2020 is a great time to review the film with such a life-affirming title as "The End of the World" & #39; Especially if there is Arnold Schwarzenegger in the prime of his powers and his charisma.
So, in the final days of 1999, the world is preparing to enter the new millennium, and only an ancient religious order fears that this year will be the last in the history of mankind. The Devil himself wanders the streets, looking for the one who is destined to become his bride and turn the world into a branch of hell. But in the confrontation of the forces of Evil and conditional Good, ex-cop Jericho flies from his foot, interfering with both.
It is worth saying that ' End of the World' it is quite a thrash product, even with a discount on the time of its release and how it was previously accepted to shoot action films. At the same time, the film is quite a leaky script, in the course of which even the most undemanding viewer will have many questions. However, this cannot be said to make the tape a priori bad. ' The end of the world' looks quite easy, the picture has a good action, a bunch of spectacular explosions, vivid memorable scenes that for some reason were stored in my head all these years after the first viewing. Although thanks to the last point ' The end of the world' can be considered better than many modern militants who are completely erased from memory as soon as the final credits begin. Yes, even if sometimes the film causes a smile where it was not planned (probably), but without emotions it will not leave you absolutely for sure.
In the main role of the former cop shines as always brutal Arnold Schwarzenegger, shining in the camera light unshavenness. What, are you waiting for something else? Kamon, guys, Schwarzenegger. However, it is worth noting one detail. The role of Jericho is to some extent one of the best in the actor’s career. A former cop, himself tormented by internal demons, meets the real Devil, and Jericho, who is broken internally, but physically inflexible, falls on the shoulders of an unbearable burden for an ordinary person. And the way the character’s story ends in the film really allows us to talk about this role as one of the strongest in Arnold’s filmography.
Gabriel Byrne delighted in the image of Satan, who played his role quite convincingly, and the on-screen Devil turned out to be very charismatic and revelling in his power and malice. And about Robin Tunney nothing special can be said, the archetypal image of a girl in trouble, while not with the best performance.
Verdict: ' End of the World' the film may be outdated in some ways, but still worthy of attention. At least for a one-time evening viewing, the tape will definitely fit and will surely leave positive emotions, despite the problematic scenario. The film is undeservedly forgotten and sent to the dustbin of history, although it has everything you need for an entertaining mystical action movie.
You can watch.
New York, New Millennium Eve. In the hands of Jariko Kane, a former cop and now a security guard responsible for the escort and safety of high-ranking officials, accidentally gets a black and white picture of a young woman. A day later, having established her identity, it turns out that for unknown reasons she is the object of a hunt by representatives of the Vatican Church, but they are not the only ones for whom the girl is of suspicious interest - someone, an unknown man in black, who has incredible power, pursues an unsuspecting victim and her unwitting defender, and later for both will open a terrible, going against all logic and common sense, the truth: the girl is destined to become the bride of the Devil himself, released and intending to finally reign on Earth with the heir...
At the turn of millennia, the world community was naturally overwhelmed by total hysteria, expressed in a variety of panic forms (the advent of Satan, a general computer failure with the subsequent launch of nuclear carriers, a collision with the Earth of an asteroid), but somehow associated with the same disappointing forecast and reduced to a single final chord - humanity is doomed. The theme of the end of the world has always excited the minds of consumers and ordinary citizens, and the most enterprising among them have long learned to derive practical benefits from this. Today, in the age of scientific and technological progress, we look at all this with a slight shade of poorly concealed irony, but on a subconscious level, we have not been able to get rid of the fear of inevitable death of all living things. And the year 2000 stands alone in this context, possessing the richest “assortment” of frightening forecasts among its brethren – from religious interpretations to various cataclysms of a technological nature. Of course, such an influential cinematic sphere as Hollywood could not pass by such a potential “gold mine” and contracted its henchmen from the “Dream Factory” to release a canvas “appropriate to fashion” on the big screens. This became "The end of the world" authored by requalified from operator to directors Peter Hyams.
In the second half of the 90s, action films significantly lost their positions - one of the main reasons for which was the loss of viewer interest in cinematic masculinity, which has always been a constant companion of screen violence, and the gradual overthrow from Olympus due to the decline of age conditions of two icons of the genre - Schwarzenegger and Stallone. The audience needed new heroes and there was no place for brutal men among them. But the rescue of drowning people, as you know, the work of the drowning themselves and the total hysteria that turned up exactly to the onset of the year 2000 served as a good reason to jump on the step of the departing train in time - which Arnold Schwarzenegger immediately used. After all, who better than him, the most courageous icon of the genre, to save the world from the coming of the all-powerful Prince of Darkness?
In fact, "The End of the World" is a deception film. It doesn't smell like a gunman. However, this is only a plus to the overall result of the picture - because the religious theme on the theme of the coming of the Devil and the grinding action - things are obviously incompatible. Hyams and the screenwriters were smart enough to direct their offspring to another genre channel and give the viewer something else - a strong mystical thriller with a detective storyline and an undiminished plot dynamics throughout the entire timekeeping with a splash of successfully and with the scope of the combat episodes. Weak links here on the fingers to count, in fact, this is the very central idea - it is frankly ridiculous, almost anecdotal and stupid in its embryo: the main character, an ordinary mortal, enters into a fight with the Devil himself. Imbalance of "weight categories" on the face. However, the authors partially rehabilitated, finding, albeit far-fetched, but quite logical loophole - "prisoning" the essence of Lucifer in the physical shell and thereby significantly leveling his powerful abilities and at the same time creating the image of an antagonist, who can be at least partially stopped and who can not do without the help of secretly flooded society allies. Another element casting a shadow here is the first combat scene with a helicopter chase - completely unnecessary and therefore looking foreign in the narrative, designed only to entertain the viewer and boastfully demonstrate the author's ingenuity.
