Synopsis

John Constantine, a chain-smoking exorcist who can see the supernatural world hidden within Los Angeles, helps police detective Angela Dodson investigate her twin sister's mysterious death. Their search uncovers a demonic conspiracy involving a forbidden artifact, a power struggle between Heaven and Hell, and a prophecy that could allow evil to enter the human world.

Factoids & Trivia

• The film is loosely based on DC Comics' Hellblazer series, particularly story elements associated with the "Dangerous Habits" storyline. The movie relocates John Constantine from England to Los Angeles and reimagines several aspects of his comic-book identity.

• The filmmakers based the appearance of Hell on footage of nuclear explosions. The visual concept focused on the blast wave destroying the landscape, producing the film's constantly crumbling, desolate underworld.

• The freeway sequence was filmed on a large constructed set surrounded by green screen rather than on an actual supernatural highway.

• The Spear of Destiny prop was also used in Hellboy, released the year before Constantine.

• The Holy Shotgun became a personal keepsake for Keanu Reeves, who reportedly gave the prop to the film's director.

• Michelle Monaghan originally had a larger role as Ellie. Much of that material was removed from the finished film but remained available among the DVD's deleted scenes.

• The film was initially intended to receive a PG-13 rating, but its religious imagery and themes ultimately contributed to an R rating.

• Domino Harvey, the real-life model and bounty hunter who inspired the film Domino, appears briefly in the bar sequence.

• Constantine was released in the United States on February 18, 2005. Although its initial reception was mixed, it later developed a cult following.