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End of days
END
OF DAYS D-DAY IS HERE!
“And when the thousand years has ended, Satan shall be loosed from
his prison” - says the last chapter in the Bible (Revelations, 20:7).
End Of Days, starring Arnold Schwarzennegar, depicts the chaos that will
prevail on earth if the prophecy comes true...
Buena Vista International and Beacon Pictures
End Of Days is a chilling horrific thriller, which brings alive the doomsday
destruction with the help of mind-blowing special effects. The film capitalises
on the hype that preceded the millennium - that the world would be destroyed
in the millennium, i.e year 2000.
The story begins in New York City, in 1979, in a Manhattan hospital, when
a beautiful baby girl is born. That same day, in a lofty cathedral in
the Vatican City, a young pontiff informs the Pope of the birth of the
baby girl, which has been feared for centuries. With her birth, the scripture
has come true: the child, named Christine, bears the birth-mark of the
anti-Christ, and has been chosen for an unholy union. Following an unorthodox
baptism in the hospital’s morgue, she is returned to her mother,
little realising that the countdown to the the doom has begun.
Fast-forward to December 28, 1999, in New York City, where the world waits
for the century to end, which will be the beginning of the end. Jericho
Cane (Arnold Schwarzennegger), an ex-cop, wakes up to another day, not
knowing that he will will soon be facing a tough time. His job as a security
specialist has become a tireless routine of seedy, surveillance jobs,
and after the death of his wife and child, life has become a drab.
After a confrontation with a crazy man, warning him of an impending doom,
Cane rescues a young woman from attackers who have invaded her home, a
woman by the name of Christine York (Robin Tunney). But he soon finds
himself getting drawn into a cat-and mosue game, as he realises that she
is the key to a supernatural force of terror, born of prophecy long ago.
Christine, who has grown into a beautiful woman, has spent her entire
life on medication, trying to numb the pain from the disturbing visions
which haunt her, since she is the unwitting object of desire of what deceptively
appears to be just a man (Gabriel Byrne), but is actually the embodiment
of evil. He doesn’t belong to earth, and possess powers beyond human
comprehension. His goal is the destruction of humanity. As the world stands
on the brink of the new millennium, it is upto Cane to protect Christine,
and all mankind, from witnessing end of days.
End Of Days presented producers Armyan Bernstein and Bill Borden, and
director Peter Hyams with an opportunity to instill a genuine fear of
the unknown into the masses. The story touches on the much disputed topic
which engrossed the world - the end of the millennium. Doom-sayers predicting
Y2K breakdowns, planetary alignments, and destruction of the earth by
earthquakes and meteor showers, set the stage for the film. According
to producer Bernstein, the film will entertain the audiences while exploring
the age-old religious themes like heaven and hell.
Andrew W. Marlowe wrote the film with Arnold Schwarzenneger in mind, who
was impressed by the “fantastic” script. According to Marlowe,
the characters Schwarzenneger had played earlier had been matched with
many great villains, but he hadn’t been pitted against the greatest
villain in the history of mankind, Satan, which is what is unique about
the film. Agrees Schwarzenneger, “The idea that I would be fighting
something much bigger than anything I had ever fought in my whole life
on the screen appealed to me.”
Also, it was a role different from any he had previously tackled. “It
has depth, action and fear, an arc that I had been waiting to explore,”
says the actor. As writer Marlowe points out, “We’ve always
seen Arnold as the larger-than-life action hero, and I wanted to take
that down to a more human level, show him a bit down and out.”
Producer Borden says that Schwarzenneger’s portrayal of Jericho,
a man who must confront the hatred and vengeance in his heart, and face
the ultimate test of faith, is captivating. “He not only delivers
his unique brand of action, but a very deep emotional journey,” says
the producer.
Gabriel Byrne (The Usual Suspects, Stigmata) plays the dark angel, who
has surfaced from the depths of hell, and taken the form of a businessman
to consummate a new force of evil. 
“This film represents the apocalypse. Evil is back, even though it
really has not gone away - all it needed was the right set of circumstances
to awaken it,” explains Byrne.
Cinematographer-director Hyams was the ideal choice for the film, since
he had directed thrillers before, namely 2010, Running Scared, The Presidio
and Narrow Margin. According to producer Bernstein, Hyams unique approach
and vision bring the eerie tones of writer Marlowe’s words to life.
What was important for the film was to make it look realistic. The situations
that lead to the battle between good and evil, had to scare the audiences.
A section of downtown Los Angeles doubled up for a shadowy, dirty New
York City, with some help from technology of course. Some action sequences
were shot during the actual 1999 New Year’s Eve celebration in Times
Square, since that bash couldn’t be duplicated.
Another highlight in the film is Satan’s underground chamber, the
Dark Temple, where his subjects gather, which was created with inspiration
from the Chernobyl photos. As Hyams says, efforts had to be taken to make
the film credible, dramatic and stimulating, tying all of the visual elements
together.
Salma Khatib