Francis Lawrence

‘Constantine’ Movie and 4K Review

Posted on by The Ultimate Rabbit

The following review was written by Ultimate Rabbit correspondent, Tony Farinella.

Back in 2005 (I realize I’m aging myself by opening with that), I used to go to the movie theater just about every weekend to see the latest releases with my best friend at the time. For some reason, “Constantine” did not find its way onto our radar. I also skipped the film during my weekly visits to Blockbuster Video and Hollywood Video. At the time, I was an avid viewer of Ebert and Roeper, formerly Siskel and Ebert, and Roger Ebert named it one of the worst films of 2005. I imagine this had a lot to do with me ignoring the film because growing up, their weekly review program was something I took to heart. When I heard “Constantine” was being released on 4K in honor of its 20th anniversary, I figured it was finally time to sit down and check out the film for myself.

“Constantine” follows the character of John Constantine, played by Keanu Reeves, and he’s an expert in the occult.  He believes there is a “balance” happening in the world between the souls of those who are walking the earth. Essentially, their souls are up for grabs. In his mind, it is up to him to make sure the evil souls are where they belong in hell, and the good souls stay on the straight and narrow. If John can perform enough good deeds, he hopes he can save his own soul because he has lung cancer and doesn’t have a lot of time left on this earth. However, he has a complicated past, so it might be too little, too late for him.

John meets a detective named Angela Dodson (Rachel Weisz) who is looking for answers after her twin sister’s suicide. Angela knows her sister did not commit suicide, and she believes something sinister is at play with her death. This falls back in line with John’s thinking, which is that the souls on earth are being influenced by evil bidders who are looking to bring them to hell. Because Angela’s family is religious, she is concerned her sister will not be able to make it to heaven because of her suicide.

On the surface, I liked the concept of “Constantine” as it reminded me of the films in “The Conjuring” universe with its views on demons and the occult. It also had a mystery element as well, which appealed to me.  I wanted to know the answers to some of the questions raised in the film.  I thought the first hour was captivating, intriguing and intense. I was interested in seeing how it was all going to play out, and I was along for the ride. Somewhere along the way in the latter half, it started to really lose my interest and also my patience with its story.

One of the biggest issues with the film is its lead actor, Keanu Reeves. I found his performance and the writing of his character to be silly and goofy. He has these terrible one-liners which are painfully unfunny, and he also delivers his lines in such a morose and blasé way. It really took me out of the film at times.  The Shia LaBeouf cab-driver character was also completely unnecessary and added nothing to the film. I did think Rachel Weisz gave a really good performance here as she is smart, tough and driven.  She is looking for answers when it comes to her sister, and she is not interested in playing any games. Weisz gives a serious and committed performance.

I would have liked it if they had written John Constantine’s character with the same level of seriousness and intelligence. I’m not against some comedic relief in a supernatural film like this, but it felt like he was Freddy Krueger with some of the silliness he was reading on screen. I really didn’t like it, and it made me wonder how this film would have turned out if they had hired an actor like Brad Pitt for this role as he can play cocky, charismatic and funny without trying too hard. Reeves needs the right role in order to show off his acting chops, and I didn’t think this film was in his wheelhouse. He seemed unaffected by a lot of what was happening on screen.

Another issue is when the demons come out to play. They are not that interesting as sparring partners for our main characters. I found them to be rather lackluster in terms of how they were written, and how they came across on screen. Tilda Swinton is a terrific actress, and I wish she had more to do and say here. Peter Stormare is over-the-top in a very uneven way, and I didn’t connect with his performance. Overall, this is a film with some thought-provoking ideas, and it’s directed with terrific style by Francis Lawrence, but the screenplay is wildly uneven. It needed a better performance from its leading man or a different leading man all together.

* * out of * * * *

4K Info: “Constantine” is released on a single 4K disc from Warner Brothers Home Entertainment. There is an insert inside, which includes a digital copy of the film as well.  The film has a running time of 121 minutes and is rated R for violence and demonic images.

4K Video Info: The film is treated to a Dolby Vision transfer, and it’s simply stunning. I haven’t seen the film in any other format as this was my first time watching it, but I found the color palette to be bold when it needed to be, and also dark when the material was shot at night.  The image is clean, crisp and vivid.

4K Audio Info: There is also a really solid Dolby Atmos track included here too with subtitles in English, Spanish and French. This is a soundtrack that is consistent and level throughout the duration of this movie.

Special Features:

NEW Feature – Two Decades of Damnation

Audio Commentary featuring Francis Lawrence and Akiva Goldsman

Audio Commentary featuring Kevin Brodbin and Frank A. Cappello

Channeling Constantine

Conjuring Constantine

Director’s Confessional

Collision with Evil

Holy Relics

Shotgun Shootout

Hellscape

Visualizing Vermin

Warrior Wings

Unholy Abduction

Demon Face

Constantine’s Cosmology

Foresight: The Power of Pre-Visualization

A Writer’s Vision

Deleted Scenes + Alternate Ending

Should You Buy It?

It seems as though this film has gained a cult following in the twenty years since it has been released, which shows the importance of physical media.  While I don’t think it’s as bad as the late, great Roger Ebert said it was in his initial review, I also don’t think it’s a cult classic either. I fall somewhere in the middle with “Constantine.” I wanted to like it, and I was enjoying the hell out of it for the first sixty minutes of its running time, but it lost me in the second half. I wanted to see a satisfying resolution to what was presented in the first half. This film looks and sounds great on 4K, and they even introduced a new special feature here as well, which I’m sure is going to make fans very happy. For now, I’d recommend you check it out first if you haven’t seen it before, and then decide if you want to buy it. You can rent it on many digital platforms for the low price of $3.99 and then, if you do like it, you can pick up the 4K. If you are a fan of this film and have been waiting for its 4K release for a long time, you have an awesome looking slipcover version, or you can pick up the 4K Steelbook instead.

