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(About Our Ads) "CONSTANTINE" (2005) (Keanu Reeves, Rachel Weisz) (R) Alcohol/ Drugs Blood/Gore Disrespectful/ Bad Attitude Frightening/ Tense Scenes Guns/ Weapons Moderate Extreme Extreme *Extreme Extreme Imitative Behavior Jump Scenes Music (Scary/Tense) Music (Inappropriate) Profanity Moderate Moderate Extreme None Heavy Sex/ Nudity Smoking Tense Family Scenes Topics To Talk About Violence Mild Extreme Mild Heavy Extreme QUICK TAKE: Horror: An eternally doomed man tries to buy his way into Heaven by defeating various demons from Hell that are afflicting other mortals on Earth. PLOT: John Constantine (KEANU REEVES) is a doomed man. Not only does he have terminal lung cancer from smoking too much, but an act earlier in his life has also assured him of an eternal place in Hell. Fortunately (or not) for him, he has the ability to see demons and otherworldly beasts that are afflicting other mortals on Earth and send them back to Hades. That, of course, doesn't sit well with the Devil (PETER STORMARE) or one of his right-hand demons, Balthazar (GAVIN ROSSDALE), but John hopes that his relationship with archangel Gabriel (TILDA SWINTON) may get him in good with God. He certainly hopes that his actions of defeating evil might earn him a place in Heaven and so, with the aide of assistants Chas (SHIA LaBEOUF), Beeman (MAX BAKER) and clairvoyant Father Hennessy (PRUITT TAYLOR VINCE), he continues with his work. His reputation draws the interest of police detective Angela Dodson (RACHEL WEISZ) who's investigating the mysterious death of her twin sister Isabel (RACHEL WEISZ). Angela is concerned that since it's been ruled a suicide, her sister will spend all of eternity in Hell, and thus wants John's help in uncovering the truth. He's reluctant to help, mainly because he initially doesn't care, but also because the actual appearance of a demon on the street (they usually just possess people's bodies) has him worried. Accordingly, he visits the mysterious and supernatural Midnite (DJIMON HOUNSOU) for answers. As John digs deeper for that and eventually agrees to assist Angela in her investigation, little does he realize who and what he'll next be facing in his quest for eternal salvation. WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT? If they're into action-based horror films or are fans of the original comic book and/or anyone in the cast, it's a good bet they might. WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: R For violence and demonic images. CAST AS ROLE MODELS: KEANU REEVES plays a doomed mortal with the ability to see and extinguish demons that are trying to make their way into our world. He does so to try to make his way into Heaven. He also smokes a lot (despite having terminal lung cancer), drinks a bit, and uses some profanity. RACHEL WEISZ plays a detective who seeks out John's help following her sister's death that others say was a suicide, but which she believes was murder. SHIA LaBEOUF plays John's young assistant. DJIMON HOUNSOU plays the mysterious, supernatural figure who operates out of an otherworldly bar. He briefly drinks and smokes. MAX BAKER plays John's other assistant, a nerdy hermit who's an expert on the occult and religion. PRUITT TAYLOR VINCE plays a clairvoyant priest who assists John in finding and disposing of various demons. GAVIN ROSSDALE plays a demon who's on Earth to torment the living. TILDA SWINTON plays the androgynous archangel who seems to have sinister designs of his/her own regarding Constantine and others. He/she briefly uses strong profanity. CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE Curious if this title is entertaining, any good, and/or has any artistic merit? Then read OUR TAKE of this film. (Note: The "Our Take" review of this title examines the film's artistic merits and does not take into account any of the possibly objectionable material listed below). OUR WORD TO PARENTS: Here's a brief summary of the content found in this R rated horror offering. Profanity consists of at least 1 "f" word, while other expletives and colorful phrases are uttered. A woman is briefly seen in a wet, clingy and partially open blouse (the shape but not the actual sight of her nipple can be seen through the material). Violence includes many scenes of demons and other such supernatural creatures being killed in various fashions (often with extremely bloody/gory results, like some of the other violent material); a suicide (and another incomplete one designed to summon the Devil); a person drowning by drink; another by fly infestation and there are various attempts on other characters' lives. Some of those scenes, various jump scenes, other moments, and the sight of various demonic and monstrous beings, demonic possessions and other religious-based supernatural material may be disturbing, suspenseful or downright scary to some viewers. Some of that related material (including slitting one's wrists and holding another person beneath some bathwater) may be enticing for some kids to imitate, while various characters have varying degrees of bad attitudes. A man smokes a great deal despite being diagnosed with terminal lung cancer, while he and others occasionally drink. Finally, a woman learns that her twin sister is dead, but there's little outward grieving on her part. If you're still concerned about the film and its appropriateness for yourself or anyone else in your home who may be interested in seeing it, we suggest that you take a closer look at our detailed listings for more specific information regarding the film's content. For those concerned with bright flashes of light on the screen, we see a full strobe effect in a nightclub. ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE Angela has some wine, while John has a drink. Afflicted by a demonic force, Father Hennessy tries to drink from his flask, but it appears to be empty. He then enters a convenience store and frantically tries to drink from various bottles of liquor, but they all seem empty when he raises them to his mouth (but are filled at all other times). Midnight gives John a bottle to drink from before enduring an electric chair jolt, and then has some of the booze himself. Midnight drinks. BLOOD/GORE Large veins and what's presumably a devil sign form in a man's arms. A woman screams as she looks into a room and sees a young woman up in the corner of a ceiling like a huge spider (she's possessed by a demon and sports gross-looking veins in her skin. John then places an amulet to her forehead (causing visible burns). John coughs out some blood into a sink. We briefly see part of Isabel's dead body under a sheet. We see a painting of Christ on the cross with a spear in His chest. We see a bunch of insect goo on a vehicle after it smashes into a swarm of insects. We briefly see some blood on a handkerchief after John coughs into it. John lights a cloth around his hand that ignites many nearby demons, causing them to disintegrate. We hear Angela vomiting from the strong smell of sulfur. We see various demons that are alive and missing the top halves of their heads. We see some dead feet sticking out in a morgue. Father Hennessy repeatedly jabs a corkscrew into his palm (we don't see the impact, but do see the bloody results later). We see a flashback to John as a kid on a bus who spots a woman whose face suddenly turns demonic and monstrous, with her flesh looking decayed. We see part of Balthazar's face that looks decomposed. We see Father Hennessy's bloody palm along with blood on a handkerchief that John uses to wipe the wound to reveal the symbol that Father Hennessy carved into his skin. A blast of fire (from a flamethrower like device) blasts Balthazar backwards, burning up half of his face (we see the steamy, gooey and quite bloody/gory results). John then punches Balthazar repeatedly and so brutally that part of Balthazar's face flies off. After John shoots him in the face, only charred pieces of it remain, although they're still alive and talk. We see a bloody fingerprint on John's shirt. Using an old electric chair, John is jolted into another fiery version of Hell where he sees rotted faces. A figure comes up out of some water behind Angela who then repeatedly shoots the man, with bloody bullet holes forming in his shirt as the slugs pass through his body. The man then drags Angela back into the water and tries to drown her (causing her to show up in Hell where many half-headed demons come after her). The skin of many demons burns or dissolves away when sprayed with holy water emitted from an overhead sprinkler system. John then shoots many of them with his large, modified gun, blasting them to bits. A person who's possessed by a demon has veins in their skin and an overall monstrous/demonic appearance. To bring out the Devil himself, John slits his own wrists. We don't see the actual act, but we hear it and then see pools of blood by him and then flowing along the floor. We see bloody and gooey feet coming down into the camera shot (it's the Devil). The Devil burns off Gabriel's wings (we see the impact and then the charred result). The Devil places his hands into John's sides (we don't see the insertion) and then yanks out some very bloody, cancerous masses. Gabriel has a bit of a bloody lip after being hit. DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE John has a bit of a cocky and indifferent attitude toward Angela, for instance, not holding an elevator door for her. The Devil, Balthazar and the other demons/evil beings have bad attitudes. John calls Gabriel "half breed." For those opposed to or concerned with the presence of supernatural/magic powers, such material is present in this film. John initially doesn't want to help Angela in her quest to find out the truth about her dead sister. Some viewers might not like when John comments that God is just a kid with an ant farm (symbolic for how He treats humans). Gabriel