Constantine (2005)
Director: Francis Lawrence
Starring: Keanu Reeves, Rachel Weisz, Shea LaBeouf, Djimon Hounsou
Primary genre: Supernatural
Following the ultimately underwhelming results of the hyped “Matrix” (1999-2003) trilogy, Keanu Reeves was still nevertheless in high demand to play stoically heroic roles and DC’s John Constantine seemed like a good fit. Invoking the wrath of material purists, Reeves looks nothing like his blonde haired, Scousian comic book counterpart. Yet, he manages to make John Constantine his own, particularly when he delivers the character’s dry remarks and cynical attitude amidst a demon-infested L.A. He is after all the main star and this Warner Bros motion picture floats in a post “Matrix” period due to the charisma of the beloved actor.
“God’s a kid with an ant farm, lady. He’s not planning anything.”
Reeves and director Francis Lawrence play the film’s ridiculous noir plot straight and surprisingly it works. A tale of demons and divine beings and everything in between in the City, ironically, of Angels might have sounded ludicrous on paper, but Lawrence makes even several shortcomings engaging and appealing. Unlike most directors of commercial background who deliver rather disappointing outputs, Lawrence is confident enough to give “Constantine” a distinct visual edge. He uses wonderfully peculiar camera angles for even the most basic of proceedings (e.g., a jumping suicide, an exorcism scene) dressing the movie with a style that it’s more appropriate to bombastic blockbusters. Elevated by the gloomy cinematography of Philippe Rousselot, Lawrence’s L.A. has nothing glamorous to go for it and each location is geographically memorable enough for the audience to understand where the things begin, go and end.
Boasting a remarkable restraint on cheap CGI thrills (especially after the Matrixification of action flicks in the new millennium) and emphasizing more atmosphere and slow burn dread than graphic violence, “Constantine” takes its time to build its spiritual world and the players within reluctant to implement extravagant production design and other flashy props (although a cross shotgun does stand out). Helped by Brian Tyler’s and Klaus Badelt sublime score, the script’s main aspect remains intriguing all the way through its unexpected and surprise filled climax even if a more visceral and adult oriented confrontation would have landed harder.
That does not mean “Constantine” is held back by low production values - far from it. It brings a breath of fresh air in its limited (yet inventive) action scenes which are being deprived of bullet time effects and chaotic editing (e.g., who would have thought that dragging someone through a building can be so mesmerizing?). The cast is on top form under interesting costume choices and ambiguous characterization although their roles relegate them to pretty much exposition devices. Tilda Swinton as an androgynous angel Gabriel is a casting match in heaven (pun intended) while Stormare’s Lucifer and Djimon Hounsou’s Midnite make memorable but brief appearances.
For all its perks though, “Constantine” does not have a truly spectacular antagonist electing to galvanize instead on Rachel Weisz’s acting momentum in her familial conundrum and occasionally on Shea LaBeouf’s jarring comic relief, an obvious attempt to capitalize on a wider market for those under 18. Still, for such a bizarre (and expensive) film hybrid, “Constantine” works. It is not a fully blown action movie but rather a story around a doomed human exorcist/sorcerer battling satanic creatures on earth with limited resources at his disposal. And frankly, now that one might be thinking about it, Keanu is the perfect fit for such a role.
Friedkin’s neo noir masterpiece
+Stylish direction
+Restrained CGI
+Atmosphere
+Keanu nails it
+Interesting noir story
+Great cast
-Underused
-Jarring come