Constantine

Plot synopsis:
God and Lucifer have a standing wager for the souls of all mankind. Angels and demons are forbidden to manifest on Earth; instead, their hybrid off-springs (human-angel and human-demon) can be used to influence humans.
In a church ruin in a Mexican countryside, a scavenger named Manuel finds a spearhead wrapped in a Nazi flag, which is later revealed as the Spear of Destiny. Manuel becomes possessed and begins to make his way to the US.
Exorcist John Constantine exorcises a girl possessed by a soldier demon trying to break through to Earth, something that should not be possible under the wager's rules. He meets with the androgynous half-angel being Gabriel. He asks Gabriel for a reprieve from his impending death from lung cancer. Gabriel declines, telling Constantine that he exorcises demons for selfish reasons and will not earn his way to Heaven.
After being assaulted by another demon, Constantine goes to former witch doctor Papa Midnite, who runs a club serving as neutral ground where half-breeds do not have to conceal themselves. Midnite does not believe Constantine's claim of demons crossing over. Constantine leaves, after exchanging hostile words with half-demon Balthazar.
Elsewhere, a woman named Isabel Dodson commits suicide in a psychiatric hospital. Her twin sister, Detective Angela Dodson, refuses to believe Isabel, a devout Catholic, would kill herself. Watching security footage of Isabel's suicide, Angela hears her saying Constantine's name. Angela finds Constantine and asks him to help investigate. After they are attacked by winged demons, which Constantine believes were targeting Angela, he agrees to help.
Constantine briefly transports himself to Hell, and sees Isabel damned to eternally relive her suicide. He briefs his findings to Angela. He explains to her that he was born with the power to see the true nature of the half-breeds. He committed suicide to escape his visions, but was saved by paramedics. However, for the sin of taking his own life, his soul is destined for Hell. The two examine Isabel's room in the hospital and find a clue pointing to a prophecy that Lucifer's son, Mammon, will attempt to claim Earth as his own kingdom. To do so, Mammon requires a powerful psychic and assistance from God.
Angela tells Constantine that Isabel was a clairvoyant and a psychic, and was committed by her parents as a result. Angela had the same gifts, but suppressed it. At Angela's insistence, Constantine reawakens her psychic ability through a near death experience. She immediately finds a clue pinpointing Balthazar as an accomplice to the plot. Constantine interrogates Balthazar, who reveals that Mammon has the Spear, stained with the blood of Christ - the assistance from God. Angela, now the psychic in place of Isabel, is abducted by an invisible entity and impregnated by Manuel.
Constantine convinces Midnite that the demons are breaking the wager's rules. With Midnite's help, Constantine finds out how the Spear emerged and Angela's location. Constantine arms himself, and goes to the hospital, accompanied by his driver and apprentice Chas Kramer. The two fight their way through an army of half-demons and exorcise a possessed Angela. However, Chas is killed by the invisible entity, which turns out to be Gabriel. Resenting God’s favoritism towards humans, the half-angel plans to unleash Hell on Earth to weed out those deemed "unworthy" of God’s love. Gabriel casts Constantine from the room and prepares to use the Spear to cut Mammon free from Angela.
Out of options, Constantine slits his wrists. As he bleeds out, Lucifer arrives to personally collect his soul. Constantine tells Lucifer of Mammon's plan to usurp him. Lucifer easily overpowers Gabriel, burns Gabriel's wings and banishes Mammon. In return for his help, Lucifer grants Constantine a favor. Constantine asks that Isabel be released to Heaven. Lucifer complies, but then realizes that he cannot take Constantine to Hell. By selflessly sacrificing himself, Constantine is granted entry to Heaven. Infuriated, Lucifer heals Constantine's injuries and cures him of cancer, hoping he will eventually make a mistake and damn himself again. Angela and Constantine depart, leaving the now human Gabriel. Sometime later, Constantine, now making an effort to quit smoking, entrusts the Spear to Angela.
In a post-credits scene, Constantine visits Chas' grave, where Chas appears in an angelic form and flies away.

