Keanu: From Matrix kung fu to Constantine voodoo

Keanu Reeves may be America’s favorite dimwitted dude.

After his wonderfully goofy turn as the dark-haired half of Bill and Ted, he cemented his role as the prototypical careless Californian with his roles in Point Break and Speed. Never much for variety, he nevertheless became the embodiment of the word “chillin”, making it so much more than a Saturday afternoon activity. For Reeves, it was a total state of mind. By the time he got to The Matrix and gaped at Morpheus’ super-leap with a dead-on “whoa,” he wasn’t just expressing the ultimate in understated awe, he was referencing his entire body of work as a no-worries West-coaster whose brain always seemed to be about five minutes behind.

In his latest film, Reeves makes a somewhat surprising departure from his earlier work: He actually acts. As the title character of Constantine, he plays a dour demon hunter with a caustic wit and a cynical outlook who still manages to kick serious hellspawn ass. It’s based on a comic-book, but has none of the carefree lightness of films like Spider-Man or The Incredibles, instead settling into similarly gloomy terrain as its R-rated comic cousin, Blade.

Photo courtesy of Warner Brothers Constantine tells the story of a supernatural detective whose knowledge of heaven and hell is the last hope for mortals.

It’s an entirely entertaining two hours of cinematic distraction. Despite large plot holes and a too-trim running time, it sustains itself on moody atmosphere and smarmy, cynical dialogue. It occasionally threatens to cross over into the dark realm of self-parody, but there’s an undercurrent of hipster wit that, mixed with its eerie cinematography and droning score, keeps everything moving regardless of its muddled storyline.

Director Francis Lawrence, whose previous work consists entirely of music videos — mostly for pop luminaries such as Britney Spears and Will Smith — makes an impressive debut. With his video director’s eye for iconic images, he takes Reeves and gives him rock star treatment, using slow-motion, off angles and long shots to brand his character as a classic hardboiled crime fighter.

The effects, while never overpowering, are stunningly innovative. From the opening exorcism to the final showdown between a host of supernatural entities, there’s a striking visual flair to every sequence, doling out wholly original effects shots throughout.

Although the script often borders on nonsense and includes and endless string of loose threads and unnecessary characters, Lawrence manages to pull the maximum amount of tension from each scene, taking what could’ve been dull and confusing and making it improbably riveting. Even as it veers into incoherence, it’s quite gripping.

The screenplay is a masterpiece of pseudoreligious, Catholic mythology based blather, and thinking about it for long periods is not advised. It’s all got something to do with a war between angels and demons, the devil’s son, and a spear that killed Christ and has conveniently found its way into the hands of a wordless Mexican laborer.

There’s a lot of grim, epic prognosticism of the sort that’s usually reserved for creepy televangelists, and Lawrence fills his production design with as many crosses as possible. They’re like flashing neon signs to make sure his audience remembers that this is about HEAVEN and HELL and THE FATE OF THE WORLD. Subtlety isn’t exactly the film’s strong suit.

Still, it’s surprisingly funny, with Constantine and his assistant Chas engaging in some clever banter. Chas (Shia LaBeouf) is the annoying kid sidekick that films like this don’t need, but his wit and earnest conviction give the character some much-needed pathos. Despite the cliche, it’s done with enough grace that it isn’t grating.

Rachel Weisz plays the psychic cop and semi-love-interest, in a character that never really develops. She’s got gravitas, but between this and her roles in the Mummy pictures, she always seems lost, like she remembers agreeing to roles that require her to do more than follow around the male lead and wait for things to jump out at her. Sadly, that’s all that Constantine provides.

Most surprising is Reeves, who actually gives something resembling a real performance. With the studied Zippo fling he uses to light his cigarettes and his seen-it-all swagger, it’s obvious that he’s Acting with a capital “A.” He’s a grumpy, world-weary, noir-hero, but despite his antipathy toward pretty much everything, he still finds it in himself to do the dirty work of fighting hell’s minions. Just don’t ask him to like it.

Although it’s not as clever as The Incredibles or as weirdly sweet as Hellboy, Constantine still manages to come out on top of the increasingly popular superhero genre. Narrowly escaping death-by-incoherent-plot in most every scene, Lawrence’s debut is a visual delight, shot with confidence and a flair for unique effects. Even Reeves gets caught acting. Now there’s a reason to say “whoa.”

Contact Peter Suderman at spinnakerfeatures@yahoo.com.