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End of Days (16-Nov-1999)
Director: Peter Hyams Writer: Andrew W. Marlowe Music by: John Debney Producers: Armyan Bernstein; Bill Borden Keywords: Action/Adventure, Bible, Satan, Explosions
CAST | Arnold Schwarzenegger | ... Jericho | | | Gabriel Byrne | ... The Man | | Kevin Pollak | ... Chicago | | Robin Tunney | ... Christine | | CCH Pounder | ... Det. Margie Francis | | Rod Steiger | ... Fr. Kovak | | Derrick O'Connor | ... Thomas Aquinas | | Miriam Margolyes | ... Mabel | | | Udo Kier | ... Head Priest | | Victor Varnado | ... Albino | | Michael O'Hagan | ... Cardinal | | Mark Margolis | ... Pope | | | David Weisenberg | ... OB GYN | | Rainer Judd | ... Christine's Mother | | Luciano Miele | ... Pope's Advisor | | Jack Shearer | ... Kellogg | | Eve Sigall | ... Old Woman | | Robert Lesser | ... Carson | | Lloyd Garroway | ... Utility Worker #1 | | Gary Anthony Williams | ... Utility Worker #2 | | John Nielson | ... Hospital Cop | | Yannis Bogris | ... Skateboarder | | Elliot Goldwag | ... Thomas' Doctor | | Elaine Corral Kendall | ... Anchor | | Denice D. Lewis | ... Emily | | Renee Olstead | ... Amy | | Matt Gallini | ... Monk #1 / Intruder | | Marc Lawrence | ... Old Man | | Van Quattro | ... Satan Priest | | Charles A. Tamburro | ... Helicopter Pilot | | Lynn Marie Sager | ... Head Priest's Wife | | Linda Pine | ... Head Priest's Daughter | | David Franco | ... Assistant Priest | | Steven Kramer | ... Businessman | | Melissa Mascara | ... Businessman's Wife | | John Timothy Botka | ... Cop at Thomas' | | Walter von Huene | ... Motorman | | Fr. Michael Rocha | ... Priest | | | Puppeteers | | John Rosengrant | ... Puppeteer | | Richard Haugen | ... Puppeteer | | Matthew Heimlich | ... Puppeteer | | Trevor Hensley | ... Puppeteer | | Joey Orosco | ... Puppeteer | | Robert Ramsdell | ... Puppeteer | | Timothy Ralston | ... Puppeteer | | Jeffrey Charles Edwards | ... Puppeteer |
REVIEWS Review by Walter Frith (posted on 9-Jun-2007) Arnold
Schwarzenegger. An example of how big you can make it in the movies and
then have it fall apart so fast. In the 90's, Ah-nuld has only had
three good films. 'Total Recall', 'Terminator 2: Judgment Day' and
'Eraser'. 'Last Action Hero' was Arnold's egotistical version of Bruce
Willis' 'Hudson Hawk' and 'True Lies' was both uneven, only mildly
funny, and lacked James Cameron's signature heap of kinetics. I enjoyed
Arnold's work mildly in the comedies 'Twins' and 'Kindergarten Cop' but
not 'Junior'. Arnold served in the Bush administration in some sort of
fitness advisor capacity. I forget the official title he carried but
George Bush's claim that he wanted to be a kinder, gentler president
prompted Arnie to make his second terminator portrayal a kinder gentler
character. A humourous metaphor for his political connections, but
let's be honest here, did we really need a kinder and gentler
terminator? Give me a break! He takes an oath in the movie at the
insistence of John Connor (Edward Furlong), that he will not kill
anybody. So let's face it, Leonard Maltin was right when he said that
the first terminator movie was better simply because the film, and
Arnold's character, had much more edge. Satan. His image conjures up
many things wrong in the world. He's been played by many actors. Jack
Nicholson, Al Pacino and even little old George Burns have played the
fallen angel most uniquely. And now Gabriel Byrne plays him with an ice
cold sinister deviousness. Byrne is a great actor whose work in
'Miller's Crossing' and 'The Usual Suspects' remains his best. He even
had a hand in producing one of this decades most emotionally wrought
political dramas, 'In the Name of the Father'. Both Schwarzenegger and
Byrne provide a good and not so obvious game of cat and mouse in 'End
of Days'. The first thing I should say about this film is that it has
so many plot holes and enough credibility gaps to allow a transport
truck to drive through that you must toss these factors aside if you
