Constantine (2005)

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

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)
Constantine (Argentina) (Spain) [es]
Константин: Повелитель тьмы (Russia) [ru]
Constantine (Brazil) [pt]
Constantine (Finland) [fi]
Constantine (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
Constantine (Italy) [it]
Constantine (Croatia) [hr]
Constantine (Greece) [el]
Constantine (France) [fr]

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:

Shia LaBeouf was recommended to producer Akiva Goldsman for the role of Chaz by Will Smith following his impressive performance in I, Robot (2004). The three of them worked in that film, with Smith and Goldsman as producers.

Goofs:

Continuity: Constantine traps a spider with a glass and blows some cigarette smoke into the same glass. Later, Angela lifts the glass, releasing the spider. There is considerably more smoke in the glass when the spider is released.

Quotes:

Gabriel: Your ego is astounding.
John Constantine: Gabriel. Figures. "And the wicked shall inherit the Earth".
Gabriel: You judging me now, John?
John Constantine: Betrayal, murder, genocide, call me provincial.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Visions of Stanley Kubrick (2007) (V)

Soundtrack:

Passive

Could've been better but still a fun ride!

My first sort-of mistake was going to see Constantine at 11:30 A.M.; this would have been a much better experience in a nighttime atmosphere I feel. In fact, I'm thinking about going again this weekend at night.

That being said, I still enjoyed this movie immensely. For starters, I actually thought Keanu was quite good in the role, and it didn't take long to forget drawing comparisons to Neo. I haven't read the comics, but I thought Keanu did a great job with the role... I laughed and winced right along with him, not at him! All the supporting actors (yes, Shia LeBeouf included) were great, and my only issue is that they didn't get enough screen time to explore their characters further. Djimon Hounsou was especially cool as Papa Midnite... with a name like that, how can you not be?! Finally, Rachel Weisz deserves the "better than the movie" comments she's been getting in reviews. Yes, she is that good, and she's pretty foreign to genre work (but should definitely do more)! I can't believe I'd only seen her in About a Boy before this; her magnetism had almost got me to pick up Confidence and Runaway Jury at the video store (which I have not. Yet). For one, she does a damn good American accent - I had forgotten that she's British. I'm sure many other reviewers will put this in better words than me, but she really adds a whole new level to this movie. Her performance is easily the most daring and heartfelt of the bunch, and I'd even go as far to call it subtly exquisite... a phrase I don't hesitate to equate with the actress herself. If Rachel Weisz had not been a part of Constantine I wouldn't have liked it half as much as I did. Even if you're not a Keanu or genre fan, I'd still check this movie out if you (like yours truly ;) have a thing for gorgeous, talented under-the-radar actresses.

Onto special effects. Pretty darn impressive, if you ask me. NEXT! I'm definitely very tempted to check out the Hellblazer comics because I really love the mythology and style of the Constantine universe. I mean, Hell as a parallel dimension to our own world? How cool is that? Certainly less banal than most movie versions of Hell. The story is based around Catholicism, and it's just how I like my organized religion -- all twisted! All in all, Constantine was made up of a lot of things that I really love in my movies: detailed fantasy universe, fun characters, good effects and action, and of course, the vulnerable-but-butt kicking woman. Yay! The major problem with the film, I feel, was bringing all of its elements together. Throughout the film I kept thinking to myself what I would've done differently. There was so much crammed into it that every single character and plot point felt underused and ignored -- not one thing was explored deeply enough for my satisfaction. They should have chosen just a few elements of this complex universe and story arc for this movie and left the other stuff for subsequent Hellblazer flicks (which I hope there will be!).

So basically, the parts here are very interesting and cool and worth a look-see, but the whole just can't service all of them. Which is a damn shame. I left the theatre wanting MORE, wanting to know more about the characters and what living in their universe was like. MORE, darnit!! While Constantine is fun and nice in its own right, I would've really liked to see it expanded to its potential. Oh well! At least there's the fantastic Rachel Weisz, so I can't complain further ;) Last words: I want to see it again! Maybe not buy the DVD but definitely rent it. Oh, and those rumors about an extra (albeit short) scene after the credits are true, so STAY through them!