**Disclaimer** I received a copy of this film from Warner Brothers to review for free.  The opinions and statements in the review are mine and mine alone.

‘Red Sparrow’ Thrives on the Presence of Jennifer Lawrence

Posted on by The Ultimate Rabbit

Red Sparrow movie poster

I will be curious to see what audiences will have to say about “Red Sparrow” after seeing it. Those expecting a Jason Bourne-like adventure or something along the lines of “Salt” which starred Angelina Jolie as a sleeper spy may be disappointed as this film feels more like an adaptation of a John Le Carre novel where the lives of spies are not the least bit romanticized. The movie itself is based on the book of the same name by Jason Matthews who, like Le Carre, was once a member of an intelligence agency. What results is a motion picture which is not as interested in gunfights or car chases as it is in the mind games spies play with one another as the art of manipulation becomes a far more powerful weapon than a bullet. It also serves as yet another reminder of how Jennifer Lawrence is one of the best things in movies these days as she sucks you right into her gaze and never lets you go.

Lawrence plays Dominika Egorova, a gifted Russian dancer who suffers a career-ending injury at the movie’s start. With her dancing now a thing of the past, she and her mother find their future looking particularly bleak as the loss of their apartment and medical care become imminent. As a result, she accepts an invitation from her loving but undeniably devious uncle, Ivan (Matthias Schoenaerts), to work for Russian intelligence. But whereas most spy movies see recruits being trained in the ways of martial arts and weaponry, the recruits we see here are instead trained in the ways of manipulation. Or, more specifically, sexual manipulation.

The scenes where we see Dominika and others being trained in the ways of manipulation help make “Red Sparrow” stand out among other spy movies as I can’t remember many which see new recruits being made to use their minds and bodies as weapons. Heck, the only one I can think of like it is “Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins,” and that film came out back in the 1980’s. As the Headmistress of the spy training school, Charlotte Rampling gives us a passive aggressive version of the sadistic drill instructor from “Full Metal Jacket” as she forces her students into situations which will test their mental defenses instead of their physical ones. We never see her raise her voice or yell at her pupils, but this is because Rampling makes it clear why she doesn’t need to do so. You can question her, but she will make you see why you shouldn’t have in the first place.

Once “Red Sparrow” moves from the school and into Dominika’s mission which involves her meeting up with CIA agent Nathaniel “Nate” Nash (Joel Edgerton), the story enters into familiar territory as we watch these two spies from different countries fall for one another in a way which goes against their training. Still, it’s fascinating to watch Lawrence and Edgerton test one another as each try to crack through the mental they have built to protect themselves. It reminded me of when James Bond went head to head with Vesper Lynd in “Casino Royale” as each tried to learn more about the other. Both kept their guard up as they wondered who would break first.

Ever since her breakthrough performance in “Winter’s Bone,” Lawrence has proven to be an amazing talent as she brings a natural charisma and a raw energy few others can these days. Her work in “Red Sparrow” is no exception as she kept my eyes glued to the screen from start to finish. Seeing her go from a gifted ballerina to a methodical agent is mesmerizing as Dominika looks to get the upper hand in each situation she gets thrust into, and Lawrence nails each note of her character while maintaining a Russian accent which doesn’t fail her. She is not out to give us another variation on Katniss Everdeen here as the character of Dominika takes this acress down a road she has not traveled down before.

Speaking of Katniss Everdeen, “Red Sparrow” was directed by “The Hunger Games’” Francis Lawrence, and he certainly knows how to get the best out of his leading actress. In addition, he also keeps a solid level of tension flowing throughout. Yes, the movie does run a little too long, and the torture scenes we see pale in comparison to those in spy movies of the past. Heck, a similar torture scene in “Casino Royale” was far more painful to endure, and that 007 adventure was PG-13. Still, Francis gets plenty of mileage out of the mind games each character plays on the other.

It’s impossible not to think about the #MeToo movement while watching “Red Sparrow” as Lawrence is greeted with brutal assaults on her character by men prepared to take what they want without anything resembling remorse. Like Lisbeth Salander in “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo,” her character of Dominika is forced to exist in a male-dominated world which leaves everyone of her gender little in the way of options, something which needs to change now. This makes the character’s revenge all the more fulfilling as she puts those men in their place in sometimes painful ways. Of course, this will most likely make “Red Sparrow” harder to sit through for many audience members.

“Red Sparrow” does have its flaws, and its conclusion is not as fulfilling as I thought it would be, but I find it impossible to deny the compelling effect it had on me overall. And again, Jennifer Lawrence reminds us why she is one of the most enthralling actors working in movies today. She dares you to look into her eyes to see if you could possibly find your way into her soul. Even as the movie goes through the familiar tropes of the spy movie genre, the Oscar winner keeps us watching her every move.

They say the truth shall set you free, but in the world of “Red Sparrow,” the truth is likely to get you killed. Realizing this reminds me of the Depeche Mode song “Should Be Higher” as David Gahan sung about how “lies are more attractive than the truth.” For Dominika and Nate, their lies have to be. Or do they?

* * * out of * * * *