Keanu Reeves' 'Constantine' is supernatural nonsense

By Jack Garner
Gannett News Service

CONSTANTINE (R) Two Stars (Fair) A demonic thriller with Keanu Reeves as a metaphysical investigator trying to save Earth from demons and himself from hell. Rachel Weisz and Tilda Swinton co-star for first-time director Francis Lawrence. Warner Bros., 122 minutes.

Between "The Matrix" trilogy and "The Devil's Advocate," you've done all the alternate-universe to-hell-in-a-handbasket films any actor should have to do.

The film that takes us over the edge is "Constantine," another metaphysical thriller that puts Reeves toe-to-cloven-hoof with Satan himself.

Directed by first-timer Francis Lawrence and based on a comic book called "Hellblazer," it tells of a reluctant hero named John Constantine who has the ability to "see" demonic spirits and to perform exorcisms. He's apparently learned he has to perform these tasks if he has any hope himself of avoiding eternity in hell. (And since he's a relentless chain smoker, eternity may be just around the corner.)

In "Constantine," John teams up with a Los Angeles cop named Angela (Rachel Weisz) who is investigating the apparent suicide of her twin sister. She refuses to believe her sister's jump off a roof was suicide. Could an evil spirit have given her the necessary push?

The sister's suicide coincides with what Constantine sees as a recent, troubling influx of half-breed devil-humans. A knowledgeable demonologist, he believes the world survives as a tenuous balance between good and evil, and evil has recently been making inroads.

"Constantine" is what's called a gobbledygook movie, a film that depends on all sorts of bizarre rules — gobbledygook — that seem to be made up on the spot. Accepting the movie depends on accepting the nonsense that rules it.

As they investigate, Constantine and Angela have spooky encounters with various eccentric characters that allow quality actors to wallow wonderfully in hamminess. They include the mysterious Midnite (Djimon Hounsou), who runs a nightclub that caters to half-breeds of both spiritual persuasions; the angel Gabriel (Tilda Swinton), who seems to be undergoing an identity crisis; and good ol' Satan himself (Peter Stormare), looking like an ice-cream salesman in his all-white suit.

"Constantine" will probably please fans of the demonic genre, and has enough darkly comic wit and interesting performances to even entertain some of the uninitiated. Still, there's nothing in "Constantine" that begins to match the primal chill of Satan's single cry of "Merrin!" when the priest enters the possessed house in "The Exorcist."

Rated R, with violence, gore and profanity.