Constantine (film)

Constantine
File:Constantine Poster.jpg Promotional poster for Constantine
Directed by	Francis Lawrence
Written by	Comic Book: Jamie Delano Garth Ennis Screenplay: Kevin Brodbin Frank Cappello
Produced by	Gilbert Adler Michael Aguilar
Starring	Keanu Reeves Rachel Weisz Shia LaBeouf Tilda Swinton Pruitt Taylor Vince Djimon Hounsou Gavin Rossdale Peter Stormare
Music by	Klaus Badelt Brian Tyler
Distributed by	Warner Bros.
Release dates	February 18, 2005
Running time	121 min.
Language	English
Budget	$100 million

Constantine is a 2005 film loosely based on the Hellblazer comic book, with some plot elements being taken from the "Dangerous Habits" arc (issues #41-46). It was released on February 8, 2005 in Hong Kong, and on February 18, 2005 in the U.S. and Canada.

Plot

The film opens in a ruin in Mexico, where a young man finds the Spear of Destiny wrapped in a Nazi flag. He seizes the spear and becomes possessed, heading for Los Angeles.

In Los Angeles we see John Constantine (Keanu Reeves) perform an exorcism on a teenage Filipino girl; although he is successful he is unnerved by the boldness of the demon, who attempted to leave the girl's body to cross over into humankind's realm. After meeting a detective named Angela Dodson (Rachel Weisz), who wants to know if her twin sister committed suicide, John uncovers a plot by Mammon, the son of Satan, to betray his father and claim dominion over Earth immediately.

There are many worlds, according to Constantine, of which Earth is only one; it is a neutral place between Heaven and Hell, which have wagered on which can win the most souls among humans. Eschewing direct intervention as part of the bet, angels and demons cannot exist in the Earth plane, instead they interfere with humans by using what John refers to as "half-breeds," not fully angelic or demonic in form, though the movie gives no indication as to whether they are, in fact, half-human in any meaningful sense. Some humans are able to see the half-demons and half-angels who walk among them. Having lived with this ability since birth, Constantine was institutionalized as an adolescent and eventually committed suicide to escape the torment of seeing them but not being believed. Though resuscitated by doctors, he was officially dead for two minutes, which he spent in hell. Unfortunately for the young Constantine, time moves at a very different speed in the underworld. ("Take it from me, two minutes in hell is a lifetime.")

His "successful" suicide, which is considered a mortal sin in the eyes of God, has condemned him to be sent to hell upon his eventual death. To escape this fate, he has spent the rest of his life trying to win back God's favor by battling the forces of Hell, though his time on Earth will be brief; Constantine has smoked 30 cigarettes a day since he was 15, and is now dying of lung cancer. Because of the number of demons he has slain, Constantine knows that Lucifer harbors a specific, personal grudge against him, even though he's destined for Hell--characters repeatedly express the sentiment that he is the only soul that Lucifer will leave Hell to reap personally. Constantine's time is mostly spent destroying--permanently 'deporting' them back to Hell--demons who break "The rules," of the game.

Investigating the apparent suicide of Isabel (Rachel Weisz), another seer like Constantine, at the instigation of her identical twin Angela, Constantine discovers Mammon's plot. He needs a powerful psychic to possess, and then needs God's help to be released physically, into the earthly plane. Interrogating Baltazar by threatening to give him Last Rites before destroying him, Constantine discovers how Mammon plans to get God's help--"The blood of God," that is, the Spear of Destiny. By destroying the body of the psychic with the Spear while Mammon is possessing her would set him loose. However, Angela, ignoring Constantine's instructions to stay in the car, is kidnapped and possessed.

Chasing after Angela, Constantine confronts a room full of half-breed demons guarding Mammon's attempted entry. His apprentice, Chas Kramer (Shia LaBeouf) blesses the water for the fire supression system in another room, while Constantine, announcing that he will deport all present as violators, lights his cigarette lighter under a sprinkler, then shoots all the present, weakened half-breed demons with bullets made from melted-down crosses, destroying them. Constantine and Kramer subdue Mammon , but Chas is then killed by the angel Gabriel (Tilda Swinton) for interfering in the "birth." Gabriel incapacitates Constantine and begins to summon Mammon using the Spear of Destiny.

Gabriel, angry at how humans can achieve salvation so easily, by simple repentence, wants Hell on Earth because, in her view, humans are truly noble and heroic when confronting adversity--by giving them the ultimate adversity, Gabriel thought that mankind would become worthy of its divine gifts.

