I wanted to start the second week of my marathon out right. To that end I went with a personal favorite movie of mine, The Prophecy. I have a tendency towards biblical fiction, and horror based on angels is right up my alley. The story makes sense in a kind of meandering way and the angels, both in human guise and in their natural form, offer some alienness that adds to the unsettling portions of the movie.
Most people would say that the best part of the movie is Christopher Walken as the mad angel Gabrielle and his portrayal of the character as a sarcastic, slick, almost fun villain. Generally, these people wouldn’t be wrong, as for most of the movie, Christopher Walken makes the film.
I believe the hidden gem in The Prophecy is not in the villain, but The Villain. Vigo Mortenson portrays Lucifer in the lots of talking and severe way that you would expect someone as arrogant and powerful as the Devil to be. The really stirring performance is when you see his mask slip, and the desperation and fear that have festered for millennia get to rear their ugly heads.
Like I said, this movie is one of my favorites so I may be biased, but…
My rating is 4.5 out 5 stars.
