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"'Days'
of Whine of Moses"
by Scott Mantz
"End of Days"
Arnold Schwarzenegger,
Robin Tunney
Directed by Peter Hyams
Do you remember
what you did last New Years Eve? I sure do. I was preoccupied with
thoughts on how I was going to spend next year's New Years Eve.
Think about it. This next one's a biggie. In fact, 1999 will most
likely be remembered as the year that everyone worried about December
31, 1999. With all the talk and brouhaha surrounding the impending
apocalypse that is supposed to occur at 11:59 PM, I'm at that point
where I wish we could just fast-forward to January 1, 2000 and get
the whole darn thing over with.
With all the
paranoia surrounding Y2K, it was just a matter of time before Hollywood
delivered the inevitable big-budget extravaganza to cash in on the
whole phenomenon. Well, if you're going to go out with a bang, then
who better to pull the trigger than Arnold Schwarzenneger? That's
right, "Ah-nuld" is back with a vengeance and even a little faith
in biblical actioner "End of Days". While it's good to see the return
of an old friend to the big screen, "Days" ends up as nothing more
than a predictably contrived, below average popcorn movie. But in
this case, it still works.
Though she doesn't
know it yet, upper-class Manhattanite Christine York (Robin Tunney)
is a marked woman. When her real parents are killed while she is
still a baby, she is raised by Satan worshippers who await the eve
of the Millennium for a special moment. That's when The Man from
downstairs (Gabriel Byrne) is due to appear in human form and attempt
to impregnate her, finally beginning his reign to take over the
earth. Jericho Cane (Arnold Schwarzenegger) is an alcoholic and
suicidal ex-cop in mourning over the loss of his wife and daughter
who becomes Christine's unwitting protector. It'll be a cold day
in hell before Crane lets ol' pointy-tail get his way.
It's been a
while since Schwarzenegger's last movie ("Batman and Robin") and
even longer his last stereotypical action flick ("Eraser"). While
"Days" is a return to form of sorts, what we see here is a very
different kind of action hero--at least for him. He is a bruised,
battered, and vulnerable man, and he lacks the confidence that embodied
many of his past roles. Inspired either by his character's need
for salvation and redemption or by his desperate need for a makeover,
Arnold's biggest weapon this time around is his faith. Don't get
me wrong, he still kicks plenty of butt and leaves a trail of bodies
in his wake. Indeed, when he straps on the hardware at the end of
the film, it prompts a crowd-cheering "Go get 'em, Arnie!". However,
he finally abandons all this and turns inward for some much needed
personal faith to save the day and redeem his past.
Gabriel Byrne
must love biblically ridiculous movies. After playing a priest in
the "Exorcist" rip-off "Stigmata", this time around he opts to play
for the other team as the Devil himself. His performance is cool
and charismatic, and his controlled demeanor plays well off Schwarzenneger's
ragged warrior. Robin Tunney is convincing as Arnie's damsel in
distress, but very much in a by-the-books kind of way. Kevin Pollock
plays the obligatory sarcastic sidekick, but other than that, he
doesn't have much else to do.
So, get it all
out of your system while you can. If you want to have your worst
millennial fears satirized, eat too much popcorn, and have a good
time in the process, then "End of Days" is for you. At this point
in the game, there shouldn't be too many more Y2K movies left in
the Hollywood can (unless that's where they plan on staying). Just
think--a year from now we'll all look back on all this craziness
and laugh. With a little luck, we'll be able to say the same thing
about "End of Days".
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