Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #3967 in DVD
• Released on: 2005-07-11
• Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
• Aspect ratio: 2.40:1
• Formats: PAL, Colour, Dolby, Subtitled, DTS Surround Sound
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: Arabic, English, German, Hebrew, Icelandic
• Dubbed in: German
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 116 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
In the grand scheme of theological thrillers, Constantine aspires for the greatness of The Exorcist but ranks more closely with The Order. Based on the popular Hellblazer comic book series, and directed with nary a shred of intelligence by music video veteran Francis Lawrence, it's basically The Matrix with swarming demons instead of swarming machines. Keanu Reeves slightly modifies his Matrix persona as John Constantine, who roams the dark-spots of Los Angeles looking for good-evil, angel-devil half-breeds to ensure that "the balance" between God and Satan is properly maintained. An ancient artifact and the detective twin of a woman who committed evil-induced suicide (Rachel Weisz) factor into the plot, which is taken so seriously that you'll want to stand up and cheer when Tilda Swinton swoops down as the cross-dressing angel Gabriel and turns this silliness into the camp-fest it really is. The digital effects are way cool (dig those hellspawn with the tops of their heads lopped off!), so if you don't mind a juvenile lesson in pseudo-Catholic salvation, Constantine is just the movie for you! --Jeff Shannon, Amazon.com

Synopsis
Having been born with the gift of being able to see the spirits that roam the Earth, John Constantine finds himself stuck between the boundaries of Heaven and Hell. Seeking salvation, he teams up with a sceptical LAPD cop who is investigating the suspicious death of her sister, and together they delve below the surface of Los Angeles and uncover the world of angels and demons that lies beneath...

Customer Reviews

Flawed, with Flashes of Pure Brilliance
Dreadfully flawed and with a muddled story line, "Constantine" is nevertheless worth watching, for its occasional profound and intense beauty, and its visions of hell and its denizens, which anyone who believes that forces of evil exist and influence our world will find fascinating. Loosely based on characters from the Hellblazer comics, the script is very interesting in parts, but the audio is abysmal. The dialog sounds as if it is coming from an underwater tunnel, and I had to watch the film with subtitles. Also, this is a film that begs to be seen several times, to make some sense of the muddle.

The cast is excellent, and I have always been partial to Keanu Reeves, who as John Constantine, a man dying of lung cancer, who can see, and has walked beyond this dimension, is very good in his own peculiar way. I can't imagine anyone else of his generation playing the part. As he says of the cat in the film, he's "half in, half out," and Reeves also has that quality, of being in the world, but not quite of it. Rachel Weisz, who teamed with Reeves in the far less interesting 1996 "Chain Reaction," is both Angela, a Los Angeles detective, and her twin sister Isabel. She looks gorgeous, and gives a sensitive, lovely performance. Others in the cast that stand out are Tilda Swinton as Gabriel, and Shia LaBeouf, as Chas, Constantine's eager apprentice.

This is the feature directorial debut of Francis Lawrence, who has previously done music videos, and he certainly has an eye for bizarre imagery. The cinematography by Philippe Rousselot is terrific, and much of what is worthwhile in this film is due to him. It is hard to rate this film, as it is, like the battle of good and evil in the story, a mixture of opposites. Total running time is 121 minutes, it is rated R for "violence and demonic images," but is comparatively mild in language and has no in-between the sheets action. The DVD extra is 18 minutes of deleted scenes.

I enjoyed it, but I can see why a good many others wouldn't
I have no familiarity whatsoever with the graphic novel upon which this film is based, so I can only address the film in and of itself. And I must say that I rather enjoyed it for the most part. Anything with angels and demons always interests me, and this film put a quirky spin on the agents of God and Lucifer. Since John Constantine seems to be a pretty tight-lipped fellow who doesn't reveal much of himself to anyone, Keanu Reeves seems like a pretty good pick to play the part - there's not too much acting required for this one.

It soon seems obvious that something big is going down.. The movie manages to throw in a couple of small surprises toward the end (although it certainly breaks no new ground in showing Lucifer as a really stupid being). I really hated the characterization of the angel Gabriel, though. This isn't the first time we've seen a Gabriel who hated and conspired against humans (out of jealousy), but Constantine's Gabriel is a far cry from a similar archangel in, for example, The Prophecy.

The plot of this movie isn't all that bad, but it could have been told much more effectively. If you're not into this kind of weird subject matter, you may look upon the story as little more than an excuse to throw some impressive special effects together. I'm giving Constantine a somewhat tentative four stars, but I'm sure there are a good many people who won't enjoy the film very much at all.

Totally under-rated - brilliant movie!!!!!!
I went to see this in the cinema despite hearing bad reviews about it. I was blown away - it is amazing. If you like movies like the 'Matrix' you will enjoy this too. It is kind of 'The Excorcist meets the 'Matrix' feel. Very scarey in parts but also some really comedic moments. It is certainly up there in my best ever movies list and I would recommend you watch it!