In the rest - Hyams enough sense of tact and willpower not to turn the action into a messy mess of total chaos and destruction, when he had a contributing to this impressive budget and the main action star of Hollywood. Only in the finale will the leading prima again feel at "his plate" - armed with German Glocks and a gun with a grenade launcher, the protagonist with the biblical name Jericho will begin to shoot the Devil's henchmen and correct the architectural flaws of the New York subway. Schwarzenegger, by the way, here acts in an atypical role for himself - yes, he is again a man of action, but we first of all appear almost broken hero, who is in a prolonged depression due to the loss of loved ones and therefore completely deprived of thirst for life. But in order to win, he must again overcome his anger and despondency and find faith. And Arnold is quite convincing in this image. Gabril Byrne, who played Lucifer, looks noticeably more profitable than the eminent Austrian, although he does not make much effort to do so - Byrne successfully "pulls" the role only due to charisma.
Hyams does not try to plunge the viewer into the heat: he disperses the story flywheel slowly, already with the prologue-liner building an alarming intrigue. The atmosphere rules the ball here - cold, decaying New York with faceless, gloomy streets and stuffed with all sorts of rubbish tunnels of the subway, a steel colorless sky with a menacingly hanging over everyone and the whole Brooklyn Bridge and the constantly ironic lamentations of DJs on the radio about the coming End of the World - all this seems to serve as a forerunner of the absolutely deserved sinful man of the Apocalypse. But the authors do not slow down, giving the viewer the opportunity to contemplate a whole galaxy of scenes impregnated with sinister religious overtones - stigmata; slashed dead bodies nailed to the ceiling; cut out tongues and torn hearts; gloomy chants, people wrapped in black hoods surrounded by hundreds of candles and group sex - all this seems to emphasize the devilish atmosphere, giving curts to horror films, but not rolling into black. There is surprisingly no pretentious heroism, which is not typical for Hollywood films, whose main leitmotif is the salvation of the whole world - in many respects this is the merit of the composer John Dabney, whose music is completely devoid of majestic bombast and fully sustained in a menacingly dark, and often aggressive tone. The authors, initially having a frankly stupid and ridiculous central plot, were able to significantly compensate for its influence due to the general entourage, the skillful implementation of technical findings and scenario moves, and ultimately bringing to public view a quite strong mystical thriller with high-quality direction and a paradigm relevant for its time.
The confrontation between good and evil has been throughout the history of mankind, the world.
The date of entry into the new millennium was particularly unpredictable. What does she mean? The clock will just strike twelve and the world will continue as it always has. Or is it going to be a new era? Does the Apocalypse follow this date?
Therefore, “on the threshold” of the new millennium, such films as “Armageddon”, “Clash with the Abyss”, “Devil’s Advocate”, “The End of the World” appear.
In the movie “The End of the World” on the eve of the new millennium, Satan himself must come to earth in human form. To continue the world at will, he needs a girl.
In the 1979 film, little Christine is born. However, the representatives of the cult already understand that she was born for this very purpose twenty years later.
And in 1999, Satan (Gabriel Byrne) does come into the world taking on human form. It is difficult to judge how authentically Gabriel Byrne embodied this terrible image in this film. However, anyone who is credited as “human” is always in black. He is cruel, cynical, can show ostentatious affection, behind which there is merciless cruelty, deception. His kiss of a woman in a restaurant, and then the explosion; his phrase: "I entrusted such an easy task, and you did not cope with it." His dialogue with the main character: "I can give you back what was taken." But all his speeches are lies, deception, falsehood. Woe to him who gives in to his imaginary affection. His face does not express much emotion and is especially terrible when reflected in the light of the floodlights in one of the episodes of the film. This is a real evil, which can not be believed, give in to deception, otherwise you can ruin your immortal soul.
And one of the few who dare to go against Satan is Jerechon (Arnold Schwarzenegger). From the first images of the appearance of this hero, it becomes clear that he is deeply disappointed in life, has suffered a lot of suffering, lives and works through force. Finds relaxation in alcohol. Such a role, at first glance, is not typical for Arnold Schwarzenegger, whom the world is used to seeing as a brutal, confident superhero who “can do anything.”
The atmosphere of the film is gloomy, disturbing. The dark corners of the big city. A subway with dimmed lights. And even during the day, it feels gloomy.
And before the danger of a global scale, it becomes obvious: parents (for Christine), friends and colleagues (for Jerechon) - can anyone be trusted?
The review is neutral because I think it is wrong for the main character to refuse to accept God’s providence. How can he say in reference to God Himself, “We have not agreed?” Satan says, “Go to hell.” It is wrong that he believes that any conflict can be resolved with the help of weapons. To convince the priests of this in the church, believing in the real power of only a gun. It is not right that Satan can stand being in church. Don't react to a crucifix. It shouldn't be like this. The position of a group of priests that it is permissible to take too radical measures to stop evil is fundamentally wrong. A man's life is priceless. Everyone’s life is precious!
