The Prophecy, 1995.
Directed by Gregory Widen.
Starring Christopher Walken, Elias Koteas, Virginia Madsen, Eric Stoltz, Amanda Plummer and Viggo Mortensen.
SYNOPSIS:
A sceptical police detectives investigation into a mysterious death puts him the middle of a civil war among the Angels of Heaven.
Angels, mysterious beings sent to Earth by God to communicate His messages to His children and greeting us with the words “Be Not Afraid”. Well, that’s enough of that pretentiousness because today we’re looking at the religious horror/thriller The Prophecy, a stupid film that I was tempted to ignore had it not been for the awesomeness of Christopher Walken.
A quick read of The Prophecy’s story makes it sound like we should be in for an action-packed ride of angelic warfare with apocalyptic connotations. We have a war in Heaven among the angels. One side is loyal to God and humanity. The other are those jealous of the love given to humans by God. In an attempt to end a millennium-spanning stalemate, both sides seek to find a soul so evil and corrupted that it would turn the tide of the war and possibly bring about the end of the world.
It’s an honestly cool-sounding concept and seems like an attempt by writer/director Gregory Widen to replicate the mysterious world-building of his most famous creation, Highlander. One could even argue that The Prophecy is perhaps a hint of what the Highlander franchise could have become had Widen stuck around for the sequels. It would have at least been better than the space alien bullshit from Highlander II.
Yet, even with an admittedly cool concept, Widen (making his directorial debut here) fails to take full advantage of the premise, the story going over the usual boring tropes of a once faithful sceptic having his faith restored amid discussions among the angels of humanity’s importance/irrelevance. It’s all stuff we’ve seen done elsewhere and often much better. If anything, if you want a film about human-hating angels wreaking havoc on Earth, just watch Dogma. It’s far better and funnier than The Prophecy, and it has the added bonus of Jay and Silent Bob.
What severely lets the film down is Widen’s direction. Although showing promise for a first-timer, Widen doesn’t manage to capture the action-packed thrills that his script suggests. An early fight between angels looks like it could be something spectacular. However, the dreadful editing and overly shaky camera work render it a confusing and near-unwatchable mess. The pacing is also awkward, with it feeling like the film has chunks missing, taking its time to set up its story but then seeming to be in a rush to wrap it up in the last minutes with a series of increasingly silly antics.
The cast boasts a slew of talented actors such as Elias Koteas, Virginia Madsen and Eric Stoltz, who really do try their best with their characters. Although, if I’m being honest, they have given much better performances in other films. Also, Stoltz’s appearance stands out for his taking part in what might be the most inappropriate kiss I’ve ever seen, with the adult Stoltz kissing a child on the mouth. Not just a peck, but a full-on smooch that was just crying out for a Chris Hansen intervention.
Of course, the real draw and perhaps the only reason anyone remembers The Prophecy is Christopher Walken in a hugely fun scenery-chewing performance as the villainous Archangel Gabriel. Walken, with a piercing stare and an often growling delivery, is captivating, managing to make the often ludicrous dialogue land with the kind of hilarious thud that he is the master of, his trademark cadences and weird mannerisms making you believe he is a being from beyond the heavens who is uncaring about human niceties.
I love his line of how he “will NOT ALLOW!!! Any talking monkey to take my place”, his suddenly impassioned and then suddenly subdued delivery making the moment awkwardly hilarious. The film might not entirely work, but Walken makes it well worth a watch, his performance managing to elevate the material whenever he appears on the screen.
I also enjoyed Adam Goldberg’s supporting turn as Jerry, a poor unfortunate sod who, after killing himself, is brought back to life to serve as Gabriel’s driver, with Walken and Goldberg sharing a fun buddy/road movie dynamic that made me wish the entire film was just about them. I couldn’t help but chuckle every time Jerry begged to be allowed to die, his increasingly decomposed and ghoulish appearance only making his sad plight all the more tragically funny.
Almost stealing the film from Walken is Viggo Mortensen as Lucifer, the first angel. Mortensen instantly catches your attention with his powerful screen presence, projecting an aura of arrogance and evil befitting of the Devil himself. That and his attention-grabbing introduction threatening that he “….can lay you out and fill your mouth with your mother’s faeces, or we can talk” packs a darkly humorous punch that left me giggling like an idiot.
A potentially cool concept, badly executed and a talented cast giving awkward performances threaten to leave The Prophecy as another forgettable 90s religious horror/thriller. However, thanks only to the hugely fun performances of Walken, Goldberg and Mortensen, the film does at least have some entertainment value lurking within so check it out if you’re curious.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ / Movie: ★ ★
Graeme Robertson