truly want to enjoy the picture. Director Peter Hyams, whose work is
better when he has a hand in writing or co-writing his own scripts has
a few films I really enjoy. 'The Star Chamber' from 1983 where a group
of vigilante judges carry out their own brand of justice. 'Outland'
from 1981 with Sean Connery in an outer space version of 'High Noon'
and 1979's 'Hanover Street' with Harrison Ford as a World War II pilot
having an affair with a married English woman. Hyams often acts as his
own director of photography and clouds his films in a murky and
charcoal type of atmosphere which are fitting in adding to his many
scenes of compelling structure. His vision is sometimes repetitive but
he makes fairly decent films. Written by Andrew W. Marlowe, 'End of
Days' is about an ex-cop and present day high profile security officer
(Schwarzenegger) who becomes involved in confronting Satan when a young
woman is chosen to be Satan's concubine who will bear his child to walk
upon the earth in the next millennium. The film begins in Vatican City
in 1979 where the Pope and his council agree that the time has come,
based on a sign, where a female will be born in the world that will be
the chosen one for Satan's nasty scheme of planting his seed on Earth.
Around the same time, a baby girl is born in New York City and a ritual
is carried out upon her at the hospital where she's born that will put
her under Satan's spell. Skip forward 20 years. 1999. Things begin
coming together on a collision course for the sake of mankind's
existence. A wall street banker (Byrne) goes to the men's room of an
NYC restaurant and is accosted in the men's room by the tangible spirit
of Satan to walk the streets in a man's body. Satan has planted his
disciples in positions of advantage that will aid him in his plan to
have Christine York (Robin Tunney) bear his child and witness the end
of man's days upon the planet. Jericho Cane (Schwarzenegger) hooks up
with the plot when he investigates and assassin's plan to open fire on
the streets of NYC. He then finds the writings of a street vagrant in
an abandoned underground tunnel way and connects the writings with
quotes from the Bible and locks horns with the devil in an attempt to
protect the forces of good in the film. Now, in 'The Exorcist' the
devil was defeated with two priests being sacrificed in the process.
Their religious bindings and the word of God were powerful enough to
expel the devil from a little girl's body. 'End of Days' just doesn't
come off as credible. An observation is made in the film that only the
pure of heart can kill the devil and Cane isn't pure of heart. He's
angry at God for letting his family be taken from him and is a flawed
and truly mortal being whom Satan could squash like a bug if he really
wanted to. In other films and t.v. shows where the bad guys always let
the good guys hang on just a little too long to defeat them which
proves to be their downfall, well, this is what happens in 'End of
Days'. There are also scenes of action and excitement that just aren't
credible and bring the film down to an almost laughable capacity.
However, the portrayal of Satan by Byrne, the special effects and some
good camera work redeem the film somewhat. What's also funny is some of
the humour displayed which are inside jokes based on 'The Usual
Suspects' from 1995. Arnold's side kick in this film is Kevin Pollak
who appeared as one of the criminals in 'The Usual Suspects' with
Gabriel Byrne. There is a scene where a trail of flammable fluid is set
a blaze to cause a big explosion, seen in 'The Usual Suspects' and a
line is delivered that says: "The greatest trick the devil ever pulled
was convincing the world he didn't exist".....a classic line uttered by
Kevin Spacey in 'The Usual Suspects'. 'End of Days' can stand fully on
its own and is worth a look by the curious but only die hard Arnold
fans will embrace it as great. For the rest of us, it's an average ride
all the way. Visit FILM FOLLOW-UP by Walter Frith
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