|
 t
was inevitable that a direct-to-video producer (in
this case, the ubiquitous Stephen J. Cannell)
would get the idea to dupe the big-budget
Hollywood
flick "Constantine"
for the DTV market. And so we have "Demon
Hunter", which despite being devoid of the
glam, glitz, hundreds of millions, and star
wattage, is actually better by at least two
football fields. Sean Patrick Flanery ("The
Boondock Saints") steps into the Keanu
Reeves shoes as a demon hunter with a moral
crisis, whose salvation comes in the form of a
pretty young thing in heels, in this case Colleen
Porch ("Starship
Troopers 2") standing in for Rachel
Weisz.
"Demon Hunter"
stars young Indiana Jones as Jacob Greyman, a
freelance killer working for the Church,
specifically Cardinal White (William Bassett).
Jacob escorts priests to situations like
exorcisms, and when the situation gets out of
control, he deals with it by, well, killing the
situation. Not a very happy camper, we learn Jacob
is a half-breed -- part demon, part human, a
condition that makes him ripe for hatred by the
demons and the Church. When creepy as hell Demon
of Lust Asmodeous (played by the always creepy as
hell Billy Drago) surfaces to do some bad things
and have lots of sex with skanky women, Jacob gets
the feeling this might be his last job for God. To
assist Jacob, White sends chaste nun Sara Ryan
(Porch). But what's an innocent nun gonna do when
the demons attack? Probably run would be my guess.
Watching "Demon
Hunter", I'm actually reminded of a spiffy
little TV series called "Special Unit 2"
that ran for a year and change on the now defunct
UPN network a few years back. In the series, two
former
Chicago
cops work for a secret unit called Special Unit 2
that goes around dispatching of supernatural
creatures such as werewolves and vampires. It was
revealed that every major city has its own Special
Unit 2, a concept that mirrors "Demon
Hunter", which reveals that the higher
branches of the city's police force know about the
demon problems. Unfortunately this angle is never
fully explored beyond a singular 5-second
conversation between Jacob and Sara after a
violent confrontation with a beat cop. The whole
thing intrigues me to no end, but alas, writer
Mitch Gould does not share in my enthusiasm.
Breezing by at a brisk
78-minute clip plus opening and end credits, the
bulk of "Demon Hunter's" action is saved
up for the final 25 minutes or so, including a
sequence where Jacob and Sara invade Billy Drago's
Decrepit Hotel of Love. Much of the film is
dependent on Sean Patrick Flanery selling his bad
news character, and he does so without breaking a
sweat. Not a surprise, as Flanery has always been
an excellent actor. In fact, if you were to plug
Flanery in the Reeves role in "
Constantine
", that movie would have been infinitely
better. Imagine actually believing
Constantine
when he worries about his impending retirement to
hell instead of snickering at Keanu Reeves'
inability to enunciate his lines. Oh, what could
have been…
The action in "Demon Hunter" is quite good,
and director Scott Ziehl does a fantastic job with
the few resources he had on hand. There are a
number of camera tricks used that I still can't
decipher, including an exciting exchange of flying
fists between Jacob and Asmodeous during the
Decrepit Hotel of Love duel. The decision to make
"Demon Hunter's" action rely almost
exclusively on the inherent brute strength of the
characters' origins rather than fancy magic is a
major plus. Although there are some super jumping
going on, for the most part the action is very
good -- even pretty cool. You wish there were
more, but then again, that would entail a longer
running time and a bigger budget.
As
you might expect, and being the opinionated fellow
that I am, there are a couple of things I would
have changed about the film. First of all, the
title -- "Demon Hunter" screams
low-budget. Secondly, the voiceover narration by
Jacob in the beginning and at the end is
unnecessary. Lastly, ditch the flying succubus
(Tania Deighton). "Demon Hunter" should
stay a (literally) grounded movie about demons and
angels in human form with super strength and leave
it at that. Injecting flying succubus (one with
really bad horn prosthetics to boot) into the
whole thing just makes it cheesy. In fact, take
out all the special effects completely would have
been my choice.
Aside from those nitpicks,
"Demon Hunter" is immensely enjoyable,
and even has an uncompromising ending that's
rather surprising, even ballsy for such a
commercial venture. The short running time is
bothersome, as it usually is when a movie is this
good that I want it to continue, or at least have
more of it to enjoy. Without a doubt, "Demon
Hunter" is an acquired taste, and fans of the
genre will get the most kick out of it, while
those who wallow in mainstream
Hollywood
formula won't quite know what to make of it. The
ending begs for a sequel, or perhaps even a TV
series. Either way, I'd love to see the continued
adventures of demon killer Jacob Greyman. |
