Film Review: End of Days (18)

After a 2 year hiatus in which Arnie had a heart valve operation and dropped heavy hints that he wanted to be the next American President (and we thought that Ronald Reagan was the nadir), he is back and facing his biggest foe yet. Satan has returned and has to copulate with a specific woman by midnight on December 31st 1999. His only problem is that Jericho Cane (Arnold Schwarzenegger) is protecting the girl and as we know, it'll take more than the prophecies of Old Nick to get rid of Cane.

It must have been a challenge trying to find a new enemy for Arnold. He has single handedly defeated cyborgs, aliens, the Mafia and the private armies of more drug lords and raving terrorists than any other action star. However, he is also a creature of the 80s and as his most memorable roles in the 90s ('True Lies' and 'T2') have proven that the action needs to be tempered with humour and emotion. Thus this film is being touted as a showcase for his latent talents. But unlike Sylvester Stallone who can be effective in the right roles, Arnold simply does not have the ability to play vulnerable.

Ian O'Sullivan