‘Constantine’ — ‘Hapaness,’ Theology and ‘Heavy Metal’ Hell
February 25, 2005
John Constantine (Keanu Reeves) sees dead people. But that’s not all: He also sees half-breeds — though, in this case, not half-Chinese Hawaiian, half-white folks like Reeves himself but the part-human, part-demon characters who make brief, unwelcome special guest appearances up here on planet Earth. The irony is that Reeves as Constantine, the hard-bitten, noirish hero of DC Comics/Vertigo’s Hellblazer graphic novels, shares roots with these critters he is tasked to dispatch, complete with the language of “deportation,” impurity and corruption that comes with half-breeds of a more earthly sort.
Constantine is Hollywood’s latest combination of comic book revisionism, special effects, Catholic theology, a “Heavy Metal”-style hell, workman bitterness, ambition and mood humor. Despite the absence of “whoa” and “dude” from its slacker every-guy lead, you’ll stay riveted as the tale unravels and even be charmed by Reeves’ stiff demeanor, which comes off as stoic and hard-boiled in this hell-bound private-eye context.
Destiny is a dusty lady in Constantine, and she unveils herself, wrapped in a Nazi flag, amid the sandy rubble in Mexico. Within the banner is the Spear of Destiny, the weapon that pierced the side of Christ, carried his blood and legendarily gave its possessor the power to rule the world.
Meanwhile in urban Los Angeles, a woman finds her daughter mysteriously possessed. The exorcist, Father Hennessy (Pruitt Taylor Vince), calls in his friend and colleague Constantine to help with the expulsion, which turns out to be an extraordinary case, with the demon seemingly ready to break, like a baby Alien, through the skin of the human host into the world. It’s a mystery — the balance struck eons ago by God and the devil forbade the demons to roam the earth without a human body.
Constantine’s task is made more difficult by physical health issues and turmoil within his soul, while half-breed angel Gabriel (Tilda Swinton) is unsympathetic and half-demon Balthazar (Gavin Rossdale) hisses and threatens him.
Cop Angela Dodson (Rachel Weisz) puts another crimp in Constantine’s mission. Dodson is personally investigating the suspicious death of her institutionalized sisters, and their two paths inevitably cross, leading to a showdown over nothing less than the fate of the world.
In all, Constantine is a grand, engrossing comic fantasy/theological mystery that appears to be competing, in terms of narrative complexity, with philosophical puzzles like the Ghost in the Machine anime series. First-time director and one-time music video auteur Francis Lawrence handsomely storyboards and briskly propels the film, notable for its tasteful, never excessive CGI. Everything — from the decaying demonic skulls to the many crashes through windows — seems to serve the story, a quality not found in Reeves’ other franchise, the Matrix series, in its final installment. Lawrence and company deign to overstate the obvious points in the storyline, to the detriment perhaps of those less savvy about Christian mythology, but that’s a quibble when one is busy marveling at the skill threading Constantine’s multiple storylines.
Additionally Constantine fascinates as a commentary on ‘hapaness,’ or ‘half-breedness.’ The film’s references to deportation, delivered in world-weary tones by Reeves, are intriguing considering the amount of people of color that appear in this film — from the opening exorcism sequence set in an Asian Pacific American household to the half-way house for half-breeds overseen by one-time African witch doctor Papa Midnite (Djimon Hounsou).
The subtextual fact that Reeves is, in fact, hapa himself — the biggest mainstream star of his kind, whereas others like Phoebe Cates and Meg and Jennifer Tilly have fallen away — adds another dimension of identity politics to this flick. One suspects that Reeves is just trying to do his job, though if there’s one constant to guide us, it might be that Reeves can be counted on to choose meaty and, at the very least, thoughtful, cinematic projects. Whoa — he’s dumb like a fox.
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