The injured Constantine takes his own life a second time in order to win an audience with Lucifer, whom he informs of Mammon's plot. Lucifer defeats Gabriel, who apparently has lost divine favor, and returns Mammon to Hell. Lucifer then asks what Constantine wants as reward for the information and is surprised when Constantine asks for the release of Angela's sister from Hell. Heaven consequently accepts Constantine for his selflessness--as he begins ascending towards the light, he flips off the Devil. Lucifer, enraged at having lost Constantine's soul, revives him and removes the cancer from his lungs so that he can live on and prove that he truly belongs in Hell. On the way out of the building; Constantine confronts Gabriel who hasn't fallen, but instead is reduced to human, ironically now meriting the same forgiveness and salvation that she earlier harped was undeserved. She urges Constantine to kill her, but instead of shooting her, just punches her in the face, introducing her to the new sensation of pain.

His fate now belongs to him, and in the end he is seen chewing (presumably) nicotine gum, to kick off smoking.

At the end of the film's credits, Constantine visit Chas' grave, saying that he did a good job and leaves his cigarette lighter on top of the grave. When Constantine is about to leave the graveyard, Chas appears as an angel and is dressed as Gabriel was previously. Chas then flies off into the sky.

Cast

Actor	Role
Keanu Reeves	John Constantine
Rachel Weisz	Angela Dodson / Isabel Dodson
Shia LaBeouf	Chas Kramer
Djimon Hounsou	Papa Midnite
Max Baker	Beeman
Pruitt Taylor Vince	Father Hennessy
Gavin Rossdale	Balthazar
Tilda Swinton	Gabriel
Peter Stormare	Lucifer
Nicholas Downs	Church Attendant
Jesse Ramirez	Scavenger
Larry Cedar	Vermin Man
Jhoanna Trias	Possessed Girl
Laz Alonso	Williams
Matthew McGrory	Demon (uncredited)
Domino Harvey	Angel (uncredited)
Michelle Monaghan	Ellie (scenes cut)

Controversy

There are a vast number of differences between the film and the comic book (arc) that the film is based upon.

• In the book, John Constantine is blonde and English as opposed to the raven haired American he is shown to be in the film.

• In the book, Constantine is doomed to an eternity in hell because of his use of magic and his attempt to murder his father. This vastly differs with the film, where Constantine is condemned to hell because of a successful suicide.

• Chas has raven hair in the comic book as opposed to the brown hair he is shown to have in the film. During the story arc that the film is loosely based on (Dangerous Habits) Chas no longer has his taxi. He sold it after losing all of his money from bad investment advice that he received from Constantine. This created a rift between the two that wasn't resolved until the end of the arc. This is in stark contrast to the film where Chas is shown to be the eager sidekick.

• Gabriel is shown to be somewhat of a primary villain in the film. In the comic book, Gabriel is a neutral source that Constantine turns to, to find a cure for cancer. In the book, Gabriel is contemptuous of humans because he believes in divine providence. In the film, Gabriel loathes humans for the fact that they are given redemption with ease. This would create a closer parallel between Christopher Walken's portrayal of the Angel Gabriel, in the film The Prophecy, than there would be with the comic book representation of the character in Hellblazer.

• In the film, Constantine battles several demons in order to prevent hell from being created on earth. In the comic, Constantine's only combat with a demon, was to save his recently deceased friend Brendan, from having to go to hell.

• In the film, Chas is slain by Gabriel and resurrected as an Angel. In the comic book, Chas is seen only twice, and neither time involves him fighting or dying. The first time he is seen, he gives Constantine a ride in his mini cooper. The second time he is seen, is at a resturant, where he discovers that Constantine is not dying of cancer.

• In the film, Constanine is spared going to hell, because he sacrifices himself to do something noble. As a consequence, Satan could not pull Constantine down to hell. The result, was the removal of the cancer (the only thing that Satan was able to pull from Constantine). Constantine is then shown chewing gum, as an alternative to smoking. In the comic book, Constantine tricks three different devils into a bargain for his soul. When none of the demons is willing to give up their claim to his soul, they each declare war. It is realized by the demons that such a war would lead to the destruction of hell. In order to prevent this war from breaking out the triumvirate agrees to keep Constantine alive. The First Fallen (a parallel to the biblical devil, Lucifer) engages in torturing Constantine as payback for their previous confrontation in which Constantine tricked him into drinking Holy Water. After ripping through Constantine's ribs and lungs, he regenerates the lungs and completely heals Constantine. This is short lived however as The First Fallen then incenerates Constantine's body. Concluding the brief torture session, Constantine is reborn and flips off the triumvirate, following it up with a two day bender of cigarettes and hard alcohol.

Types of Angels

The only angels featured in the film are half-breeds, described below. Like demons, true angels are forbidden from entering the earthly plane. Unlike demons, however, angels appear to be too honest to cheat, at least in the film. Any other types of angel are thus unknown.

