1999
Director- Peter Hyams
Cast- Arnold Schwarzenegger, Robin Tunney, Gabriel Byrne,
Kevin Pollak, C. C. H. Pounder, Udo Kier, Victor Varnado, Miriam Margolyes, Derrick
O'Connor, Rod Steiger
Remember the
end of the 20th century, when everyone was afraid of Y2K and there
were all sorts off doomsday prophecies that people were claiming and then in
the end the worst thing that happened was that it took us all 3 months to get
used to writing 20 instead of 19 when dating something? This movie, which
swooped in right at the end of 1999, capitalized on that trend.
As the end of 2nd millennium approaches,
Satan (Gabrielle Byrne) arrives on earth seeking a woman (The Craft’s Robin Tunney) who has been prophesized to be his mate.
Apparently, having sex with her will trigger the events foretold in
Revelations. A cynical ex-cop (Schwarzenegger) stumbles onto this and is
determined to protect the girl. Standing in his way (along with the Prince of
Darkness) is a legion of devil worshipers (including Udo Kier) and a secret
branch of the Catholic Church determined to kill the girl rather than let her
fall into Satan’s hands.
Action
and horror is a difficult mix to sell. The essence of horror is peril, where as
a good action film is about overcoming such peril, often numerous times. Arnold
isn’t bad in the film. He turns in about
as a good a performance as the script allows. The problem is that Arnold is,
well, so Arnold! He is so charismatic and physically impressive, you never
doubt that he will overcome the odds.
Despite
the odd combination, the film does have some selling points. Gabriel Byrne
makes a humorous devil and Kevin Pollak makes for a funny straight man. There’s
also supporting performances by C.C.H. Pounder (Demon Knight) and Rod Steiger. Not a great movie, but an
entertaining attempt at blending genres.
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