End Of Days (1999) - Universal

Director : Peter Hyams

Starring : Arnold Schwarzenegger, Gabriel Byrne, Kevin Pollak, Robin Tunney, Rod Steiger.

Picture 2.35:1 Anamorphic, DD 5.1, Single-Side Dual-Layer, Keep Case

Running Time : 123 mins

The story:

Prepare for the end!

Arnold Schwarzenegger stars as Jericho, a former washed-up New York cop who now works for a security firm. When Jericho and his partner (Kevin Pollak) are assigned to protect a wealthy businessman they find themselves foiling an incredible assassination attempt by a crazed priest. During the ensuing investigation the trail leads to a young woman called Christina York who has been suffering strange visions of a sinister stranger. Christina is also the target of an assasination attempt by priests who try to carry out the last rites before dispatching of her. An ancient prophecy is just days away from becoming reality. Satan has returned and on New Years Eve 1999 the fate of mankind is in the balance..

The summary:

You can always rely on Arnie to provide the thrills in an action movie and in this movie he seems to almost get it right. Armed with the obligatory weapons that seem to furnish most of his films he turns in a mediocre performance as the washed up cop turned devil slayer. Arnie is stripped of his usual one liners and regularly seems a bit out of his depth in a story that seems to be carried by the superbly portrayed devil of Gabriel Byrne. So much is this miscasting that by the second half of the film you are almost wishing that the devil WOULD take over the earth because he is so cool and prophetic. Billed as Schwarzeneggers come back film after his two year hiatus this is a poorly chosen vehicle for the king of action movies. Having said that the film is still a competent action thriller and does offer some adrenaline charged moments, especially the great helicopter chase. Also watch out for the healthy drink that Arnie makes at the beginning of the film!

The disc is well made with copious extra's (see below) and a greatly inspired soundtrack and picture. It is well worth a look if you are not looking for anything too taxing and if only to see Gabriel Byrne in one of his best roles since The Usual Suspects.

Extras:

* Trailer - Theatrical trailer.

* Feature Commentary - With the Director Peter Hyams.

* Spotlight On Location - An excellent insight into the making of the film, showing behind the scenes action and interviews with the cast and crew. Great value at 40 mins.

* Soundtrack Presentation - 2 music videos - Rob Zombie's rarely seen 'Superbeast' video and the never seen before Everlast 'So Long' video.

* Book Of Revelation - Text explanation of the Bible story and propechy..

* Universal Showcase - Just a trailer for U-571. Looks good but watch this space !

* Special Effects - The Devil's Playground - This excellent feature picks 9 different special effects scenes and shows how each effect was created (mainly computer generated) and how it looked before and after.

* DVD-ROM Features - Various features including the script to screen and Web links.

* Production Notes - Usual text info and trivia about the film..

* Cast and Filmmakers - and the usual info about the cast and crew..

Our Verdict...

Big on entertainment (what else would you expect from Arnie?) but a poor plot leaves us with only a good movie instead of a great movie. 6.5/10

A good transfer from the original cinema print. Dark scenes have excellent depth and the clarity of the special effects laden scenes is very good. 9/10

An explosive soundtrack from start to finish. Enjoy it in all it's gut-wrenching glory from the comfort of your couch as Arnie and Satan set out to blow up every last piece of the set. 10/10

Another good Collectors Edition from Universal that's full to the brim with documentaries, a commentary, trailers etc.. 8/10

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