But with all this, Arnold Schwarzenegger really conveyed in the image of Jerechon a man crushed by grief, but not broken to the end. A man fearless, strong spiritually and physically, not afraid to go against the very epicenter of evil, to go into the heaviest, the nightmare for the sake of restoring justice, peace, to confront evil. With a man like Jerechon is really not so terrible, he is both noble and strong. You can rely on him. Even when the situation seemed hopeless. As the priest said, “Only a man of crystal clear soul can resist evil.” After all, the opponent of the hero A. Schwarzenegger is more powerful and powerful than ever, as in any of his films. Therefore, this unusual role - one of the most significant in the life of Arnold Schwarzenegger - the role of an absolutely fearless martyr and sufferer.
5 out of 10
I watched the day before not the most famous film with Schwartz, because as a child I liked him and wanted to refresh his memory, and at the same time to understand how it looks now. I was very pleased with what I saw. I do not understand that it was for those times that critics did not like, who for reasons unknown to me nominated him for gold raspberries. And why did it not pay off at home?
Following Norris and Lundgren, Arnie also decided to keep up with his colleagues in the workshop and enlist in fighters with the Devil and others. It turned out that he was no worse, and in some ways even better and more unexpected. This is about the dramatic ending to this film. I didn’t like such a sad ending as a kid. I was very upset that the seemingly invincible Arnie, always a positive hero, might die fighting evil. I’ve known for a long time that this is a good and unorthodox ending. A little drama doesn’t hurt any movie. Now, it seems to me, it only adds points to the picture.
Arnie plays a police officer who tragically lost his family, and who suffers because of it. He has lost interest in life and wants to kill himself. And it looks appropriate. In addition, I already noticed that the years go by and this fact is slowly beginning to affect the appearance of the Austrian. And of course, he lacks acting skills, and everyone knows that. And that's not why we love him.
His antagonist in the face of G. Byrne in a long black coat I remember from childhood, because he looks ominous in his robe. And this image is forever imprinted in my memory. If it is necessary to present Satan in human form, Byrne will immediately appear in this role. By the way, it is with the actions of the Devil that some scriptual flaws are associated. Something difficult, beyond the control of ordinary people, he can do, and something not, even if it seems easier. It's a strange distribution of forces.
There is no one else to single out the characters. The action in the tape is well staged and looks interesting. Also, special effects, there are those that are made on nature and they are pleasing, and there are computer effects, at that time they were quite good, but now it is noticeable that they are outdated, but even today they can not be called terrible. Especially not to mention the music. The main theme is well chosen. From the first seconds, she tunes in the right way and shows how gloomy the film will be. Very recognizable and like some other things in this movie, ingrained in my memory since childhood, I will never forget her sinister sound.
In general, the film is very dark, atypical for Arnie of the time in which he plays a rather typical character for himself. The ominous and disturbing atmosphere here just splashes over the edge. I loved this movie as a kid, and I like it even more today.
9 out of 10
With the approach of each major calendar date in society begin to increase serious unrest. I don’t know where prophets, doubtful scientists and other radicals are coming from, and now and then they predict the imminent approach of the end of the world, which opened to them after reading the Bible or in other ways beyond the control of common sense. The advent of each new century is always accompanied by mass religious rituals, driven by suspicious sects who want to exaggerate their true wealth. And unfortunately, the mass hysteria caused by the next announcement of the universal Apocalypse takes hundreds, if not thousands of innocent lives who believe in the false teachings of their supposed saviors. But what can be more disturbing than the exchange rate of one century for another is the leap through the millennia. This time period, which lasts only a moment, but has an amazing mental power, acquired a sacred meaning after the writing of the New Testament, which described the signs of the coming to Earth of the Antichrist himself, the son of Lucifer, preparing to lead the army of Hell. The apostles described in detail the signs of the approach of the Apocalypse, making a slight deviation into calendar events of a particular magnitude, after which at the end of each subsequent century, and especially millennia, righteous believers expect something terrible to happen. It is not known for certain whether the Antichrist will come to us in truth and how to stop him, but it does not matter when, on the basis of such a significant belief, a cult has formed, gathering under its banners millions and even billions of righteous people, mentally preparing to meet with what has frightened humanity for two thousand years.
The advent of the Millennium, symbolizing the entry into force of the 2000s, was underscored by perhaps the largest religious hysteria in history. Fatalists and soothsayers, who received unlimited access to the media, routinely broadcast various signs and hints, allegedly symbolizing the imminent coming of the Antichrist. Particular emphasis in intimidating an overly impressionable audience was placed on the Devil's number associated with 1999. As it is not difficult to guess, if you turn this date upside down and remove the unit, we get the same devilish number that scares us since the release of the legendary “Omen” by Richard Donner. On the basis of the three six, many scientific, or rather pseudo-scientific, theories were built, and many scenarios were written, which immediately went into use thanks to the irrepressible desire of the Dream Factory to use any suitable topic in the perfectly allotted time for it. Through the efforts of the author of a very good writer Andrew W. Marlowe, who wrote the script “President’s Airplane”, in the high offices of Hollywood studios got a text called “The End of the World”. Marlowe did not hesitate to use the mass insanity about the coming of the year 2000, added to the story famous rituals and signs like the number 666, and thus pleased the producers who are ready to make a winning bet. Thus, in a symbolic 1999, the “End of the World” was released, consecrated with a round hundred million dollar budget and Arnold Schwarzenegger in the title role. And let the tape and next to it does not stand near the “Omen” and “The Exorcist”, its own entertainment charm still has.
