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''Constantine'' is a 2005 supernatural action-thriller film directed by Francis Lawrence as his feature film directorial debut, starring Keanu Reeves as John Constantine, with Rachel Weisz, Shia LaBeouf, Tilda Swinton, and Djimon Hounsou. With a screenplay by Kevin Brodbin and Frank Cappello, the film is loosely based on Vertigo Comics' ''Hellblazer'' comic book, which is also a part of and run by DC Comics, with plot elements taken from the "Dangerous Habits" story arc (issues #4146) and the "Original Sins" trade paperback. The character of John Constantine was introduced by comic book writer/creator Alan Moore while writing the ''Swamp Thing'', first appearing there in June 1985.〔Markstein, Don. "Don Markstein's Toonopedia: John Constantine". Retrieved 2007-05-31〕 In 1988, the character of John Constantine was given his own comic book title, ''Hellblazer'', published by DC Comics under its Vertigo Comics imprint. The "Dangerous Habits" story arc of ''Hellblazer'' was written by Garth Ennis in 1991, on which the film is partly based.〔 The film, which was met by film critics with mixed reactions, portrays John Constantine as a cynic with the ability to perceive and communicate with half-angels and half-demons in their true form. He seeks salvation from eternal damnation in Hell for a suicide attempt in his youth. Constantine exorcises demons back to Hell in a bid to earn favor with Heaven but has become weary over time. With death looming, he helps a troubled police detective learn the truth about her sister's death while simultaneously unraveling a much larger and darker plot. ''Constantine'' was released in the United States and Canada on February 18, 2005 and in Hong Kong on February 8, 2005. Box Office Mojo reported that ''Constantine'' earned nearly $30 million at the North American box office on its opening weekend,〔(Box Office Mojo )〕 making it the second highest earning movie for that weekend. It eventually earned $75,976,178 at the North American box office and a total of $230,884,728 around the world. ==Plot== God and Lucifer are engaged in a war for the souls of humanity; a standing wager for the souls of all mankind. Angels and demons are forbidden to manifest on Earth, but they are allowed to possess and influence humans, and half-breeds are used to peddle influence. Exorcist John Constantine was born with the power to see angels and demons. At age 15, he committed suicide to escape his visions, but he was revived after spending two minutes in Hell, and his soul is bound for Hell when he dies for the sin of taking his own life. John exorcises a girl possessed by a soldier demon trying to break through to Earth, something that should not be possible, as demons cannot take their true physical form on the mortal plane. John seeks an audience with the androgynous half-breed angel Gabriel (Tilda Swinton). He asks Gabriel for a reprieve from his impending death from lung cancer; but Gabriel declines, telling John that his motives for exorcising demons are selfish and will not earn him entry into Heaven. After he leaves Gabriel, John repels an attack by a full demon out in the open. This encounter prompts him to meet with former witch doctor Papa Midnite (Djimon Hounsou) who informs him that all of Hell is waiting for him to die and that he is the one soul Lucifer would come to collect himself. There, John also encounters half-breed demon Balthazar (Gavin Rossdale). Midnite refuses to become involved, wanting to retain the balance between Heaven and Hell. John begins investigating the situation with his associates Beeman (Max Baker), Hennessy (Pruitt Taylor Vince), and Chas Kramer (Shia LaBeouf). Detective Angela Dodson (Rachel Weisz) shows up at Constantine's apartment to ask for his help investigating Isabel (Rachel Weisz), her identical twin's, death. Isabel leapt from the top of a psychiatric hospital, where she was a patient; and, despite camera footage showing it, Angela is convinced that Isabel would never commit suicide. At first, John mocks her and denies her request for help; but, after demons chase after Angela on the street outside, Constantine agrees to help. Later on, John wants to see if Isabel is truly in Hell, he then takes a hold of Angela's cat as a means of teleportation and briefly transports himself into the depths of hell where he finds Isabel. Hennessy's and Beeman's research leads them to conclude that Lucifer's son, Mammon, is plotting to break through to Earth and claim it as his own kingdom. To do so, Mammon requires a powerful psychic and assistance from God. Balthazar kills Hennessy and Beeman, and Angela reveals that she and her sister possessed the same gift as John. Angela rejected her visions and they eventually stopped, but Isabel embraced them and was institutionalized for it. John reawakens Angela's psychic ability through a near death experience, then hunts down and interrogates Balthazar who reveals that Mammon has obtained the Spear of Destiny, which is stained with the blood of Jesus Christ. Afterwards, John proceeds to kill Balthazar and he and Angela then leave. Angela, now possessing the psychic abilities Mammon requires, is abducted by an unseen force and brought to Isabel's hospital. John convinces Midnite that the balance is no longer in force, and asks to use "The Chair"; an old electric chair. The Chair shows John a vision of how the spear was discovered in Mexico and has been brought to Los Angeles. John and Chas head to the hospital and interrupt the ritual, but Chas is beaten to death by an unseen force in the process. Using incantations and sigils tattooed on his arms, John forces the unseen force, revealed to be an invisible Gabriel, to reveal itself. Gabriel subdues, admitting responsibility in the plan to release Mammon, and reveals the details. Gabriel laments God’s favoritism towards humans and believes that bringing Hell to Earth will enable those who survive to become truly worthy of God’s love through suffering, repentance and faith. Gabriel then casts John from the room. As Gabriel moves to stab Angela with the Spear and release Mammon, John slits his wrists and dies. Time stops as Lucifer arrives to personally collect his soul and John tells him about Mammon’s plan to usurp him. When Gabriel attempts to smite Lucifer, the angel's power is nullified and Gabriel's wings are burned off with the presence of hell in the room. Lucifer sends Mammon back to Hell. In return for his help, Lucifer grants John a favor; instead of a longer life, he asks Lucifer to allow Isabel to go to Heaven. Lucifer agrees, but then finds that he is unable to drag John to Hell; John's noble sacrifice sees him granted entry to Heaven. Infuriated at losing John Constantine's soul, Lucifer painfully resurrects him and removes his cancer, claiming that John will eventually prove he belongs in Hell. Freed from Mammon's possession, Angela departs with John, leaving behind the now human Gabriel. Some time later, John gifts the Spear to Angela, asking her to hide it. As she leaves, instead of producing a cigarette, he starts to chew on some nicotine gum. In a post-credits scene, John visits Chas' grave. Chas appears before him as an angel and flies upward to the sky. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア(Wikipedia)』 ■ウィキペディアで「Constantine (film)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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