certain things- like an uncommonly bad-ass Keanu Reeves- make this better than it has any right to be

Rating: 7/10 (3 May 2008)

I'm not sure if Francis Lawrence is really up to par to make any kind of great movie, having now seen his first film Constantine and his mega-hit follow-up I Am Legend. But he can make a pretty entertaining spectacle of the dark and supernatural, and add a certain edge that comes most likely for those who are thirsting for it after being out of the desert of Man vs. Satan pictures. In this case John Constantine- inspired by a comic book from the 80s (which had the hero looking like Sting and Satan looking like David Bowie)- is a demon hunter, an exorcisor, and also a hardcore chain smoker who will probably kill himself from lung cancer before getting snuffed by some out-of-the-dark demon. He is called upon by a cop (Rachel Weisz) to investigate what appears to be a suicide of her sister (twin, not too oddly enough) but is really murder. How will Constantine find out? How will she? What will she be needed for?
If you don't put a whole lot of thought into some of the logistics, obviously, Constantine is a very fun movie, and chock-full of ultra hellish special effects, some keen one-liners ("Everybody leave now... go to hell."), and an unusually cool and on-spot performance from Keanu Reeves. While he might've given more of his somewhat limited worth for the Matrix movies, it's here that one sees him trying, and nearly succeeding, a Dirty Harry imitation in the form of a kind of Christopher Walken ala the Prophecy character. It helps since there's some very good supporting work from Weisz, Tilda Swinton as a vengeful angel, and Dijmon Honsu as a witch doctor (Shia Lebouf appears as a driver and is probably the weakest link). The coup is casting Peter Stormare as Satan, however, appearing in only some make-up and a heavy ham-bone performance.
So for all you looking for plenty of action with those that come from hell, this is a good flick to catch now that it's showing a lot of cable. It's fast-paced but takes its time as a story, and it has atmosphere coming out of its ears, probably the best gift that Lawrence can bestow (he also has it in spades with I Am Legend, albeit the visual effects are actually better HERE than in the Smith vehicle). It would be a guilty pleasure to rank with Ghost Rider if it weren't somewhat pretty well crafted. 7.5/10