So, the plot of the film unfolds shortly before the onset of the Millennium. While one part of humanity is in a rush, hoping to unforgettablely spend the coming holidays, the other is in genuine fear, because people who know the symbols and signs saw the arrival of Lucifer himself (Gabriel Byrne), who broke out of the cage and moved into the body of an ordinary man. The arrival of the ruler of the underworld for a reason fell on 1999, since firstly, he is not indifferent to significant dates, secondly, his style has not changed for centuries and now certainly no changes should be expected, and, most importantly, thirdly, finally grew up Lucifer’s bride, Christine York (Robin Tunney), whom is destined to give birth to an unholy son known as the Antichrist. The priests for many years sought Christina and tried to protect her from contact with sectarians loyal to Lucifer, but all their attempts to turn away the inevitable failed. And when it seemed that the end of the world would come exactly on schedule, Jericho Kane (Schwarzenegger), a former elite special forces officer, comes into play. Learning what threatens the world and who can come to the throne of the earth, Jericho interrupts his hermitage in order to go to the last battle and prevent Lucifer from fulfilling his plans. However, the Prince of Darkness is not so simple and we are facing a powerful confrontation, which biblical history has not yet known.
On the theme of the coming of the religious end of the world can be expressed in different ways. Some directors try to raise alarms, build a narrative according to the patterns of a tense mystical thriller with minimal use of special effects. But that's clearly not the path of Peter Hyams, a prolific artisan who has produced some eye-catching action films featuring Jean-Claude Van Damme and the somewhat controversial sequel to 2001's "Space Odyssey." With all the desire Hyams can not be called a deep director, since he brings all interesting ideas to the audience in a frankly average form, twisting philosophy into a form that is understandable for high school students. As for his work on “The End of the World”, it is fair to say that the script of Andrew W. Marlowe initially did not foresee anything deep and reasonable, and played on a popular topic in accessible words. Thus, the creators of the “End of the World” wanted to present to the public a tightly shot down mystical action movie, which was to invariably maintain the dynamics, periodically cheer and convey the ideas of the coming Apocalypse without unnecessary reasoning. And it is worth noting that Peter Hyam managed to amuse us by removing a completely frivolous craft, which is nevertheless fun to watch. Bringing Arnold Schwarzenegger to the side of the forces of light is iron proof that “The End of the World” is designed for the widest audience and in no case will make the thought process in our heads work at full capacity.
The main character of the film has nothing to do with dignitaries, church or diplomacy, as was the case with the notorious “Omen”. Once we see the boredom of Jericho Kane's artificially spelled and falsely played grief, possessing a steel bicep and a square chin, any hints of the plot's truthful drama disappear by themselves. Schwarzenegger seemed to froze in one place, sighing with recollection of his former exploits and waiting for when he would have the chance to pick up a machine gun and get rid of Lucifer and his henchmen in a way that everyone understands. And it is worth noting that Schwarzenegger is still good in the action scenes, and the action itself is set at a high level, which allowed at least partially to smooth out the primitive narrative built on the templates. Not bad showed himself on a pair with Schwarzenegger Gabriel Byrne, an interesting character actor, who lacked the image of the quintessence of universal evil for the completeness of filmography. Byrne is incredibly good in Lucifer’s garb, and although his play is partly caricatured, in such a light attraction as “The End of the World”, he is in his rightful place and only pleases his viewer.
The movie is awesome. I've seen it many times. It's not boring! Satan is made very qualitatively and naturally - just like living. Schwarzenegger is also a good bodybuilder who has lost his family and now wants to help the girl who is supposed to be the bride of the Devil himself! Nightmare and horror! The scene when Satan in the man was possessed by a simple cruelty - how he all wriggled. The moment when Schwartz Satan threw the same brute out of the window - according to his business. Well, what a scene when Arnold fell on the sword, too, flying away - still defeated the Prince of Darkness our hero. The performance of the actors is great - everyone coped with hurrah. In a word, great acting. All respect and respect. The scenery in the film is excellent - Satan himself is made very qualitatively - a kind of monster with wings. Jeepers Creepers is resting. And all these underground corridors are also cool - bring fear and horror to the viewer. In short, it's a glimpse.
The philosophy of the film is to believe in God and trust in Him. And send evil to hell. Good is stronger than evil in our sinful world. Amen! And the film teaches you to be stronger than your fears and phobias – that’s for sure. In short, the credit philosophy came out - nothing to add.
The End of the World is a great mystical action movie about the confrontation of good and evil. Everybody watch. Me too. I have nothing to complain about – the film turned out amazing. Only the highest score:
The closer the New Year, the more acute the need to watch films related to this wonderful holiday. Well, at least the author of this review, such a need arises in the middle of November every year and he watches the New Year films.
And yet, it happens that in childhood I watched a movie and it was straight cool, and then after years I watched and not even an ice. That's not the case with End of the World. It’s a movie and it’s still cool years later. Even though it has three Golden Raspberry nominations, even with a rating of 5.7 out of 10. This film, released at the turn of not only centuries, but also millennia, perfectly conveys the atmosphere of the time when some people really took their roof off the impending Apocalypse, and religious figures spoke aloud about the beginning of the End.
The battle between Satan and a simple man who has lost the meaning of life after losing loved ones and seeks to forget himself in alcohol and constant thoughts of suicide. In my opinion, this is a great plot for a story in which, in fact, the fallen hero will become the main savior and hope of all mankind. When he has a spark of life, no Evil can win in the decisive battle, because a person who has something to lose will defend with all his strength what he now lives for.
