End of Days


3/4

Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Gabriel Byrne, Robin Tunney, Rod Steiger

Rated R for Intense Violence and Gore, A Strong Sex Scene, and Language

"End of Days" is probably the darkest movie Ah-nuld has ever been in.  This is a grim and menacing film, thanks to the impressive cinematography by Peter Hyams (who also directed the film) and a creepy score by John Debney.

This film came at the end of the last millennium, when religious apocalypse films were all the rage.  Religious scholars can claim all they want about how this film plays fast and loose with biblical writing, and although there are some obvious instances of fudging in this respect, the film is well-made enough that lay people should be willing to overlook these flaws.

Jericho Cane (Schwarzenegger) is an alcoholic ex-cop who works at an elite security agency.  When a wall street hot shot he is supposed to be protecting is attacked by a religious fanatic with a gun, Cane finds himself pulled into the ultimate battle of good and evil.  Apparently, at the end of every millennium, the Prince of Darkness is able to walk on Earth in search of a bride who will bear his child (this would of course plunge the world into Hell on Earth for the next 1000 years).  Now it's up to Jericho to save the girl (Robin Tunney) and the world.

Say what you want about Schwarzenegger, but the man is a decent actor.  He may not be Sean Penn, but the former "Terminator" is effective as Jericho.  He's a guy we can all rally behind, and in a movie like this, that's essential to get us through the narrative hiccups.  Robin Tunney is solid as Christine, the girl of Satan's (wet) dreams.  Rod Steiger is so good as the priest that he manages to make the ludicrous seem credible, and Gabriel Byrne makes for a compelling, if imperfect, Satan.  Kevin Pollack and CCH Pounder are on hand for supporting roles, but they're not given much to do.

Creating atmosphere is a tricky thing.  What ruined "The Relic," one of Peter Hyams' previous films, was the lighting was so poor that it made it impossible to see anything.  That's not the case here, and because Hyams gets it right, the film manages to have a consistent level of tension throughout the film.  There are also some impressive visual effects (basically any scene with fire in it is going to be some good eye candy); making fire look interesting is not an easy thing to do.

All in all, this is an entertaining creepfest with just enough cool action sequences and gore to give the film its edge.

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