Arnold Schwarzenegger plays Jericho Cane, a cynical bodyguard hired to protect a man possessed by Satan who is searching for his bride. When Jericho realizes what is happening, he must save the woman and the world. That setup sounds like a pitch for a great movie. The execution is not great.
Trailer, via YouTube Movies.
Jericho Cane and Satan
Jericho is a former NYPD detective haunted by the murder of his wife and daughter, killed in retaliation for his testimony against corrupt officers. He considers suicide. Satan arrives on Earth on December 28, 1999, and possesses an investment banker. The next day, Jericho and his friend Bobby Chicago are assigned as private security for the banker. Jericho saves him from an assassination attempt by Father Kovak, who warns of Satan’s return before being subdued.
The problem is that Jericho never feels like a hero. He is cynical, bitter, and reactive. He follows the plot instead of driving it. When Satan finally shows up, the film leans on Schwarzenegger’s physicality rather than any sense that Jericho understands what is at stake. The performance is adequate, but it is not the reason anyone would watch this movie.
Christine York and the Antichrist
Christine York is an orphan raised by disciples of Satan, including her caretaker Mabel. She experiences visions of Satan having sex with her, which she believes are delusions. The film wants us to feel sorry for her, but it never gives her enough screen time to earn that sympathy. She is a pawn in a larger conflict, and the film treats her as one.
Two days later, Satanist violence escalates across the city. Satan visits the hospitalized Thomas Aquinas, fatally crucifying him before Jericho arrives to interrogate him. Carvings on Aquinas’s body lead Jericho to Christine. He and Bobby arrive at her home in time to save her from the Cardinal’s knights. Satan kills Mabel for failing to secure Christine and immolates Bobby, seemingly killing him.
The sequence is tense, but it is also rushed. The film spends so little time establishing Christine that her fate lands as a shrug rather than a tragedy.
Father Kovak and the Final Hours
Father Kovak explains that every thousand years, Satan rises to Earth to impregnate a chosen woman, granting him dominion over Earth. Satan must conceive the child before midnight on December 31. Jericho rejects the claim. The setup is classic apocalyptic fare, but the film never commits to it. Jericho is a skeptic, and the film respects that skepticism too much to build tension around the stakes.
| Character | Role | Strength | Weakness |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jericho Cane | Bodyguard | Physical presence | Flat characterization |
| Satan | Possessed banker | Intimidating | One-note villain |
| Christine York | Chosen woman | Tragic figure | Underdeveloped |
The film was released by Universal Pictures on November 24, 1999. It grossed $212 million worldwide, which made it a commercial success despite largely negative reviews. That success is a mystery. The film has almost nothing going for it.
Where It Falls Short
The film is mostly a mess of action set pieces strung together without a clear through-line. The antagonist is Satan, but the film never makes him feel like a threat beyond being loud. Jericho is supposed to be the audience’s anchor, but he is too cynical to root for and too passive to follow. Christine is the one who should matter most, and the film barely lets her breathe.
This is a film that wanted to be a blockbuster and ended up a hollow one. It is forgettable in the best of ways, and it earns that forgetfulness.
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