Perhaps Arnold Schwarzenegger played here and not his best role, however, it is him in the guise of Hierico Kane to see nice and it is behind such a giant fragile Christina (Robin Tanney) will definitely feel like behind a stone wall. Double, hardy, hefty guy, who will even be kicked with his feet, but he will still find the strength to stand up.
The film delighted with the gloom of its atmosphere. Even despite the fact that before the New Year and the new millennium there are only a few days, the viewer, in general, does not have the impression that “The holiday comes to us” (remembering the famous advertising), because every new day is not the expectation of New Year’s magic, but the constant escalation of the situation – the approach of the Millennium makes itself felt.
But look at you. I do not impose my opinion on anyone.
All this mass favor for this picture has only one explanation - the presence of Schwartz. And everyone does not care that this is clearly not his best role, and the direction, like the script, is clearly mediocre. Nostalgia is insidious.
I remember all the hype about the coming of the millennium, reaching hysteria in some particularly subtle natures. But an insidious computer attack is not as terrible as the end of the world, or rather the onset of eternal darkness, where Satan himself will rule the ball. All these inverted sixes, ancient religious manuscripts and rites, have great genre popularity, from that jadedness, but then, it was relevant, because all sorts of seers predicted the arrival of the prince of darkness.
The film is full of all sorts of stupid nonsense insulting, or rather underestimating the power of Satan himself. He chooses the body, settles in it with complete comfort and what is the first thing he does???, Yes, kisses his friend’s wife and grabs her breast in a businesslike manner, then “throws” the teenager under the kamaz, so diabolically grinning, then on schedule sex, like sodomy, in short, everything was hellishly large. Especially surprised by the hulking approach to the performance of the diabolical multi-movement, and if you take into account the fact that Satan and his earthly henchmen allegedly waited for this moment for a long time, the effect of “hand ass” puts simply at a dead end.
As for acting, there are no surprises. Schwartz could not show even a fraction of what was necessary, and Byrne, although outwardly charismatic, but his play also leaves much to be desired. Their joint appearance in the frame, these are scenes filled with unnecessary meaningless dialogues, which I really want to just rewind.
The picture still has positive sides, for example, a competently transmitted mystical atmosphere, here an interesting sound series also contributed to its contribution, but everything quickly spoils Arnie with a machine gun at the top.
The film is difficult to recommend for viewing, it came out too ordinary, and the genre uncertainty, which ruined the whole picture in the end, does not give pleasure either from the action movie or from mysticism, there and there almost one misunderstanding came out.
5 out of 10.
The script of the film “End of Days” (" End of Days, in our translation of the films came out under the title “End of the World” – so sonorous), written by Andrew W. Marlowe, director and cameraman Peter Hyams, is rumored to have passed by James Cameron himself, saying that Peter Hyams has enough experience to make a good film. It was only Cameron who was lying and taking risks. No, of course, Hyams was an experienced filmmaker and before the shooting of “End of the World”, he had fifteen films, including “Space Odyssey 2010” – a sequel to the cult film of Stanley Kubrick himself. But the achievements of Peter Hyams had a gulkin nose, and failed projects were Hyams more than profitable. Well, you took risks, Cameron, you took risks. But the name of Arnold Schwarzeneger, the actor, whom Cameron himself made a megastar of militants, was already a kind of poster, so that the picture “The End of the World” should not remain in the overhead, which, in fact, happened: the tape earned more than two hundred million dollars at the world box office with a hundred invested.
But commercial profit is one thing, but audience love is another. Now the picture has a rating of 6.7 points on the KP, and even less on IMDb by a whole point, so we can conclude that according to the school evaluation system, the End of the World claims to be a hard three. And the fact that the film was in three nominations of the anti-award “Golden Raspberry”, and in three serious nominations, also does not bring “End of the World” optimism, although sometimes it is necessary to argue thoroughly with the jury of “Golden Raspberry”. But what about the film, because the script, written in the genre of mystical action movie, is quite curious. So, after a thousand years, the terrible prediction must come true: Satan will return to our world to conceive a child who will remain with us and destroy everything under the name of the Antichrist. The Vatican and the order of militant monks are aware of the prediction and are already beginning to make sure that Satan does not do what he intends. But in the way of the Vatican and the monks becomes a certain Jericho Kane (Schwarzenegger). No, he is not at all at the mercy of the dark forces, he did not understand the situation and saved the girl - the future mother of the Antichrist (a girl named Christina played Robin Tunney). But after a heroic rescue, Kane will have to face the face of Satan himself.
The role of Geronico Kane was written specifically for Tom Cruise, but he refused. The hero of “Mission: Impossible” has already proved himself so that with attractive charisma he can show himself as a cool guy, but even the shadow of Arnold Schwarzenegger is more frightening than the skills of Tom Cruise. If Tom Cruise was playing, the End of the World would be a bit more dramatic, but Cruz is a more layered actor, but when Schwarzenegger decided to shoot, the first thing to do was to expand the shooting scene with shootings and fights, where Iron Arnie feels like a fish in the water, because it is easier for him to fight and shoot than to talk. The action scenes in "End of the World" were set well, but not so that the viewer could admire. By 1999, when “The End of the World” was released, scenes like “Planet of the Apes” were already considered elementary and the viewer demanded innovation, which Peter Hyams did not have in the film “The End of the World”. Well, there is a visible moment in the picture: its genre is a mystical action movie, but mysticism turned out to be only as a plot background and the action movie came to the fore, almost filling the entire action of the tape. For fans of militants – this is only for joy, but still “the End of the world” somehow lost in variety.
