Constantine (2005)

Warner Bros. presents a Francis Lawrence film, starring Keanu Reeves and Rachel Weisz. Written by Kevin Brodbin and Frank A. Cappello. Based on the DC/Vertigo comic “Hellblazer” by Jamie Delano and Garth Ennis. 121m. R for violence and demonic images.

3 stars

What I remember most from reading Michael Chabon’s fictional tome on the comic book business, “The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay,” is that most of the good superhero attributes have already been assigned.

But for their DC/Vertigo comic “Hellblazer,” creators Jamie Delano and Garth Ennis didn’t just think outside the box, they laced that receptacle with TNT and hit the switch. Their central protagonist is a self-serving anti-hero attempting to buy his way into heaven by doing God’s will.

Now the graphic novel has made its way to the big screen as “Constantine,” a slick tale of one man’s uphill battle for redemption. Keanu Reeves plays John Constantine, who as a young boy was tortured by the ability to see half-breed angels and demons who roam the Earth. As Constantine explains, the mutants are emissaries from heaven and hell helping to influence a large wager between God and the devil for souls.

Hoping to escape a life-long curse, the teen-age Constantine kills himself, sealing his fate in hell for eternity. But he’s resuscitated by emergency services personnel, dooming him to roam the earth and confront the half-breeds again.

Certain of his fate to revisit Hades upon his eventual demise, Constantine enlists as an unofficial mercenary for God in hopes of securing a more pleasant after-life. But he’s taunted by God’s earthly liaison, Gabriel (Tilda Swinton), who assures him his one-man revolution is insignificant. Constantine lacks purity of faith, believing in God’s existence only because he has been handed proof.

Meanwhile, Gabriel’s evil counterpart, Balthazar (musician Gavin Rossdale), eagerly waits for Constantine’s cancerous tumors to stifle his life essence and return him to hell. Just as Constantine starts to feel sorry for himself, he encounters the mysterious Angela Dodson (Rachel Weisz), a police officer whose keen psychic abilities are aggressively sought by the demon realm.

While some critics have taken it to task for being muddy and oftentimes unnecessarily confusing, “Constantine” producers were insistent they weren’t trying to create full comprehension. The movie tantalizes, hinting at greater things it hasn’t the time to completely explain, an attribute which can annoy audiences as easily as it could draw them in to the story. It’s an effect also used in Reeves’ best known works: “The Matrix” series. I’m certain that my first viewing of “Constantine” was for pure entertainment, but subsequent watches will be to decode the more profound questions waiting.

I enjoyed it, finding the vague story elements to be similar in form to classics in my favorite genre, film noir. Director Francis Lawrence is apparently a fan as well, adopting a tone and style that, with Reeves attached, play out as a “Neo-noir” (sorry, I just could not resist). From the rain-soaked streets of Los Angeles to the dimly lit apartment of our anti-hero, “Constantine” is the sort of film, in looks, I’ve been waiting to see again since “Dark City.” Its expressionistic lighting is just glee-inducing for fans of 1940s fare.

And although Sting was the inspiration for Constantine’s look in the comic realm, Reeves seems like an appropriate choice for his ability to express both seriousness and charisma. His range isn’t overwhelming; in fact, several lines or expressions seem cribbed from “The Matrix.” But it’s believable to audiences that Reeves, as Constantine, lives immersed in giant contradictions. The mercenary doesn’t want to die again before he can almost ensure entrance to heaven, but is almost hopelessly addicted to cigarettes for instance.

The entire assortment of goodies, including some ghastly digital interpretations of hell, makes “Constantine” a surprisingly enjoyable affair. I’ll admit I skipped it on its opening weekend because it looked foul, opting instead for the lighter, more responsible “Because of Winn-Dixie.” Now it comes with my blessing.