seems to (and then does) have sinister designs of his/her own regarding Constantine and others. FRIGHTENING SCENES Scenes listed under "Violence," "Blood/Gore" and "Jump Scenes" may be unsettling, suspenseful or scary to some viewers (especially younger ones) and/or those with low tolerance levels for such material. In addition, since some of the demonic images are religious based, they may be even more unsettling to Catholics and others than the non-devout. A woman screams as she looks into a room and sees a young woman up in the corner of a ceiling like a huge spider (she's possessed by a demon). John then arrives on the scene to perform an exorcism and we see the young woman tied to the bed, writhing about under demonic control, sporting gross-looking veins in her skin, and emitting loud growling sounds. John then places an amulet to her forehead (causing burns and the woman's feet to writhe). As John thinks he's done with the exorcism, he puts his head down toward hers when some large teeth/jaws thrust up beneath her skin (covering her throat) toward him. He then violently punches them (in her neck). The demon (in the woman's body) then has John by the throat, but he manages to get away. John then places a large mirror above the woman's body and we see the demon in the reflection (and it's missing the top half of its head), trying to get out. John then leans back from the bed, holding onto the rope supporting the large mirror that eventually falls out the window and crashes to the street below (presumably killing the demon). A helper doesn't follow orders and looks into a mirror sporting the reflection of a demon. His hair suddenly turns grey and he then cowers on the floor in full panic mode. Isabel (who we initially think is Angela since they're twins) wakes up in a mental ward, goes up to the roof and its edge (we see a devil sign on her arm) and then does a swan dive off the top, crashing through a glass atrium or skylight into a body of water below it (she dies). We see playback footage of Isabel before her suicidal plunge where she looks at the camera and states, "Constantine." All of phones and related machines start ringing in Angela's place. After an unusual array of animals show up on a city street, a demon, in the form of a huge swarm of insects, attacks John, sometimes as just a swarm, other times in the form of a humanoid type demon. The two punch and knock the other around until a vehicle smashes through the swarm. We see lots of large shadows whizzing by the windows in John's place. As John and Angela go down a deserted city street at night, all of the street lights suddenly start going out, save for a lit Jesus statue in a storefront display. We hear winged sounds from above and John prepares Angela as that last light goes out and various winged (and potentially scary looking) demons descend upon the two of them. John then lights a cloth around his hand that then ignites the demons, causing them to disintegrate. John evokes a ritual that allows him to enter Hell to look for Isabel. He ends up in a burning city where fiery winds rip through a decimated cityscape filled with half-headed demons (the top halves are missing) that chase after him and approach Isabel. As Father Hennessy visits a morgue and touches Isabel's dead body, his eyes roll back into his head and he falls to the floor, as we hear voices around him. We see a flashback to John as a kid on a bus who spots a woman whose face suddenly turns demonic and monstrous, with her flesh looking decayed. John loudly yells at Angela about what Isabel did in the past. There's talk of the son of the Devil. As Beeman talks on the phone to John, he keeps hearing sounds behind him. We then see something crawling beneath his skin. A fly then emerges from under his eyelid and onto his eye. We later see flies completely covering his face and crawling out of his mouth (he's dead). Angela wants to see what John sees, and he warns her that if she sees the demons, that means they see her as well. She has him continue with a ritual where she's to submerge herself in water and then wait until something happens. She does, but when nothing occurs, she tries to come up out of some bathwater, but John holds her beneath the surface. She struggles and writhes about until he eventually lets her up (after she's experienced Hell from that). A demonic force suddenly grabs and yanks Angela through many rooms and office furniture in a building before blasting her out through the exterior wall. Using an old electric chair, John is jolted into another fiery version of Hell where he sees rotted faces and encounters a possessed man who grabs him by the throat. A half-headed demon in Hell suddenly lunges at Angela. A person who's possessed by a demon has veins in their skin and an overall monstrous/demonic appearance. We see a set of jaws beneath a person's belly skin and it's trying to burst out. To bring out the Devil, John slits his own wrists in a suicide