The Prophecy
The old testament God (Jehovah, Yaweh, or whatever you wish to call him), was a psychopath. It was he who authorized the killing of the first-born in Egypt, turned Lot’s wife into a pillar of salt, and inflicted boils upon Job so that he might suffer horribly. Sometimes he would take an active role in his crimes against humanity, but most often God sent Angels to commit the atrocities.
One has to ask then, what would it be like to meet an angel, a creature whose soul purpose is to act as God’s headhunter. He or she wouldn’t be a chubby three year old with golden curls, or a tall benevolent guardian dressed in a white robe, carrying a standard issue harp. A being with so much blood on its hands would be wreathed in shadow, a great source for cinematic angst and Mayhem, and much more charismatic then Stephanie Myer’s Edward Cullen.
Unfortunately, Hollywood has never really acknowledged the darker side of angelic messengers. Most often angels are portrayed, in North American films at least, as pure, gentle, and benevolent. In It’s A Wonderful Life (1946) George Baily (Jimmy Stewart) is prevented from committing suicide by his guardian angel, Clarence, who shows him that the world is essentially a good place, filled with good people. In City of Angels (1998) Nicholas Cage portrays an angel who is scholarly and decent. He shepherds souls to the ‘other side’ while falling passionately in love with a beautiful human doctor, played by Meg Ryan.
Fortunately, there have been some movies in the last 15 years that have broken the heavenly mould and shown angels in all their dark, bloody, unbalanced glory. One of the best of these films is The Prophecy, first released in 1995. This film deals with the adventures of Thomas Daggit, played by Elias Koteas a big city police detective and failed initiate, who inadvertently finds himself in the middle of a never-ending celestial war over humanities place in God’s universe. The war pits angels who accept God’s love for human beings, against those who are jealous of humanity’s special treatment.
The Prophecy is a good movie with a good cast. Koteas is believable as an ordinary man trying to survive events that he doesn’t fully understand. His persona is reminiscent of a young Robert DeNiro. Christopher Walken gives a stand-out performance as the Archangel Gabriel. As usual he can be both entertaining and menacing. He played essentially the same role when he portrayed Max Shrek in Batman Returns (1992) and Mr. Smith in Nick of Time (1995 ).
There are also excellent performances by Eric Stoltz (Pulp Fiction) as Simon, a mournful, Christ-like Angel who supports God’s plan; Virginia Madsen (Sideways) as Catherine, a small-town school teacher and Thomas’ unlikely side-kick; and Amanda Plummer (So I Married an Axe Murderer) as Gabriel’s zombie chauffeur. Last, but not least, we have Viggo Mortenson as Lucifer…you’ll forget all about Aragorn when you see Viggo in this film.
The script is generally pretty good with plenty of snappy diagologue, particularly from Walken and Mortenson; but also from Steve Hytner (seen on such TV shows as Eli Stone and Pushing Daises) in a minor role as a wise-cracking forensic pathologist. This movie once again proves that a movie can be made on a shoestring and still be successful in engaging an audience. I give this movie two thumbs up, but if you know what’s good for you, don’t bother renting the sequels. They are badly written, badly acted, and largely unnecessary, since The Prophecy is very much a stand alone feature. If you see them, your soul will shriek in agony, I guarantee it!
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