Somehow it so happened that the above described some unfortunate moments in the creation of the film, but I do not believe that the film “the End of the world” is a failure. Let's just say it looks very dynamic, just like action is supposed to. Even if there is no special color in the staging of fights and shootouts, but Peter Hyams is not Ridley Scott and not James Cameron, but he knows his thing, so it is absolutely impossible to say that these scenes are poorly staged! As for the film with Arnold Schwarzenegger, these scenes look worthy, and some action movies may still envy them. As for the cast, the figure of Schwarzenegger is not discussed, although it is impossible to call Geronico Kane one of the best characters in the career of the Austrian, but still this is the classic Arnie. Gabriel Byrne, who played Satan, is certainly a good actor, but there are no shock roles in his career. In The End of the World, he did his job tolerably and professionally, despite being nominated for the Golden Raspberry. And with this nomination, it was not received by the same Robin Tunney, who repeatedly found herself in the shadow of Schwarzenegger and Byrne. And in addition, secondary, but important roles were played by Kevin Pollack and C.C. H. Pounder, who had interesting such characters, for which a separate plus to writer Andrew W. Marlowe, who did not forget about them.
No, of course, you can not call “The End of the World” one of the best paintings with the participation of Arnold Schwarzenegger, but it is not the worst. A strong action movie on a mystical basis, in abundance of fights and shootouts - what else to ask from a film starring Arnold Schwarzenegger?
7 out of 10
A boiling cauldron, a noisy and muddy anthill, looped in perpetual Brownian motion, filled to the brim with fussy human souls and self-propelled in the endlessly intersecting streams of street and avenue carts - here it is, the City of the Yellow Devil, a Mecca for those who aspire to the top and a grave for those who fall down. Welcome to New York, Satan! Here you can gloriously light and have fun, biting the Big Worm Apple. And let Sinatra sing his song about the sleepless city, only here the Devil finds flesh, and at the end of the millennium all Christian nightmares come true. And together with the slowly falling sweet symbol of the New Year, the human days are approaching their endgame, the negative of catharsis.
But it all starts with nightmares. With suffocating sticky fingers, they reach for young Christine, sacrificing her lust. Like ghosts with silly grins, they talk about the destiny: put on a white dress, the bride of the Dragon, he goes to devour your innocence. Jericho’s last nightmare dried up his soul, filling the cup with the bitter water of sorrow and guilt. As soon as he lowers his eyelids, the nightmare returns - his wife and daughter, as a retribution for incorruptibility, a room of blood color and the inability to turn back time. It is worth opening your eyes - an empty life, devoid of children's laughter and affectionate smile, and a loaded trunk in your hand, ready to put a fat point in the senseless drama called human life. They didn’t want to be the heroes of a terrible story. And who wants, when friends are burning alive, murderers in cassocks put ritual knives over their heads with the name of the Lord on their lips, and the doors of the temple do not protect even believers.
Hyams does not pity his heroes, he ruthlessly takes away from them everything worth holding on to in this world, everyone you can trust. Although the sun still rises over the concrete jungle, peering into every glass tower, the days are dark. Brown filters muffle the colors, life dims, and the night shadows become impenetrable thick, as evil, flowing to New York by the gutters of human sins, accumulates in the darkness. Bringing to the story an element of the detective, painted in the gloomy halftone of noir, the director pushes the hero in the back, forcing him to remove his finger from the trigger and enter the stream of usual police work. But the further Jericho follows the trail, crumbs in which are a photo of a stranger, the prophecy of a tongueless priest and a dead man crucified on the ceiling, the deeper the viewer, along with the hero, plunges into the world of Christian apocalypse, satanic rites and personalized evil. The dense, dense reality of the picture breathes religious mystery, and Hyams, like a cunning magician, juggles genres, bringing to the fore the viscous mystical thriller, the dynamic action movie. Realizing that the element of predictability is impossible to exclude from the plot in principle, he retains the intrigue around individual events, building them in such a sequence that step by step immerse the viewer in the atmosphere of inevitability of the approaching end of the existing world.
Heroes react differently to the incomprehensible. If Christine hides in terror behind the church walls, Jericho chooses the latter between faith and pistol. The world for him has never been divided into black and white, and the necessary violence has long been part of the job, so he cannot immediately accept the simplicity of the game. And who could when the Fallen One, who no longer needs a lawyer, comes personally to tempt you? Look, your wife and daughter are alive! The only thing you need to do to get them back is to betray the one who trusted you. And the heart, long turned to stone, will cry again with bloody tears. Long before Constantine, Jericho would follow the same path, responding adequately to the threat, guided by the warrior’s worldview. It is not that Christian values such as humility or fervent faith cannot offer hope of salvation. Just viewers of this genre consciously prefer a strong hero with ordinary human weaknesses. After all, only a man like Jericho, who evokes sympathy, compassion, but also respect, can stand up for humanity and in the darkest hour offer a tiny hope for the salvation of the world.
Arnold Schwarzenegger, how much is mixed in this name, Austrian, Terminator, Governor, athlete, bodybuilder, officially the person with the largest breast volume in the Guinness Book of Records. How many copies have broken in the debate whether he is an actor or just a wooden swing for furniture. Both sides fiercely presented arguments and counter-arguments. But one thing is clear to everyone, he is a truly iconic and great man. And I’m 100 percent sure that he’s a really good actor and actor, but I admit that he’s had some bad acting roles and there’s a grain of truth in his opponents’ arguments. In order not to be unfounded, I will tell you a little about my view on one of his best acting roles in this film.
