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:

Aside from John Constantine, the only characters to survive the transition from comic to movie are Ellie (a demoness mostly cut from the original theatrical release), Papa Midnite, Chaz Chandler and Gabriel. All of the other characters were invented for the movie.

Goofs:

Factual errors: When John is talking on his cell phone to Beeman the line goes dead and a dial tone is heard. Cellular phones do not have dial tones.

Quotes:

Vermin Man: [just before he attacks Constantine, who is coughing blood on the sidewalk] Hey, buddy, got a light?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Never Before Scene: Constantine" (2005)

Soundtrack:

Passive

Constantine is another one of those movies that you either love or hate.

And I loved it.

I just watched Constantine on PPV, and like all films, it does have its minor flaws, but overall the story was interesting, and the special effects were nothing short of amazing.

Critics have been saying that Keanu Reeves' acting was horrible, but I disagree. Even though I can't deny that this wasn't him at his best, John Constantine is and angry and distant character, so Reeves couldn't display much emotion. All in all, he didn't do too bad.

Rachel Weisz was the star of the movie, giving a heartfelt performance. Gavin Rossdale was good, playing the bad guy card too perfection. And Djimon Housan, and Tilda Swinton were also great in their small roles. Shia LeBlouf, like Reeves, could have done a little better. Peter Stormare was perfect as Satan and my favorite character. He added a bit of humor to his demonic role.

There are some major differences between the comic book Hellblazer and the movie, like John Constantine was supposed to be British and resemble a rocker named Sting. But I've never read the comics, so I can't complain about these contradictions. But it seems to have the Hellblazer fans disappointed.

I do feel I should advise that this movie has nothing to do with Satanism. And to my knowledge, it was religiously correct. Save the part about demons and angels living on earth.

In the end, like I said before, you either love it or hate it. Simple as that.

my rating : 9/10