The Prophecy (1995)

The angel Gabriel comes to Earth to collect a soul which will end the stalemated war in Heaven, and only a former priest and a little girl can stop him.

Director:

Gregory Widen

Writer:

Gregory Widen

Stars:

Christopher Walken, Elias Koteas, Virginia Madsen

2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Christopher Walken	...	Gabriel
Elias Koteas	...	Thomas Dagget
Virginia Madsen	...	Katherine
Eric Stoltz	...	Simon
Viggo Mortensen	...	Lucifer
Amanda Plummer	...	Rachael
Moriah 'Shining Dove' Snyder	...	Mary (as Moriah Shining Dove Snyder)
Adam Goldberg	...	Jerry
Steve Hytner	...	Joseph
J.C. Quinn	...	Burrows
Emma Shenah	...	Grandmother
Albert Nelson	...	Grey Horse
Shawn Nelson	...	Indian Healer
Emily Conforto	...	Sandra
Sioux-z Jessup	...	Nurse

Storyline

"Some people lose their faith because Heaven shows them too little," says Thomas Daggett. "But how many people lose their faith because Heaven showed them too much?" Daggett nearly became a priest; now he's a cop. He may want to put religion behind him, but one morning a weird, eyeless, hermaphroditic corpse turns up. Suddenly he is on a path that will put him right in the middle of a war in Heaven. And once again, Heaven will show him too much: gore, blood, charred flesh, living corpses and much worse. Even more central to the heavenly war effort is a young girl. This American Indian child has something Gabriel wants. And Gabriel is willing to kill her and anyone in his path - or even reanimate a corpse or two - to get it.

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Plot Keywords:

profanity | porn magazine | pizza | black comedy | gross out | 

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Taglines:

On ancient ground, at the edge of the world, an evil born in heaven is about to be unleashed on earth...

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Genres:

Action | Crime | Drama | Fantasy | Horror | Mystery | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence and gore, and for some language

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 September 1995 (USA)

Also Known As:

Seraphim

Filming Locations:

Apache Leap Mountain, Superior, Arizona, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$8,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$7,510,332, 4 September 1995

Gross USA:

$16,115,878

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$16,115,878

Company Credits

Production Co:

First Look International, NEO Motion Pictures, Overseas FilmGroup

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min

Sound Mix:

Ultra Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film was originally filmed in 1993 and released two years later in 1995. This was the Weinstein's M.O., as they would film a movie before editing them, reediting them, and finally releasing them a year or two later.

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Goofs

When Gabriel steps through the doorway to exit the mobile home, and the door flings open by supernatural power, we can see the string at the top of the door that pulls it open.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Simon: I remember the First War, the way the sky burned, the faces of angels destroyed. I saw a third of Heaven's legion banished and the creation of Hell. I stood with my brothers and watched Lucifer Fall. But now my brothers are not brothers, and we have come here where we are mortal to steal the Dark Soul, not yet Lucifer's, to serve our cause. I have always obeyed, but I never thought the War would happen again.

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Alternate Versions

European release, titled God's Army, runs 90 minutes and features different footage:

• A sepia-tinted opening sequence shows Thomas Dagget sitting in in a swing, talking to Lucifer;
• The sequence where the first angel falls to Earth is shorter;
• The exorcism sequence at the end is shorter and has no special effects.

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Connections

Referenced in Trailer Failure: Legion, Transylmania, Avatar & The Squeakquel (2009)

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Soundtracks

Gloria Laus
(Gregorian Chant)
Performed by The Choir Of Monks Of Saint-Benoit Du Lac
Conducted by Dom Andre Saint-Cyr
Courtesy of Promusic, Inc.

User Reviews

Unique

Movies based on religious themes often tend to bore me quite severely. But this movie somehow did the trick. I guess it was the fact that it picked the "right" pieces from religious context and added the rest as it saw fit.

There is a war in heaven between the angels. A stalemate has lasted for a long time and angels now come to earth to search for the soul that can end the stalemate and bring peace to heaven once again. Since the war began no souls have been let into either heaven or hell, so when the war ends these souls may finally find peace.

The story here is quite insane really. Christopher Walken and Eric Stoltz are both angels who come to earth to look for a soul. Gabriel hates the humans because they are now gods favorites, not the angels. And Christopher Walken is quite magnificent as the dissatisfied angel. And the big reason that this movie works is the acting which is good throughout. Something that is not exactly a given thing in a movie like this.

I guess this would by many people be called a b-movie. But i think the original plot and the acting lifts this quite a few notches. So watch this for something quite unique, but please stay away from the sequels that are not worth your trouble. I rate this 6/10.