Tags: comedy, fantasy, gothic, murder, paranormal, cult, flashback, good versus evil, psychedelic, storytelling

Review:
John Constantine is iconic character that I think that Keanu Reeves did impressive acting performance, including way better job than he did in movies he is doing this days.I love this film.
One of the best comic adaptations without a doubt.This is the type of comic book movie that I like to see; R rated, good action scenes, badass main character (and in Constantine case he sure is one considering that Devil himself will come to collect his soul), actors who actually do their job right, good direction, good score, no unnecessary bullshit subplots that are not needed and only extend the running time, great cinematography and visuals, and some decent practical effects.
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.
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.
I believe most actors are merely personalities and Keanu has a cool one at that.The special effects were great and there were many picturesque scenes that will leave an imprint on your mind.Even though I had never read the comic book I really appreciated this movie for it's religious theme.
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.
Maybe that's why so many people hate Constantine, and many that love - like me.For sure, this is the best movie Keanu Reeves has ever made.
Rachel Weisz is also very convincing as the sensitive policewoman Angela Dodson and works very well with Keanu.People that don't like to see supernatural stuff or alternative imaginative stories probably will hate it.
The actor who I felt brought most passion and enthusiasm to his role was Peter Stormare who obviously enjoyed playing Satan and the scenes with him are admittedly some of the most interesting in the film and even though he is only on screen for something like 5 - 10 minutes he should almost be credited as a main character thats how good he is.Now story wise the film had some issues but they weren't as serious as many people claim they are.
The film worked so seamlessly its hard for me to disseminate it into pieces and give an appraisal of each so here is a brief bullet-point of why I thought it was so good.Strong character played by Keanu, Excellent cinematography, A unique approach to an old story-line, Thoroughly engrossingThe negatives were Keanu was very Neo/Matrix like and his dialog with Lu at the end was a little unconvincing.Watch this one!.
The movie deals about John Constantine (Keanu Reeves) , a tough detective in charge of exorcisms and throwing out supernatural beings and bizarre creatures toward hell , employing only as weapons a shot-cross and holy water .
It would seem she has nothing but the best motives, but conflicted people and incongruous motives are what make this movie interesting.Interesting questions surrounding the death of Jesus Christ, the existence of demons on Earth, the ultimate destination of our soul when we die and even the perfect lack of all evil in angels are woven into a screen adaptation of a character and story with a cult following.
I think the role of John Constantine is definitely settle with him.It's not the movie liked by everyone I suppose, however it's not cheesy B-class film either.
I'm not sure a non-catholic can appreciate this entire aspect of the film though.I am not a fan of Keneau Reeves at all, but I thought he did a very good job in this role, he was believable in the part except that he looked far too young and healthy for it.
this film was OK....it had an OK sort of storyline to it, and even had some good visuals in the forms of all the dead people, and how hell was portrayed as a parallel world i thought that was great...as for the characters, keanu reeves played his very well...a good one from him, same for rachel wizse (sp?) she played an excellent part or two in the form of her twin sister...although hard to make out that it was two different people.i would say that the support cast were also good, which they were.
The movie stars Keanu Reeves as a supernatural private eye who helps a police detective played by Rachel Weisz into inquiring about the strange suicide that was committed by her twin sister.
While this was decent eye candy, you can't get over the bad acting of Keanu Reeves, who is just playing the character of Neo and The rest of the actors don't fair any better in this movie with the exception of Rachel Weisz and Djmon Hounsou, who both manage to stand out in this mess despite the fact that the script does not do them or their performances any justice.
Still, looking at this movie from a point of view as 'the only thing I have ever seen about this, it's characters, and story,' I thought it was very well done.The movie is a sort of 'end of the world' ( or the beginning of the end ), where demons from Hell are trying to enter this plane of existence and rule on earth.
The Devil's son, Mammon, wants to rule on earth, this plane, ( Hell on earth ), and the half breed angel 'Gabriel' is trying to help him to accomplish just that with the finding of 'The spear of Destiny.' ( I did find it 'strange' that both the movies from 'The Prophecy' and this one use Gabriel ).Constantine is a great seer, whom after treated as insane as a youth, which eventually leads him to suicide, grows up to be a master exorcist and knows all related with the Bible and Occult in his battle, and keeping of, the balance between both good and evil - Whilst trying to do these things hoping to 'buy his way back into Heaven' for the life he took - his own, and evade his sentence to Hell.Twists and great graphics make this movie a must see.