Types of Demons

• Half-Breeds - These creatures are demi-angels and demi-demons, responsible for influencing mortals, but not directly interfering in their actions. They appear as normal humans, unless they come in contact with holy instruments. Because of their partly mortal nature, they are the only demons allowed to exist in the Earth plane. They corrupt human souls, making human beings commit evil and sin, and then kill them by turning their greatest pleasure into their worst nightmare. Being the only demons and angels permitted to be on Earth, they are John Constantine's most common targets. They become more vulnerable when exposed to blessed and holy instruments, such as holy water. Balthazar was a notable half-demon who John seemed to personally despise.
• Soldier Demons - These creatures are the tormenters of Hell. They are depicted as wretched, naked, pale, corpse-like monsters and are sometimes missing body parts. They walk upright, but are often seen running on all-fours like wild animals. As the tormenters of Hell, they viciously attack the souls of the damned without hesitation or remorse. Although one soldier demon possessed a little girl's body, it was banished when John exorcised it. John has encountered them during his time in Hell.
• Scavenger Demons - These creatures bring damned souls to Hell. They appear bat-like, and fly in great numbers. Although demons are not allowed on Earth, a large number of them attacked John in a Los Angeles street, until John killed them with a holy light.
• Vermin Demon - A creature composed of other, smaller, creatures including beetles, rats, snakes and crabs. It attacked John in the street, but was stunned by John's use of an Amityville Screech Beetle, and was then defeated.

Weapons

A plethora of weapons are used or tested out by Constantine in order to kill or incapacitate various demons. These include weapons from all across religions, including a dragon's breath flamethrower (Pagan), vials of holy water from the River Jordan (Jewish), a silver cross to sanctify water and a holy cross shotgun (Christian), and cups of Krishna's cow's essence (Hindu) and the sign of the holy trinity (Christian). These serve either as combat weapons or defensive amulets. John also uses an Amityville Screech Beetle, a small insect kept inside a matchbox. When shaken, it emits a high-pitched sound which stuns demons.

Box Office

Constantine earned US$229 million in worldwide box office receipts.

It has been rumored that a sequel is planned for release in 2007; however, Reeves has not committed to the project, sometimes expressing interest and other times not. Recently, movie producer Lauren Shuler Donner has commented that a sequel (with Reeves attached) is in the works, but that Francis Lawrence would not be directing

Constantine has been rated R For Violence and Demonic Images by the MPAA. It also contains mild language.

Warner Home Video announced that the film was to be released on HD-DVD on March 28, 2006. It would be one of the earliest titles to be released on that media format. However, following delays to the launch of the HD-DVD format (which pushed back the release of many of the initially announced titles), Constantine eventually made its debut on HD-DVD on June 6, 2006.

Proposed sequel

Movie producer Lauren Shuler Donner stated in a November 18-19, 2006 interview that writers are currently developing a script for Constantine 2. She claims that Keanu Reeves is willing to reprise his role as John Constantine. Donner also stated that Constantine 2 would be filmed in a South American country, and a different director would replace Francis Lawrence who directed the first film. Nevertheless, Lawrence will act as a producer on the sequel. The film is expected to be rated "R", similar to the first film.

Trivia

• This is the second time that Keanu Reeves has been involved in a film with demonic themes, the first being 1997's The Devil's Advocate, where he portrayed Kevin Lomax, the son of Satan. (A third could be suggested with Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey where the plotline centre's around the duo's death and, in one part of the movie, visit hell. This however is not the basis of the film.)
• Gabriel was portrayed in the movie by actress Tilda Swinton but not as a female entity, only to signify the androgynous nature of angels.
• The possessed girl (Jhoanna Trias) uttered Tagalog words while being possessed by the devil, "Patayin natin sila" (Let's kill them), but when she woke up she talked with her mother in Chinese Mandarin.
• This movie marks the second time that Rachel Weisz and Keanu Reeves starred together in a feature film, the first being Chain Reaction in 1996.
• This movie was released on the 8th of February in Singapore, South Korea and Hong Kong, 8 days before its Hollywood premiere.
• The real Domino Harvey appeared as an angel seated at a table with a demon, who is affectionately biting her ear, during the first of two scenes at Papa Midnite's bar.
• A sign with the phrase "Got Faith?" is visible in the scene with the man carrying the Spear of Destiny carjacking a vehicle to get to Los Angeles.
• In biblical canon Mammon is not said to be the outright son the of the Devil, and in most classic literature, such as Paradise Lost, he is another fallen angel but is one of Satan's most trusted.
• Both Domino Harvey, who portrays an angel in the movie, and Matthew McGrory, who portrays a demon died the same year the movie came out.
• Keanu Reeves is wearing an Oris Modern Classic wristwatch throughout the movie. The watch can be seen featured prominently in a close-up shot in the end sequence of the film.

See Also

• Holy Lance The Spear of Destiny.

External links

• Official site
• Constantine at IMDb
• Constantine at Rotten Tomatoes
• Constantine at Box Office Mojo
• Roots of the Swamp Thing - An extremely detailed timiline chronicling all the events of Swamp Thing, Hellblazer and related titles in chronological order, spanning millions of years of DC/Vertigo history