Movie Night #78: Constantine (2005) Director: Frances Lawrence
Cast: Keanu Reeves, Rachael Weisz, Shai LeBeouf, Tilda Swinton, Peter Stormare
Plot: John Constantine (Reeves) is an exorcist from LA who has stumbled upon a religious uprising within the holy community. It appears that God and the Devil have made a wager for the custody of all mankind - by influencing people, but not directly manipulating them, who could control them the best. But it appears that a new player as entered the mix, and is trying to jump-start armageddon before either side is ready for the final confrontation. And it's up to chain-smoking Constantine to save the day.
Another example of an Alan Moore comic property that couldn't be translated well into film (John's a blonde haired, chain smoking British magician who wears a brown over coat). Reeves is very uncomfortable in his role as the main protagonist, and cannot convince me that he's been smoking since 13. He's so uncomfortable using that over-sized zippo throughout the flick. His delivery is probably the poorest I've seen since Bill and Ted. Despite that, the flick has some decent special effects and a few nice "Oh shit!" moments. Honestly, I bought it for the special features - which were 2-3 minutes each, and not worth the money.
I feel cheated. :P