Review of The Prophecy (1995) by Marilee A — 02 Nov 2011

The two sides of an angelic civil war hunt for the soul of a war criminal who may tip the balance of power in a backwater town in Arizona. The Prophecy slipped under the radar at the time because it was a straight to DVD release, but don't let that put you off.

Rather than big budget effects and star names, the strengths of this film are in its excellent cast, strong concept and some smart dialogue making for an entertaining off beat thriller. Very much in the vein of the X-Files, The Prophecy combines a police investigation with religious mythology and the supernatural and features some nice Tarantino-esque humour.

Christopher Walken's trademark charisma and eccentricities make him perfect for the part of a malevolent angel and Viggo Mortensen makes a memorable Lucifer. This of course means the bad guys are much more interesting than the heroes and the narrative doesn't flow as well as it might; the ending is actually something of an anti-climax.

But the good far outweighs the bad in a film that has influenced everything from Dogma to TV show Supernatural. Well worth a look if you're a fan.