Keanu Goes to the Devil
I’ve mentioned the movie “Constantine” tangentially while discussing comic book movies and some other topics that occupied me back a few years ago. This 2005 movie stars Keanu Reeves as a Los Angeles based exorcist and general enemy of demonic forces. He’s a sort of angsty noir character who is angry at heaven since he is doomed to hell because he attempted suicide as a teenager over the horror he experienced as a psychic.
The movie follows a “logic” about the rules in place for angels and demons that makes absolutely no sense but allows for the plot devices that move the story along its arc. And much of the action is plodding and mechanical. And yet I find myself watching this turkey (or parts of it) over and over again. Why?
Well, the two aspects of the movie that stand out in my head are two very different things. The first item is the visualization of Hell. You could say this is just a special effects technique but it really is a rich imagining of the underworld. The idea of Hell as our own world but turned into a burned-out husk makes for a vivid background. And then the demons as these mutilated corpses with the tops of their heads sheared off is bizarrely fitting.
But the second item is, I think, the more compelling. It is the representation of Lucifer during his arrival to harvest the soul of Constantine. As promised in the country song, the devil wears a white suit. As played by Peter Stormare, Lucifer is a witty, amiable fellow who enjoys chatting with his old acquaintance Constantine prior to bringing him back to Hell where he claims he has “a whole theme park full of red delights” for Constantine to “enjoy.” He even helps Constantine light his cigarette when the exorcist can’t manage his lighter because of the cut finger tendons incurred when he slit his own wrists in order to summon up Lucifer. Of course, the devil can’t help pulling the flame away two or three times just for fun. It’s this pettiness and banality that adds interest to the part. It’s contrasted with the menace that shows through whenever Lucifer’s plans are challenged either by demon, angel or divine law itself. But it’s the human face of evil that makes Lucifer compelling. His vindictiveness, cruelty and pride show up as the proof that angels, devils and man are all creations of the same maker. We all have the same stamp. We’ve been given free will and we can use it to reach a higher ground or fall off the mountain.
So that’s why I guess I enjoy watching this silly movie (or at least parts of it). Not for the absurd plot or the goofy take on Christian theology as it relates to Hell. I guess I just like to think about Satan being this provincial, bureaucratic apparatchik fighting with humans and God to protect his turf and cause as much mischief as he can. It just seems to fit what I’ve seen of human nature. At least some of it.