A film review by Nick Stewart Copyright © 1999 Nick Stewart

Don't worry about your computer, forget millenial cults and don't bother to buy any candles for the Y2K switch: the world's going to end on New Year's Eve, even before the clock'll have a chance to strike twelve. The Devil has booked the world a date with destruction, and has every intention of seeing it through. God is nowhere to be found, all seems lost, and humanity's only hope is a suicidal alcoholic. Nope, it's not Nicolas Cage in Leaving Las Vegas 2: Drinkin' With the Devil, but rather Arnold Schwarzeneggar in his newest film, End of Days.

In End of Days, Arnie plays Jericho Cane, an ex-cop turned security goon who, since the brutal murder of his wife and daughter, has taken to having booze for breakfast while nursing rampant suicidal tendancies. After protecting a client from an assassin, Cane tracks down the geriatric offender to a hole-in-the-wall in the seedier side of New York City. After discovering that the man had cut out his own tongue, it's all downhill from there for Cane as he stumbles upon an ancient Doomsday prophecy and gradually comes to realize that he's the only man that can save the world from destruction. His search leads him to Christine York (Robin Tunney), a 20-year-old upper-class woman raised by devil-worshippers and who was marked from birth as the one who would conceive Satan's child within an hour from midnight on New Year's Eve. Intent on seeing this millenial prophecy through, the Devil possesses a human body (Gabriel Byrne), with which he can raise a little hell until he has the chance to get his groove on. Between fighting Satan, zombies and even himself, Jericho definitely has a lot on his already-packed plate.

Gabriel Byrne acquits himself very well as the Devil (or as the movie calls him, "The Man") in End of Days. Smug, infernally self-confidant and oozing with subtle charm, he fleshes out the Prince of Darkness like a James Bond/used-car salesman hybrid. One moment, he's hungrily kissing a woman in a chic restaurant. The next, he calmly walks out, and with a sly grin, blows it sky-high. He is as every bit as composed and slick as you would imagine him to be, and Byrne plays him to the hilt.

As the world-weary and troubled Jericho, Arnold does a surprisingly decent job in End of Days, which is a fortunate thing for us. He's one of the few remaining "classic" Hollywood figures, like Martin Scorsese and Robert Deniro, who have had a rich film history and of whom moviegoers have a very specific set of expectations. Arnie was, and always will be, an action hero. His position as such has been tarnished by hideous attempts at comedy (Junior, Jingle All the Way), and even his most recent attempt at comic action (the abysmal Batman and Robin) was a flop. At 51, Arnold was perilously close to completely losing his grip on acting credibility and on what made him a star: his roots in stone-faced, B-Movie-dialogued action. Fortunately for the movie-going public, End of Days marks the return of the gun-totin', butt-kickin' Arnie that we know and love.

Acting aside, End of Days itself is a touchy subject. Obviously, the movie deals heavily with religion, and whenever Hollywood decides to make a movie involving this, they're putting their necks on the chopping block. While End of Days wasn't boycotted as was the equally religious Dogma, the movie still stands to lose money on all those offended by the movie's gore and controversial portrayal of certain elements of the Catholic church. This is definitely not a movie for children or for the overly religious/close-minded, as they might find the movie's images (murderous priests, people being stabbed with crucifixes, the Devil having sex, so on) a little too disturbing/offensive at times. And that right there is what will turn most people off of End of Days: the gore and grittiness which lends the movie its constantly dark feel. Given, there are a lot of funny one-liners tossed throughout the movie, but they aren't so much that they bring the movie out of its grim darkness...which is a good thing. In a film that's supposed to raise tension in its viewers, the creepy impending-apocalyptic atmosphere goes a long way.

Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, this movie is above all a typical Arnie flick. The action is steady, the lines are cliched and corny, and Ah-nuld looks great doing it all. Given, it does have its quirky bits, like the fact that Arnold is stuck with a biblical name (Jericho Cane? Why can't any of these doomsday fighters ever be given a normal name like Willie or Norm or something?). It's also important to note that, apparently, Satanists are REALLY into hard rock. Rob Zombie tunes blare while The Man wanders the neighbourhood, and as the Devil's horde of followers gather to watch him trigger the End of the World, they all listen to Guns 'n' Roses! Think they're trying to tell us something?

All in all, End of Days is a great return to classic Arnold. While most people will have trouble getting past the disturbing bits, those who can get past them will be treated with some great Arnie action coated with a creepy apocalyptic theme. Sure, the movie won't win any Oscars nor will it provide any kind of intellectual debate, but if you're looking for some mindless blow-'em-up fun with a dark, creepy edge, End of Days is for you.

	Running Time: 123 Min | Rated R | US Release: November 24th | More >>

Related Links:

• Official Site
• The ARNOLD FAN News
• Upcomingmovies.com: End of Days
• Moviefan Online - End of Days Theatrical Preview

Prepare for the end.