motion. The Devil (in human form) appears on the scene and acts menacingly toward John. GUNS/WEAPONS Flamethrower/Brass knuckles/Large gun type device/Handgun: Used to threaten, wound or kill other characters. See "Violence" for details. IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR Phrases: "You're f*cked," "Hypocritical bullsh*t," "You half-breed piece of sh*t," "Sh*t-hole," "What the hell?" "Move the damn car," "Pissed off," "Sorry ass," "G*ddamn you," "What the hell's he doing here?" "Bitch" (man) and "Screw the balance." John gives "the finger" to a demon. A miscellaneous person sports a tattoo, while John has split matching ones on his arms. Angela wants to see what John sees, and he warns her that if she sees the demons, that means they see her as well. She has him continue with a ritual where she's to submerge herself in water and then wait until something happens. She does, but when nothing occurs, she tries to come up out of some bathwater, but John holds her beneath the surface. She struggles and writhes about until he eventually lets her up (after she's experienced Hell from that). Using an old electric chair, John is jolted into another fiery version of Hell. To bring out the Devil himself, John slits his own wrists. We don't see the actual act, but we hear it and then see pools of blood by him and then flowing along the floor. John gives "the finger" to the Devil. JUMP SCENES A car suddenly slams into a man possessing a supernatural artifact. As John thinks he's done with exorcising a demon from a woman's body, he puts his head down toward hers when some large teeth/jaws thrust up beneath her skin (covering her throat) toward him. A demon, in the form of a huge swarm of insects, suddenly attacks John. A bus suddenly passes behind John. A demon is suddenly behind young John in a flashback. A demonic force suddenly grabs and yanks Angela through many rooms and office furniture in a building before blasting her out through the exterior wall. A half-headed demon in Hell suddenly lunges at Angela. MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE) An extreme amount of ominous and suspenseful music plays in the film. MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE) None. PROFANITY At least 1 "f" word (with another possible one), 7 "s" words, 1 slang term using male genitals "pr*ck," 6 asses (4 used with "hole"), 2 hells, 1 damn, 1 S.O.B., 3 uses of "Jesus" and 1 use each of "G-damn," "For Christ's sakes," "God" and "Oh my God." SEX/NUDITY Angela shows some cleavage in a camera shot that sees down her top. We briefly see a woman, sporting a lot of bare leg, sitting on a man's lap in a nightclub. Preparing to enter a bathtub in a ritual that will enable her to see what John can see, Angela wonders if she needs to remove the rest of her clothes, with John playfully pausing for a moment to think (she keeps them on). When she comes back up from under the water, however, we see her in a wet, clingy and partially open blouse (that shows some cleavage) and see the shape of her nipple through her wet bra and blouse. SMOKING John smokes more than 10 times, while Midnight smokes a cigar once. Despite learning that he has terminal lung cancer, John continues to smoke anyway. Beeman brings John a cartoon of cigarettes. TENSE FAMILY SCENES Angela learns that her twin sister is dead and sets out to find out how and why (but there's not much outward grieving). TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT God, the Devil, demons and other such matters. Despite learning that he has terminal lung cancer, John continues to smoke anyway. Gabriel tells John that he's going to Hell because of the life he took (meaning suicide on his part in the past). He later slits his wrists to evoke the Devil. For those opposed to or concerned with the presence of supernatural/magic powers, such material is present in this film. John talks of a wager between God and the Devil where they influence humans' lives, but don't directly contact them. The fact that Angela believes that people are evil. VIOLENCE A car suddenly slams into a man possessing a supernatural artifact. Veins and what's presumably a devil sign form in the man's arms and he runs away from the scene (seemingly unscathed while the car is crumpled). John places an amulet to a possessed woman's forehead (causing burns and the woman's feet to writhe). As John thinks he's done with the exorcism, he puts his head down toward hers when some large teeth/jaws thrust up beneath her skin (covering her throat) toward him. He then violently punches them (in her neck). The demon (in the woman's body) then has John by the throat, but he manages to get away. John then places a large mirror above the woman's body and we see the demon in the reflection (and it's missing the top half of its head), trying to get out. John then leans back from the bed, holding onto the rope supporting the large mirror that eventually falls out the window and crashes to the