The film The End of the World was released in 1999, when they were waiting for the millennium, the change of even centuries, millennia. Schwarzenegger appeared after a break that arose due to health problems, slightly broken, but rushing into battle, with a burning excitement look.
The end of the world carries mystical and religious overtones, the birth of a child under a certain arrangement of stars, the arrival of the Prince of Darkness in the world of New York. In the city there are a number of strange emergencies, there is an alarming premonition of something sinister. Skillfully inflated anxious mood. A certain demon possesses the banker who plays Gabriel Byrne and he immediately begins to do lustful and ironic actions.
Against this background, a positive and honest, but extremely unsuccessful drunken employee of the police escort VIPs, who lost his wife and daughter Jericho Kane in a gang attack, tries to shoot himself, cries over the music box of the deceased daughter, drinks antidepressants and washes them down with vodka. But here the order to accompany the banker, who is trying to kill the priest, falls to his lot, and then the plot becomes more confusing and mystical. Jericho has a goal in life, which is to protect the girl Christine Robin Tunney, with whom the Prince of Darkness wants to merge before the year 2000, so that the end of the world will occur.
Arnold Schwarzenegger plays on the limit, so much inner pain, drama, but along with these you can see the excitement in the eyes and there is a former brutal appearance, one of his best roles.
Gabriel Byrne is also very good, moderately ironic, lustful, sinister, brilliant performance of his role.
Kevin Pollack was a very good friend of Jericho Kane. I also liked Rod Steiger as a priest.
Here Robin Tunney disappointed, not very she coped with her role, not adequately conveyed the emotions of the main character, was as if sleepy somehow all the time.
I liked the atmosphere of the film, the New Year with a mystically scary, people without a tongue, with sewn eyes and Satanists with baseball bats, crazy homeless people and a dirty subway. The scene with Jericho's crucifixion is very impressive. Excellent special effects and drawing of the Prince of Darkness, because the great Stan Winston himself was engaged in their creation. It is also worth noting an excellent soundtrack, which includes legends of the alternative metal scene: Rob Zombie, Powerman 5000, Limp Bizkit, Megadeth. I really liked the mystic melody.
But it wasn't without flaws. Still, the movie looks secondary. So I put it to him:
I wonder what Schwarzenegger was doing when he accepted the role. Maybe you didn’t have enough money?
This film reminded me of an amateur experiment of adventurers who read a summary of the Bible nuu... and ended there.
Perhaps the entire review can be disassembled into 2 parts: technological and ideological.
Technologically, the film worked, as if, in a hurry and with a lazy handout. Very sad work of actors, particularly Byrne. He is absolutely NOT the embodiment of Satan, but in Hollywood there are enough actors with such roles. Why is it possible to attract Schwarzenegger, but you can not call the rest? By the way, Arnold. Huge, strong, cunning, sophisticated action movie. Yes, he is a legend of box office hits, which have become classics for world cinema! Why the hell did he sign up here? Was he deceived or tortured? There is no word on that...
In general, the shooting is not boring, but with blunders. Unpleasant for the eyes of the "stuffed."
Very deaf, in the background of the scenes with Satan play the work of Jonathan Davis. This is what pleased me and surprised me sincerely. I'm not a fan, but I love to listen to Corn.
As far as the story is concerned.
A one-time movie. This is a very sad work, an attempt to make a high-quality mystical action movie on a religious topic has failed, if only because a high-quality shooting range is categorically not suitable for merging with religious riddles if it is not thought out. Let's remember "The Saints of the Bundock."
I love the whole subject of religious myths, in particular not only the canons of the Old and New Testaments, but also apocryphal writings and ideas. And it seems to me that the director clearly had the opportunity to pick up a topic more interesting, because we have already seen the advent of the devil in our world, by 1999, there were fifty good films. I do not say that the Book of Judges of Israel is boring, but there is also good to profit from. They put Masons in here. This movement itself does not realize and does not really explain what is guided and what it believes. In the film, their mention especially emphasizes my opinion. Nothing.
Well, the image of the Devil completely upset me, as a fan of the genre, although the performance, like, not bad.
Finish.
Look, don't believe me. With chips and cola, you can be distracted and, for example, cook food or iron things for Monday.
Amen!
Perhaps this is the strongest screen enemy of Schwarzenegger.
Let’s remember how we used to watch movies. This appeal is especially directed at the guys. Here, right on the example of the film "The end of the set". First we saw that it was a new movie with Schwarzenegger, and then everything else.
It was an interesting experiment. In 1999, and I remember it perfectly well, there was hysteria about the coming end of the world. The era of films with the best (in my opinion, of course) actor of Hollywood Arnold Schwarzenegger entered its final stage. In any case, those films in which the future (at that time) Governor of California usually appeared began to overgrown with gray hair. I needed a shake. People wanted something new. New, if not bread, then sightseeing. But how did the powerful Terminator escape? And what case could be better than to support the stamp with the end of the world?
Of course, this was not the last role of my favorite actor. Even in that era, it won't be the last. But after "The End of the World" Peter Hyams Arnold Schwarzenegger began to go into the shadows. Metaphorically, of course. Literally following the "Sixth day" with the participation of a recognized artist, this is confirmed.
