Search - End of Days on DVD

MPAA Rating: R Content Advisory: Graphic Violence, Nudity, Adult Situations, Not For Children, Profanity, Sexual Situations Movie Release: 1999 DVD Release: 04/18/2000 Format: DVD - Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV Edition: Special Collection Audio Tracks: English, French Subtitles: English SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 2 hrs 3 mins Studio: Universal Studios Total Copies: 64 Genres: Action, Action Thriller, Supernatural Horror See Also: End of Days [HD DVD], End of Days [Blu-ray], End of Days [Collector's Edition]

1999 proved a banner year for screen portrayals of Satan's love life: first his relationship with Saddam Hussein went under the microscope in South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut, and a few months later his search for a girl to settle down with became the basis of this thriller. With the millennium approaching, a series of disturbing signs suggests that Satan (here played by Gabriel Byrne) has returned to Earth and is walking the streets of New York City. It seems that Satan needs to find a woman who will bear his child, as the time for the arrival of the anti-Christ draws near. A woman named Christine (Robin Tunney) believes that she has seen the Devil and felt his presence, and it's up to Jericho Cane (Arnold Schwarzenegger), a former policeman turned elite bodyguard, to keep her safe from The Dark Lord. End of Days was both directed and photographed by Peter Hyams; Kevin Pollak, Renee Olstead, and Udo Kier are among the supporting cast. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Arnold Schwarzenegger - Jericho Cane
Gabriel Byrne - The Man
Robin Tunney - Christine York
Kevin Pollak - Chicago
CCH Pounder - Det. Margie Francis
Rod Steiger - Father Kovak

The devil's in the details, they say, and that's certainly the case with End of Days, which did little to further the careers of either Arnold Schwarzenegger or Gabriel Byrne (or that of director Peter Hyams, perhaps the most proficient hack in Hollywood.) The DVD pads out the movie with a fair bit in the way of extras, the majority of which has to do with the details. Lots of them.
More specifically, aside from a commentary by Hyams, a text piece on the Book of Revelations, and a "Spotlight on Location" piece, there is a section called "Special Effects: The Devil's Playground," which delves at length into various special effects sequences ranging from a spectacular subway crash to a sex scene featuring Gabriel Byrne and two women (Fight Club used similar technology for similar effect, curiously enough). Getting through these supplements takes some time.
The movie has been transferred with a 2.35:1 aspect ratio, anamorphically enhanced for 16 x 9 televisions. The source print is excellent, and the transfer shows off rich, deep colors despite an overall dark production design (a few minutes in, there is a fly-over shot of Manhattan that has wonderful patches of vivid color on the buildings.) There is no evidence of compression artifacts. The Dolby 5.1 Audio is excellent, with nice Surround work, great dialogue clarity, and a deep, clear bass that does a terrific job with both rumbles and thumps. The music is served very well by the mix, with elements woven into all corners of the Surround image, rather than being focused to the front. The French 2.0 mix is clear and nicely done, though with less separation between elements; the voice cast and dubbing seem to be uniformly good. Finally, the Hyams commentary is generally low-key, with regular pauses and a fair bit of rambling around -- as director's commentaries go, this isn't the worst, but it does tend to be on the boring side. ~ Steven E. McDonald, All Movie Guide