prophecy

Gregory Widen's angelic thriller is one of the most underrated genre efforts of the 90s. Already an accomplished writer with such credits under his belt as Highlander and Backdraft, Widen here proves himself as a capable director too. Everything comes together here: an excellent cast, a great script, and a slick musical score. Widen handles the film nicely, keeping the action exciting and the exposition interesting. My only small complaint would be that the slick treatment is at times a little too reminiscent of Highlander.

I'll begin with the cast. Christopher Walken is, of course, perfect for the role of Gabriel. He fills the screen with such a sense of authority that he comes off as one of the most charismatic villians in recent memory. Elias Koteas is excellent as Thomas Dagget, a cop who lost his faith in The Word on his way to becoming a priest. The real surprise here though, comes from Viggo Mortensen in his tiny role as Lucifer. In a very limited amount of screen time, Mortensen creates a tru;y unforgettable character.

Part of the reason for these top notch performances were the depth given to them by Widen in his superb script. The dealings with earthbound angels are somewhat similar to those of Win Wenders in his excellent angel films, but never seem derivative. Widen wisely uses the bible as a take off point only and creates a marvelous piece of fiction. While on the surfrace it seems only to be a chase movie with biblical undertones; underneath we have a tale of jealousy, revolution, faith, and spiritual enlightenment. An uplifting message about man's search for meaning is offered, but the film completely avoids a preachy narrative.

The music lends itself nicely to the look of the film. The chase music score along with the Native American chanting give the atmosphere of those scenes the necessary feel to completely absorb the audience. The opening theme used in the church is effectively used to set the tone for the entire film. Most surprising though, is the poignant closing song from heavy metal band Skid Row. The song, Breakin' Down, is a perfect companion piece to the film. While not relating directly to the characters or situations, an overall feeling of desperation is conveyed. There was never a soundtrack released for the film, but the song is available on the Skid Row album Subhuman Race.

Now that I've gone through the basic elements that are key to the film's power; I'll describe the film itself briefly. The renegade angel Gabriel is leading a second war in heaven (the first being when Lucifer was cast down into hell). The war is fought because God has put humans in his grace, which was once reserved exclusively for angels. With the war in a stalemate. Gabriel hopes to tip the scales in his favor by stealing the dark soul of a war general not yet claimed by Lucifer. Angels are sent down from heaven to stop him, and a cop who was at one time studying to be a priest is caught in the middle.

Widen tells his story in a beautiul fashion. The film was a moderate success and generated two above average direct to video sequels. It is a shame though that it never recieved more attention and in fact remains on of the most underrated films of the 90s. Unfortunately this is also hampered by a rather lackluster DVD release. Nothing is included on the disc in the way of extras, not even a trailer. The widescreen transfer is nice but that really isn't enough for a film of this depth and this amount of talent involved. A Widen commentary would be much appreciated as I'm sure he could offer a good amount of insight into the technical and creative aspects of the film. Shitty DVD or not though, this is a new classic.