End of Days is a
1999 action/
survival horror film starring
Arnold Schwarzenegger and directed by
Peter Hyams. It also featured
Robin Tunney,
Rod
Steiger,
Kevin Pollak,
CCH Pounder,
Udo Kier,
and
Gabriel Byrne as
Satan. Schwarzenegger received a salary of
$25 million for his role in the film.
Plot
In 1979, a newborn girl named Christine York is identified by
Satanists—including her doctor, Dr. Abel,
and her guardian, Mabel—as the one chosen to bear
Satan's son during the last hour on
New Year's Eve, 1999, due to a symbol on her
arm.
As
she is being born, a priest in the Vatican
witnesses a comet, described
as the "Eye of God", heralding the birth of the one chosen to be
the mother of Satan's child. The priest is then sent on a
mission by the
Pope to find and protect the
girl from Satan's presence at all costs. However, a group of a few
Vatican Knights (led by a corrupt cardinal) insist that she must be
killed to prevent Satan's plans, to which most of the clergy
(including the Pope) opposes, as they state that taking a life in
an attempt to stop evil is sinful.
Twenty
years later, near the end of 1999, retired cop Jericho Cane, in a
constant state of depression since
his wife and daughter were murdered by a hitman, is assigned to
protect a Wall
Street
banker; Cane now works for an elite security and
protection company. They are attacked by a priest named
Thomas Aquinas, who is eventually captured and taken to a hospital.
Unknown to Cane, Aquinas somehow knew the real identity of the
banker—he has been
possessed by
Satan and now wields great powers. Satan locates Aquinas and
brutally murders him, crucifying him on the ceiling. Cane and his
co-worker/friend Bobby Chicago see a name amongst many other things
scratched into Aquinas's skin, and after some guesswork, begin
searching for Christine York.
Cane and Chicago find the now-adult York in her apartment and save
her from the Vatican Knights (sent by the corrupted cardinal) who
want her dead. That evening, Chicago waits in a van while Cane
discusses the recent happenings with York. Satan arrives and blows
up the van, killing Chicago. As Cane and York try to flee, they are
apprehended by Mabel, but Cane manages to overpower her. Outside,
Marge, Cane's superior from his days in the police force, and
another police officer—both Satanists—confront Cane, demanding
York. Cane kills them both and he and York escape to a nearby
church, seeking answers from a priest, Father Kovak.
Kovak soon realizes York and the banker's roles, and describes how
at the end of every millennium, Satan will possess a man's body to
consummate with the flesh of a preordained woman. If he succeeds in
taking York he will have free rein over the world. After hearing
that the only way to defeat Satan is to "have faith", Cane tries to
persuade York to go into hiding with him but she prefers to stay
with Kovak. Frustrated, Cane returns to his apartment and it is
there that Satan meets with him and tries to tempt him with his
lost family in order to make him reveal York's location. Cane
resists and manages to throw Satan out of his apartment window.
Chicago soon shows up, alive and well. Despite Cane's initial
suspicion, they make a plan to retrieve York.
At the church, where Kovak and his clergy informs the Pope of
York's location, he orders them to hide and protect her at all
costs. Unfortunately, the Vatican Knights arrive again, holding
Kovak and his clergy into custody while they try to kill York
again. Before they could do it, Cane comes by and stops them,
saving York and the clergy. Satan then appears and Cane runs away
safely with York. The clergy, in an act of bravery, confronts Satan
and trying to sent him back to Hell by using exorcism, but he
pushes them off his way in a fury, as well as killing the Vatican
Knights (including the corrupted cardinal) for trying to kill
Christine. As Cane and York arrive outside, Chicago then betrays
the two; he leaves with York while Cane is beaten by a mob of
Satanists and left for dead. The next morning, Cane is found and
rescued by Kovak (who actually survived from Satan's wrath, along
with his clergy (except for one of his clergymen, who was impaled
on the head with a cross by Satan while trying to repel him with
it), due to having strong faith) and immediately arms himself
heavily to resume his search for York. He notices a resurrected
Marge and tails her to Satan's hideout. There, he manages to rescue
Christine and kill Marge for the second time. Chicago steps in to
stop Cane, revealing that Satan resurrected him in exchange for his
help in capturing York. He manages to fight off Satan's influence
after some persuasion by Cane; in retaliation, Satan burns him
alive. Enraged, Cane opens fire on Satan and escapes with York in
the ensuing chaos.
The two make their way through Satan's hideout and into a
subway tunnel. They board a train and
attempt to escape. Satan catches up with them and kills the
conductor. In the ensuing fight, Cane launches an
M203 grenade at
Satan's body, buying time for him and York to escape. The banker's
body is now irreparably damaged, and so Satan leaves it to find a
new host.
Cane and York escape to the streets and into another church, where,
he prays to
God. Satan smashes through the floor
and confronts Cane in his true form: a massive, demonic creature.
He enters Cane's body and possesses him. Now controlled by the
Devil, Cane attempts to
rape York, but with the
help of her begging words, he is able to fight Satan's control for
a few seconds. Using what may be his only opportunity to redeem
himself, Cane impales himself on the sword protruding from a fallen
statue of
Michael the
Archangel, thus disabling his body for the few remaining
seconds before midnight. At the stroke of midnight, the will of God
frees Cane's body from Satan's control and sends Satan back to the
depths of
Hell forever. After being granted a
vision of his wife and daughter smiling at him, Cane dies shortly
thereafter peacefully.
York thanks the deceased Cane for saving her
life as New
York
celebrates the start of the year 2000.
Cast
Reception
End of Days received mixed but mostly negative reviews
with usually one positive point. The reviews had no points in
common, other than about 30% panning Schwarzenegger's
performance.
"End of Days" keeps asking whether faith or force will save the
human race, before hedging its bets and insisting on
both."
It grossed
$66,889,043 in the U.S.
and around $212,000,000 worldwide, against a budget
estimated to be between $80 million and $100 million. The
film was slightly profitable because of its strong international
numbers and
DVD sales, but its final numbers
were not what
Universal Studios
had hoped for.
The movie received Razzie nominations for Worst Actor
(Schwarzenegger), Worst Director (Hyams) and Worst Supporting Actor
(Byrne, also for
Stigmata).
It was a pre-nominee finalist for Worst Picture.
Soundtrack
The soundtrack to the film contained, for the most part, tracks by
alternative metal and
industrial rock bands. It also contains, the
first single to be released by the "new line-up" of
Guns N' Roses, the industrial rock track "Oh
My God".
Track listing
- "Camel Song" - Korn
- "So Long" - Everlast
- "Slow" - Professional
Murder Music
- "Crushed" - Limp Bizkit
- "Oh My God" -
Guns N' Roses
- "Poison" - The Prodigy
- "Superbeast (Girl On A Motorcycle
Mix)" - Rob Zombie
- "Bad Influence" - Eminem
- "Nobody's Real" - Powerman 5000
- "I Wish I Had" - Stroke
- "Sugar Kane" - Sonic Youth
- "Wrong Way" - Creed
See also
References
External links
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