End of Days is the first movie Arnold Schwarzenegger had made since his heart surgery and he seems fine. You may have heard rumors that the big man tries acting this time out, but not to worry; his moments of soul searching and introspection are kept to a minimum. He does get crucified, however, which requires a bit of a stretch. Lots of firepower, violence, special effects and action deliver just what fans of the star want from a movie. As such, it is a relatively painless watch and delivers some goods. A few days before the millennium, earthquakes and subterranean fires hit New York. Relax...it's just the Devil arriving. He has come to town to meet his bride and to conceive a child, the antichrist. Biblical prophesies have warned that if the Devil has his way with a certain virgin between 11pm and midnight on New Year's Eve it will bring about the so-called "End of Days." Satan will be able to take control of the Universe away from God for the next thousand years. Jericho Cane, an alcoholic ex-cop now working in security, seems to be the only person in the tri-state area capable of saving mankind. Where is Mayor Giuliani when you need him? With Arnold on the case, who needs elected officials? Robin Tunney plays the spunky virgin in question who has been destined for this unholy union since birth. Kevin Pollack, as Jericho's mouthy sidekick, gets most of the funny lines. Gabriel Byrne adds a touch of class playing "The Man" who has devilishly taken over the body of a Wall Street banker. Great disguise, Lucifer! My favorite scene was the knock-down, drag-out fight Arnie has with rotund little Miriam Margolyes who plays one of the Devil's minions. Oh yea, and that awesome dinner scene when Lucifer grabs that womans..um
well, you'll see. Director Peter Hyams gets the big action set-pieces right and does his darndest to pass Los Angeles off as New York. That is actually the Times Square celebration of 1998/99 that we see at the moment of climax. No matter how hard they tried, downtown Los Angeles is not NYC.
Review of End of Days
