review by Josh Keown Pro
The Prophecy 1995
Rewatched Aug 17, 2012
Josh Keown’s review:
“Humans... and how I love you talking monkeys for this... know more about war and treachery of the spirit than any angel.”
-Lucifer (Viggo Mortensen)
Prophecy weaves a tale of literally biblical proportions, as twisted angel Gabriel (Walken) comes to Earth in search of a soul, a soul that can finally end the stalemated war in Heaven. First time director Gregory Widen could have attempted a grandiose blockbuster with such a premise, but instead keeps it on a far smaller scale despite the epic backstory. It’s a decision that could have made or broke the film, but pays off.
Such an excellent ensemble cast seems quite the rarity in the genre, but Prophecy has some terrific talent on display. Elias Koteas takes the role of leading man Thomas Dagget, once again proving his hideously underappreciated talent. Equally overlooked Eric Stoltz also delivers a brilliant performance. Undeniably head and shoulders above all, though, is Christopher Walken as Gabriel. I’m quite sure it’s considered a crime not to love Walken. He’s suave and truly terrifying in equal measure as the scheming Archangel.
Viggo Mortensen’s take on the Devil himself is just great. Everything from his appearance to his mannerisms suggests this is no Prince of Darkness, no eloquent lord of Hell, but rather a vilified and shunned creature, a trickster and twisted master of evil.
So as you can probably see, the brilliant cast is one of the films main draws. Beyond that, the plotline is intriguing, the music fits well and sets the mood whilst the script has quotable lines aplenty.
VERDICT; All in all, a rather enjoyable film about Heaven, Hell, War, trampy Satan and Christopher ‘Hardman’ Walken. Who soaks up bullets like a sponge, gets run over and beaten with a tire iron, yet still keeps that ever-charming expression on his face.
A cool slice of biblical horror, that works because it doesn’t attempt biblical proportions.
3.5/5 or 7/10
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