Year:
1999
Studio:
Universal Pictures/Beacon Pictures
Movie:
3/5
DVD:
4/5
Teaser
Jericho (Arnold Schwarzenegger) and his partner Chicago (Kevin Pollack)
stumble on a mysterious case when a "former" Catholic Priest tries to
assassinate a businessman they are protecting. Jericho catches the
assassin, who rants about "the end of days". It's only later, when the
police inform Jericho that the assassin doesn't have a tongue, the he
gets interested and pursues the mystery.
Satan (Gabriel Byrne) has come to the world. If, in the last hour of
the millenia (Eastern Standard Time), he can make love to a special
girl born when the stars were right, he will bring in a new dark age.
That special girl is Christine (Robin Tunney) who doesn't know what's
going on even though she's always had these visions of a dark man
having his way with her.
Once Jericho stumbles onto this monstrous plot, he takes Christine and
tries to protect her from Satan. Enemies are everywhere, from the Dark
Lord's agents that permeate the city to the Catholic Agents trying to
kill Christine. Jericho isn't worried. As he says "if it's a choice
between trusting in God or my Glock, I'll take my Glock." But can an
ex-cop with enough hardware to give The Terminator a run for his money
be enough to combat the ultimate evil?
Movie
"End of Days" is a Schwarzenegger action movie with a horror/thriller
elements. Schwarzenegger plays Jerico Cane, an ex-cop grieving over his
lost wife and daughter, forced by circumstance to protect a young girl
from a supernatural evil that he just does not believe. The movie is
designed to keep people on edge and a bit scared without being a true
horror movie. The action sequences are standard for a Schwarzenegger
film.
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Actors
After heart surgery and a two year layoff, Schwarzenegger looks thinner
and more fragile than in previous movies. Though for Schwarzenegger
that means he looks merely like a tough guy rather than a hulking,
unstoppable force. Gabriel Byrne makes a dark and sexy Satan. A serious
Dark Lord for an adult world. Robin Tunney is wide-eyed and innocent in
a role that is not quite the "help help" girl in trouble stereotype.
DVD
Director Peter Hyams commentary is standard fare -- relatively
informative without being extremely interesting. The 25-minute
Spotlight On Location feature is a standard Behind the Scenes show that
was aired on cable. Each special effect sequence gets a 2 to 8 minute
video segment explaining the work behind it. There are two music videos
(both uninteresting) and the theatrical trailer as well as some written
text and notes that are also uninteresting.
Recommendations
Not the best Schwarzenegger movie. As an Action/Thriller it's more
Action than Thriller. It doesn't stand out as something that people
have to buy, but it also wouldn't be a big mistake to buy it. I guess
that means that you should try to get it on sale, though not
necessarily in a bargain bin.
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