12 | Iceland:16 | Malaysia:18SG | Italy:T | Switzerland:16 (canton of Zurich) | New Zealand:M | Sweden:15 | Argentina:13 | Australia:MA (original rating) | Australia:M (re-rating on appeal) | Brazil:14 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:14A | Chile:14 | Czech Republic:12 | Finland:K-15 | Germany:16 | Hong Kong:IIB | Japan:R-15 | Netherlands:16 | Norway:15 | Peru:14 | Philippines:PG-13 | Portugal:M/16 | Singapore:PG | South Korea:15 | Spain:13 | Switzerland:16 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:16 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15 | India:A | Ireland:18 (video rating) | Ireland:16 (original rating) | France:-12

Filming Locations:

Angeles Abbey Memorial Park - 1515 E. Compton Blvd., Compton, California, USA

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

The look of Hell was based on old footage of nuclear tests, specifically the sudden shock wave immediately after the blast that disintegrated anything in its path, hence the crumbling landscape.

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): When in the car about to call Beeman, Constantine says that the bible in hell gives a whole new meaning to "Revelations". The last book in the bible is actually "Revelation", without the 's'; something Constantine should have known.

Quotes:

John Constantine: [to a spider he's trapped under a cigarette-smoke filled glass] Welcome to my life.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Submerged (2005) (V)

Soundtrack:

Los Recuerdos del Troquero

Rachel Weisz, Peter Stormare and Djimon Hounsou all do great work here but the movie is really beneath their talents.

This is a very bad movie, no doubt about it but it does have its great points which is the performances of Rachel Weisz Peter Stormare and Djimon Hounsou which makes this movie much better than it really is. Rachel Weisz is with out a doubt one of the most versatile actresses of our generation, and in this movie, she is quite literally carrying the huge acting weight from Keanu Reeves, who is miscast in his role and gives a pretty lousy performance. She holds the audience attention with her strong and gutsy performance and she does give this movie a lot more than it asked from her. Peter Stormare only has about eight minutes of screen time and does more with it than Keanu does in his whole performance. He gives a funny and down right scary realism to his portrayal of the king of the underworld. This role should prove to people on how versatile an actor Stormare is and it should give him the respect he deserves. Djimon Hounsou is a great and charismatic actor who also does more with his role than Keanu does. He brings a strong sense of bravado to his underwritten role and makes the audience have fun with him while he chews up the scenery with is great performance.

Weisz, Stormare and Hounsou are great actors who give more to the audience than the film does, and for that, they should be commended. The movie unfortunately is beneath their great talents and it does not deserve their efforts at all with a story that confuses more than explains and a leading man who can't act his way out of a garbage can.