I'm a fan of the comic and I wanted to keep an open mind but the movie was a real wasted of time, and some of the effect look really cheesy in parts of the film.
The movie wants to make a statement about heaven, hell and the human spirit that is struggling in-between but the subject matter was not handled with care and it felt like it was watered down in order to commercialize this film to the brainless masses who can't really think for themselves (Dare I say the religious right?) If you are going to tackle this kind of subject matter, go for the jugular and pull no punches.
Out of the entire cast, only Rachel Weisz comes out with her dignity intact with a very good performance that the movie squanders in order to let Keanu act like a darker version of his NEO character towards the latter half of the film.
Unfortunately, her performance is the only thing that this movie really has and it gets put in the background while the director and Keanu try to rehash the Matrix films into a supernatural thriller that has no qualms in insulting the audience with it's lack of substance and plot.Avoid..
Keanu Reeves is miscast as John Constantine and makes the character into a dumb action hero who would have been put down and made fun of by his comic book counter part.
Only Rachel Weisz and Djimon Hounsou give good performances and that's because they both knew what to bring to the table, while Keanu forgets that you need to believe in the main character in order for the movie to really fly.
The script also lacks a certain amount of believability and certain parts make no sense what so ever.If you want to see this, see it for the game performances of Rachel Weisz and Djimon Hounsou, which does respect the audience, unlike the movie which does not.
Rachel Weisz does in fact give the best performance out of the entire film and that's manly because she gives more to her role than the story itself does and a special nod also goes to Peter Stormare who's only in the last few minutes of the film but manages to give a good performance with the little he has..
The rest of the actors involved are almost as bad as Reeves himself with Shia LaBeouf being as annoying as ever and Peter Stormare over doing it as the prince of darkness.Say what you may about the Blade films but at least the first two Blade movies had a script that at least entertain you for a good solid two hours while this film will have you looking at your watch after the first 45 minutes.
There is some good in the film and that is mostly coming from the performance of Rachel Weisz, and she does more for it than the movie does for her.
For one, it would have cut about half of the unnecessary characters that is in the film but also might have made the movie more focus in its plot because her character has more of a reason of being in the movie than Keanu's, who is just there for the mandatory overblown climax, which in itself incoherent because it raises more questions than the movie wants to answer.I agree with the majority, see it for Rachel Weisz great performance only but I suggest you wait for DVD instead because the movie is not as good as she is..
Some of the acting is good with Rachel Weisz doing what she can with the bad script she has to work with and she almost succeeds because she gives the movie its only real and compelling performance.
You don't really give a damn about the main character at all and you really don't give a damn about his kid sidekick, who is just the most annoying character in the entire film.I don't know what went though the minds of the people who made this film but if there is a special part in hell for the director and the screenwriters of this movie, I hope they go there quick for what they did to such a great comic book..
The plot lacks excitement, and the characters were empty in the sense that not much is known about them(unless you had read the Hellblazer comics).The only good things about this movie are the special effects and Rachel Weisz who delivered a great performance.
His co-star Rachel Weisz is ten times the actor Keanu is and she has the most interesting character in the whole movie.
This is a very bad movie, no doubt about it but it does have its great points which is the performances of Rachel Weisz Peter Stormare and Djimon Hounsou which makes this movie much better than it really is.
Rachel Weisz is with out a doubt one of the most versatile actresses of our generation, and in this movie, she is quite literally carrying the huge acting weight from Keanu Reeves, who is miscast in his role and gives a pretty lousy performance.
The rest of the cast is solid with great performances by Rachel Weisz, Djimon Hounsou and Peter Stormare which the film does not expand on and the script does not give more time to because it only wants to focus its energies on Keanu's bad attitude than the real actors that are in the film.What a shame..
Some of the acting is very good with Rachel Weisz doing much more than she should have for this movie but the movie falls on the shoulders of Keanu Reeves and he rather be Neo than a real character.If you have nothing to see but I would wait for Video if I was you..