There. The idea to cross the genres of mysticism and action film got the result that we have. I was younger at the time, and as I pointed out in the second paragraph, it wasn’t the meaning of the film that mattered, but that Schwarzenegger was there. I’ve read it before and I have to say this:
At first, everything seemed incompatible. But after looking closely, I took the experiment to heart. The snipers, the rest of the fighting... all this was familiar and studied. But here comes the prince of darkness of Satan! Satan appeared somehow stupid and pompous: kissing a companion’s girlfriend in a hickey. But that was the last time such nonsense happened. And the fact that Schwarzenegger's hero fought with the crafty bagpipes and TNT, so there is an explanation for this. It simply held back the movement of evil in space. After all, Satan must have been in the body.
According to the prophecy, an evil spirit had to conceive a child while in the human body at the dawn of the millennium. There is no point in explaining and listing all the nuances, but it is absolutely obvious that a fallen angel needs a girl for this. Here you have a successful clutch, and the transition from genre to genre, and vice versa.
In the role of the heroine Robin Tunney, which, I confess, I have never seen before or since. But the role, I think, is not too difficult. You just had to pretend suffering and cry more.
And here in the role of the evil Gabriel Byrne. I don’t know who put the best devils on the top ten list, but Burn’s infernal spirit didn’t get there undeservedly. That’s where the movie’s biggest hit really is! He is a tempter, a tempter, and an angry demon. I love the footage where he talked with Jericho (in another translation: Jericho):
Compared to me, you are an angel of heaven. Angel of Heaven!!! (and after that) Go to hell! (and here ... pah-baaam!)
You know, the problem is that sometimes the devil comes! . .
Great moment! Brilliant play and sophistication of the script.
But even the denouement does not seem so obvious, despite the fact that Schwargenegger in the frame.
Actually, the movie is good. It's a military admixture, really... it could have been without it. The film is timely. But interesting to some viewers may still be today. (Go back and read the second paragraph.) .
On the eve of the “terrible date” – the millennium, all the most terrible predictions about the end of the righteous world begin to come true. According to the prophecy, on the eve of the new millennium, a certain Christine York (Robin Tunney) must have intercourse with Satan himself, and give birth to an heir. And Satan (Gabriel Byrne) is already writhing around the girl, and it would be universal grief if it were not for ex-policeman/alcoholic Jericho Kane with the appearance of an aged Arnie, who took on a whim to save humanity.
That rare case, when you can fully agree with the organizers of the “Golden raspberry”, put forward a picture at once in three nominations “worst”, one of which was held and Arnie. And frankly, the fact that Schwarzenegger at the beginning of the zero went into big politics came out more than in time. Films of the late 90s with the participation of this great actor came out as a selection disgusting, and Arnold himself plunged closer and closer into the abyss “below the plinth”. Therefore, "Governor Holidays" Schwarzenegger has definitely benefited.
Well, about this particular movie, to say something substantively good will be quite difficult. At least because there is almost no good here. Yes, there are high-quality special effects, recognizable actors (although, admittedly, most of the viewing of the film saw in the face of Gabriel Byrne Al Pacino), spectacular shootouts ... But the whole concept of the film, all the vicissitudes of the plot - this is such an incredibly eclectic nonsense that even analysis is amenable to it with great difficulty. The author of the project, Peter Hyams (also deservedly received an individual nomination for “raspberry”) tried to cross the “Devil’s Advocate” with “Comandos” and “Terminator”, where Satan performed by Byrne (who shamelessly copied the already mentioned Al Pacino) systematically with the help of firearms and fist muzzle trolled Schwarzenegger. It looked ridiculous to say the least.
It is clear that the sign “Arnold Schwarzenegger” sold catchy (even taking into account the fact that for his role the actor received 22 million), and the film with a budget of shocking, as for 1999, $100 million, paid off in the world box office twice. But this money was spent incompetently, and the viewer was simply skillfully sold a completely empty craft. Well, the attitude of the film to the genre of horror, too, to put it mildly, is not entirely clear. The horror here is no more than the bird's milk in Bird's Milk candy.
During his long and successful career as a film hero, Arnold Schwarzenegger fought and defeated the most skilled opponents, including aliens. In the same film, he will meet with the very embodiment of evil.
On the eve of the beginning of the new millennium, the Prince of Darkness himself comes to Earth. He is looking for a girl to give him a baby. The same girl, due to strange circumstances, is wanted by former police officer Jericho. First of all, we need to clearly understand that we are in front of an entertaining movie. It has no cultural, let alone religious, significance. Therefore, it is necessary to treat the whole story calmly, as a fiction. If you start picking on the details, you probably won’t like the movie. In general, the picture has a very dark, even viscous atmosphere. A mystical story in its pure form about the fight against evil. New York, where events unfold, shows us almost all the time at night, and the city makes a depressing impression. In general, most scenes take place in low light conditions. This gives everything that is happening a highlight. Of course, the fact that the devil will get Schwarzenegger in the competition cannot but cause a smile. However, there is no direct match, except perhaps the last scene. Arnie's in his 50s, but he's still very fit. Quite convincing was the image of the main character, who lost dear people. The film is replete with action, which is served at a fairly high level - a lot of fire, explosions. This is probably a reference to the abode of the Devil.
A film you rarely see on the shelf with your favorite projects, even among Schwarzenegger fans. Nevertheless, a well-staged, very dark and spectacular mystical action movie.
8 out of 10