Constantine (2005)

"A smart, wildly entertaining thrill ride.  Glenn Whipp, Los Angeles Daily News
"Wow! An amazing, fascinating trip!  Fred Saxon, FOX-TV
"An engrossing mix of atmospheric gothic horror and smart sci-fi that's cemented by intriguing mythology...and an ideally cast Keanu Reeves.  Michael Rechtshaffen, The Hollywood Reporter
"A smart ride. There's both eye and mind candy in this cleverly berserk spawn of Blade Runner.  Richard Corliss, Time
"...a deceptively thoughtful tale tricked up like an action movie; it's beautiful to look at but even more lovely to ruminate over.  Robert Wilonsky, Dallas Observer
"Action-packed and mind-blowing.  Shawn Edwards, FOX-TV
"...a clever and stylish film, with welcome flashes of tongue-in-cheek humor...  Tim Knight, Reel.com

Editor's Note With the ability to identify angels and demons as they exist on Earth, Constantine (Keanu Reeves) is tormented and set apart from other people. He is self destructive and angry, yet he does the right thing in protecting the citizens of Los Angeles from the dark forces that surround them. However, when he falls in love with a cop (Rachel Weisz), everything begins to change.

	Djimon Hounsou
	Keanu Reeves
	Rachel Weisz
	Shia LaBeouf
	Francis Lawrence - Director
	Gilbert Adler, et. al. - Executive Producer
	Jeff Cutter - Cinematographer
	Kevin Brodbin, et. al. - Writer
	Klaus Badelt, et. al. - Original Music By
	Lorenzo DiBonaventura, et. al. - Producer
	Naomi Shohan - Production Designer
	Wayne Wahrman - Editor

Rolling Stone
"CONSTANTINE has enough subtextual codes to spawn its own cult." 03/10/2005 p.118

Uncut
"[D]irector Francis Lawrence pulls off some canny support casting and uses the effects budget well..." 04/01/2005 p.135

Movieline's Hollywood Life
"CONSTANTINE is an FX-packed, noir-drenched adaptation..." 02/01/2005 p.88

Sight and Sound
"As with the entire genre, much of the fun comes from the loopy theology and shuffling of occult macguffins..." 04/01/2005 p.51-52

Entertainment Weekly
"Reeves is an unexpectedly decent fit, all cigarette-punctuated, screw-this detachment..." 07/29/2005 p.54

James Berardinelli's ReelViews 7 of 10
An uneven amalgamation of the brilliant and the preposterous, Constantine left me by turns in - James Berardinelli

Rolling Stone 7 of 10
Constantine has enough subtextual codes to spawn its own cult. And if you stay past the closi - Peter Travers

ReelViews 7 of 10
Rarely has the question "What the hell?" been more appropriate. An uneven amalgamation of the brilliant and the preposterous, Constantine left me by turns intrigued, confused, and wary. The recipe calls for some ingredients that are compelling, others that are audacious, and others that are downright maddening. With a bold, dynamic visual style that fuses film noir elements with traditional horror motifs, Constantine can be considered many things, but dull is not amongst them. This is not a timid film, yet it's not an entirely successful one, either...Keanu Reeves, who filmed Constantine immediately after being immersed in the Matrix sequels, is in Neo mode. There are superficial differences - Constantine is less likeable and more cynical - but Reeves plays the two as spiritual kinsmen. After all, it took a full movie before Neo came to accept his role as the Chosen One. Rachel Weisz, looking for a good companion piece on her resume for the Mummy flicks, has found it...Constantine will appeal most strongly to those with a penchant for vivid cinematic comic book adaptations. It remains to be seen whether it will find its audience or end up ignored by viewers expecting another installment of The Matrix or a more traditional horror movie. - James Berardinelli

Chicago Sun-Times 5 of 10
No, "Constantine" is not part of a trilogy including "Troy" and "Alexander." It's not about the emperor at all, but about a man who can see the world behind the world, and is waging war against the scavengers of the damned. There was a nice documentary about emperor penguins, however, at Sundance this year. The males sit on the eggs all winter long in like 60 degrees below zero...Keanu Reeves plays Constantine as a chain-smoking, depressed demon-hunter who lives above a bowling alley in Los Angeles. Since he was a child, he has been able to see that not all who walk among us are human. Some are penguins. Sorry about that. Some are half-angels and half-devils. Constantine knows he is doomed to hell because he once tried to kill himself, and is trying to rack up enough frames against the demons to earn his way into heaven...Reeves has a deliberately morose energy level in the movie, as befits one who has seen hell, walks among half-demons, and is dying. He keeps on smoking. Eventually he confronts Satan (Peter Stormare), who wears a white suit. (Satan to tailor: "I want a suit just like God's.") Oh, and the plot also involves the Spear of Destiny, which is the spear that killed Christ, and which has been missing since World War II, which seems to open a window to the possibility of Nazi villains, but no. - Roger Ebert