(1999)
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(1999) |
A spiritually broken bodyguard is forced into trying to stop a plot by Satan to take over the world.
Also known as: End of Days: Nacht ohne Morgen (German title)
Subgenres: action, religion
Director: Peter Hyams
Writer: Andrew W. Marlowe
Cast: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Robin Tunney
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I suppose End of Days was destined to disappoint at the box office. Maybe I'm making an unjust generalization, but I think that by and large, hardcore action fans aren't a disproportionately godly bunch. Here, they're being asked to accept a tale in which action superstar Arnold Schwarzenegger fires every bullet and throws every punch to the benefit of, if not in direct support of, God itself. That's a rather big and very dry piece of unleavened bread for your average meat-and-potatoes action fan to swallow. End of Days desperately wants to be interesting and important; it wants to be an action film with depth and color. Casting Gabriel Byrne was a good move. Satan-as-charmer (would that make him a "snake charmer"? Sorry.) is a really old bit by now, and Byrne seems to know it. He chooses to downplay the character and only occasionally comes viciously alive--a risky move, but one that pays off. Some of the film's forays into religous doctrine, though shallow, do help the plot along. And the acting is, by and large, competent. At its core, though, End of Days is just a slightly abover-average action movie. The dialogue borders on inanity occasionally, and none of the characters move beyond action film stereotypes. (Like the sidekick who uses humor to hide weakness and the villain who uses his superior intelligence to pick on our hero like a schoolyard bully.) Lastly, Ah-nuld's character is uncomfortably similar to his Jack Slater in Last Action Hero, which, if you'll remember, was a parody. (Apr 18, 2001)
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Reportedly, Sam Raimi was initially tapped to direct End of Days, but declined.