street below (presumably killing the demon). Angela confesses in church that she's killed another man today, but we then learn that she's a cop and did so in the line of duty. Isabel (who we initially think is Angela since they're twins) wakes up in a mental ward, goes up to the roof and its edge (we see a devil sign on her arm) and then does a swan dive off the top, crashing through a glass atrium or skylight into a body of water below it (she dies). As a man possessing a supernatural spear head walks down a country road, the cattle on either side of it fall over dead as he passes by. After an unusual array of animals show up on a city street, a demon, in the form of a huge swarm of insects, attacks John, sometimes as just a swarm, other times in the form of a humanoid type demon. The two punch and knock the other around until a vehicle smashes through the swarm. John lights a cloth around his hand that ignites many nearby demons, causing them to disintegrate. Father Hennessy breaks various bottles of liquor as he frantically tries to drink from them, but thinks they're empty. In reality, he's consuming a great deal of alcohol and eventually drowns (internally) from all that he's consumed (we see some of liquid pouring back out of his mouth). While dying, however, he repeatedly jabs a corkscrew into his palm (we don't see the impact, but do see the bloody results later). As Beeman talks on the phone to John, he keeps hearing sounds behind him. We then see something crawling beneath his skin. A fly then emerges from under his eyelid and onto his eye. We later see flies completely covering his face and crawling out of his mouth (he's dead). We hear the sound of breaking glass (implying that a possessed man has killed another person). Angela wants to see what John sees, and he warns her that if she sees the demons, that means they see her as well. She has him continue with a ritual where she's to submerge herself in water and then wait until something happens. She does, but when nothing occurs, she tries to come up out of some bathwater, but John holds her beneath the surface. She struggles and writhes about until he eventually lets her up (after she's experienced Hell from that). A blast of fire (from a flamethrower like device) blasts Balthazar backwards, burning up half of his face (we see the steamy, gooey and bloody/gory results). He then grabs and knocks John backwards, followed by lifting him off the floor by the neck. That prompts John to don some brass knuckles that he uses to punch Balthazar repeatedly and brutally. John hits him so hard that part of Balthazar's face flies off. As John walks away, he then shoots Balthazar, but we don't see the impact (although we see the bloody/gory results). The rest of him then turns to ash and blows away (presumably the work of the unseen Devil). A demonic force suddenly grabs and yanks Angela through many rooms and office furniture in a building before blasting her out through the exterior wall. John punches a bodyguard at a door and then shoots another door open. He then confronts Midnight who uses supernatural powers to blast John back against a wall where he puts his hand on him, causing John great pain. Using an old electric chair, John is jolted into another fiery version of Hell where he sees rotted faces and encounters a possessed man who grabs him by the throat. A figure comes up out of some water behind Angela who then repeatedly shoots the man, with bloody bullet holes forming in his shirt as the slugs pass through his body. The man then drags Angela back into the water and tries to drown her (causing her to show up in Hell where many half-headed demons come after her). The skin of many demons burns or dissolves away when sprayed with holy water sprayed from an overhead sprinkler system. John then shoots many of them with his large, modified gun, blasting them to bits (and striking the last one with the gun itself). Possessed by a demon, a woman tries to drown John and the two struggle. A demon's power smashes Chas up to the ceiling, down to the floor and then back against the ceiling with brutal force. Gabriel has his foot to John's neck, followed by a tight grip of his hand there as well. Gabriel sends John flying through the air and landing hard against a door. Gabriel raises up a spear head with the intent of killing a demon inside a possessed woman's belly (but is frozen before doing so). To bring out the Devil himself, John slits his own wrists. We don't see the actual act, but we hear it and then see pools of blood by him and then flowing along the floor. The Devil walks through some shattered glass that's still airborne (in slow motion). The Devil burns off Gabriel's wings (we see the impact and then the charred result). The Devil places his hands into John's sides (we don't see the insertion) and then yanks out some very bloody, cancerous masses. John punches Gabriel in the face with his gun. Reviewed February 8, 2005 / Posted February 18, 2005