Arnold Schwarzenegger in "End of Days."

MOVIE INFORMATION

With 10 as a must-see, Jack gives this film a: Stars: Arnold Schwarzenegger and Gabriel Byrne Director: Peter Hyams Rated: R, with strong violence and profanity Length: 120 minutes

ROCHESTERCRITIQUE

Having seen this film, how would you rate it? 10 5 9 4 8 3 7 2 6 1

By Jack Garner
Democrat and Chronicle

(Nov. 24, 1999) -- Having laid waste to most of the civilized world, Arnold Schwarzenegger returns to the screen to tackle the most powerful new foe he can find: Satan.

Peter Hyams' End of Days exploits millennium fever, pitting the Muscular One against the Evil One at the countdown to a new century. It delivers slam-bang action for the genre's fans -- as long as they're also willing to put up with a strong dose of corny movie logic and lots of pseudo-religious posturing.

Schwarzenegger stretches, though, by portraying a more vulnerable, doubt-riddled variation of his typical action hero, a private security agent named Jericho Cane.

Cane has lost his family to violence and is at the end of his rope as the film opens: He can't decide whether to start his day by putting a gun to his head or by drinking his breakfast.

Meanwhile, Satan has come to Earth and claimed a dashing human body (Gabriel Byrne) so he can strut his stuff. The guy is a high-rolling tycoon in the Donald Trump mold.

There's apparently an ancient text that declares that the devil will attempt to impregnate an innocent woman at the turn of the millennium. If he does, the world as we know it will end, and we'll all be doomed to eternal damnation. (How's that for something to fight against?)

Jericho and his partner (Kevin Pollack) are hired as security guards for the industrialist, who is then nearly killed in an assassination attempt. Jericho discovers the would-be killers are religious zealots who believe his employer is the devil on Earth, which entangles him in the convoluted, quasi-religious plot.

In a ridiculous bit of reasoning, he instantly discovers the identity of the girl Satan is hoping to bed: Christine (Robin Tunney). Unbeknownst to her, she's been watched and monitored since birth to be the bride of Satan. Jericho does all he can to stop the unholy union. That makes Satan mad.

The apocalyptic battle is under way.

Interestingly, End of Days is sort of a reverse of Terminator. In that far superior film, Schwarzenegger tries to protect a woman so she can give birth, thereby saving the world. Here, he tries to stop a woman from getting pregnant, also to save the world.

Jericho, of course, relies on an ever-increasing armament of weapons, only to discover what should have been plain: Bullets don't kill Satan. (Duh!) Maybe our hero will have to enlist the help of a higher power?

Before it's over, flames rage, bombs explode, guns go off and sacrifices are made. It's all enough to please the regular -- and immense -- Schwarzenegger audience but nowhere near enough to win new converts.

The fans, at least, will be happy to see a healthy Schwarzenegger. He comes to End of Days after a two-year absence, due to heart surgery to correct a genetic valve problem.

We might have hoped for a more dynamic or polished return project, but at least Arnold's back, doin' his thing.