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December 21st, 2003 - "From Hell they came... to Hell they went!" Thanks to James Wilkinson for transcribing the following for us - THE BUZZ: **** (out of 5) Director: Francis Lawrence Starring: Keanu Reeves, Rachel Weisz, Tilda Swinton THE WORD: Celluloid incarnation of cult comic book occultist John Constantine. First glimpsed in the pages of Swamp Thing then elevated to star status in his own title - the macabre Hellblazer, showcase for such British talents as Warren Ellis and Glenn Fabry - Constantine is a tumbledown, trenchcoat-clad anti-hero, battling demons both personal and all too external. The movie relocates him from the diseased London of the comics, finding satanic shadows in Los Angeles. It's been pitched to the suits as "Dirty Harry meets The Exorcist", so expect a storyline that streamlines the dense, skewed imaginings of the comic book in favour of a multiplex-soothing adventure tale. BOX OFFICE BLAST OR BOMB?: The character of John Constantine was originally modelled on Sting, later pursued by Nicholas Cage and eventually snatched by Keanu Reeves who is, let's face it, absolutely no-one's idea of a grizzled, Silk Cut-sucking Scouser. They may have rebranded Constantine as an American, but can the famously pine-finish thesping talents of Reeves convey the twisted depths the role demands? There's fine support from The Mummy's Rachel Weisz as Angela Dodson, a police officer who teams with Constantine to investigate her twin sister's mysterious death, and The Beach's Tilda Swanson as the angel Gabriel, but Keanu surely remains the weakest link. Hellblazer writer Warren Ellis believes he's in with a chance, though. "I think Reeves is an interesting choice because he can get at that other part of Constantine, the part that demands social justice and exists in ethical turmoil..." <<< Back To Index.