Rachel Weisz does gives a very dark and wonderful performance that is really more complex than the film itself but the movie is more interested in special effects than to really focus on the other much better actors in the film and that's the movie's biggest mistake right there because the special effects are not that very good to begin with.
The only actor who does give a good performance is Rachel Weisz and she is really giving her all to this film but she's let down by a script that is really badly written and a cast that does not rise above the horrible writing.
I don't know why Keanu was cast in this role but he's the worse actor in the entire movie and Shia LaBeouf is almost as bad as he is and gives a very annoying performance that reeks of stupidity.
The special effects were decent and some of the cinematography was great in showing the aspects of hell but with out a good a script or a real leading man, the movie is only held together by Weisz's performance but she like the audience is let down by the climax, which really pulls the rest of the film apart and makes it into a three ring circus.Wait for DVD instead..
The only good thing of merit that the movie has to offer is the performance of Rachel Weisz, who manages to give a complex, strong and moving performance that gives you a brief pause and makes you wonder on how this movie could have been much better off if they just centered it around her character alone, with out all the hoopla and special effects that it has now.
The only actor in the film that manages to transcend the lackluster material given is Rachel Weisz, who gives a deep and rich performance that the film is not mature enough to handle and does far more for this film than Keanu Reeves and the special effects combined.Other than her great performance, you can skip the entire movie..
Adapted from the DC/Vertigo comic book "Hellblazer", Constantine details the life of John Constantine, (Keanu Reeves) a detective of the paranormal who spends his life saving people from supernatural occurrences in an attempt to commit enough good deeds to buy his way into heaven after trying to commit suicide at a young age.
When we, the audience, try to ignore the film's star and concentrate more on the dark, moody visuals and excellent supernatural CGI effects, we get Keanu Reeves' (never changing) face plastered on-screen again, and we are barely allowed to get a glimpse of the more appealing aspects of the story.As one would come to expect, most of the actual acting talent comes from the far more interesting array of supporting characters.
Out of the entire cast only Rachel Weisz gives a real performance in this movie and she is so good in fact that she does almost redeems the entire film but not even her great talent could save it from the script, which is excruciatingly bad and the direction, which is as bad as the script and lacks focus for what its trying to accomplish.
The story makes no sense and manages to go against itself in certain scenes and the climax literally destroys the narrative that the movie was trying to build up.Maybe asking for a competed director and a lead actor who can act was a tall order for the producers of this film..
Enter John Constantine (Keanu Reeves), freelance demon-hunter, and Los Angeles detective Angela Dodson (Rachel Weisz), who are to play roles in the ongoing "battle" between heaven and hell.Judging Constantine on visuals, style and attitude, it would easily earn a 10.
The other actors in the film, most noticeable Rachel Weisz ( She does give the best performance in this movie, she is that good), Djimon Hounsou and Tilda Swinton all do better than poor Keanu in there roles and manages to rise above some of the clichés and the flimsy plot to give solid performances but not even they can get pass the fact of how badly this film was made and how incoherent it really is.
Keanu Reeves, who plays the title character of John Constantine is a decent actor when he is motivated but he looks like he's on some kind of drug in this film and does not come a cross well in his role.
You can't blame him for his lack of interest because of how bad the script is but he could have done better or they could have gotten a better actor to play the character instead.I suggest you see this film for Rachel Weisz's better what this film deserved performance only because the only good thing this film really has..
The special effects were awesome though and it was the best thing the film had to offer.I think Constantine worked so well because of Keanu Reeves.
The other actors in this film are just as bad Keanu himself with the exception of Rachel Weisz, whose great performance goes way above and beyond on what this movie really deserved and to Tilda Swinton, who does do wonders with her very badly written role.
Keanu Reeves was surprisingly good, I like him as an actor but this film really made me realize how talented he is.
I'm not that big of a Keanu Reeves fan, but it always seems like he's always in the ground breaking special effects movies.
I loved reading Hellblazer, and I'm well aware Reeves isn't the most over-the-top actor in the world  but I still enjoyed Constantine a hell of a lot.It's a great movie, despite what all the haters will have you believe..