In honor of the actor's 67th birthday, let's revisit what might be the most unexpected role of his career – in 1995's "The Prophecy," where Viggo actually played the ruler of Hell.
But here's the funny thing: even as the Prince of Darkness, he looks almost angelic.
What's this movie about?
Our main character is Thomas Daggett (Elias Koteas). He almost became a priest, but something went wrong, and now he's working as a cop. One day he discovers that angels are real and they've already come down to Earth.Leading them is the archangel Gabriel (played by Christopher Walken). And he's not exactly happy with humanity. Gabriel's jealous of them – God now prefers humans over angels.
His plan? Find the most evil human soul in the world (which unfortunately happens to be trapped inside a little girl's body) and use it to overthrow God and seize power in Heaven.
Yeah, his motives aren't exactly pure. Lucifer, as we all know, was the first angel to rebel against God and got cast down for it.
He finds out about Gabriel's plan and decides to stop him. Why? He straight-up says he doesn't want the competition. Gabriel would just turn Heaven into Hell 2.0, and Lucifer's not having it.
The movie's got a killer ending, which we obviously won't spoil here – better to see it for yourself. It's worth your time.
What Are Viewers Saying?
Let's start with the main draw: Lucifer himself. In this thriller, he's about as far from your typical Devil as you can get - no horns, no snarling menace, none of that archetypal evil we're used to.Instead, we get Viggo with kind eyes and flowing hair. More angel than devil, really. He's not scary - he's almost gentle. He speaks so calmly that you can easily forget who exactly he's playing.
One Reddit user, fedaykin13, put it simply: "Probably my favorite on-screen devil."
Sure, plenty will argue and bring up Peter Stormare's flashy Lucifer from "Constantine." But to me, that one feels a bit derivative - scary again, menacing again. Mortensen's completely different. He doesn't frighten you visually; he unsettles you with his calm coldness.
Viewers on IMDb note in their reviews that religious films often turn out boring, but "The Prophecy" works because it skillfully weaves together religious context with entertaining creative liberties.
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But the real reason this movie hits? The cast. Christopher Walken as the perpetually irritated Gabriel is magnificent.
The film also features Eric Stoltz and Amanda Plummer. Fun detail: since all three (Walken, Stoltz, Plummer) appeared in "Pulp Fiction," some viewers started calling "The Prophecy" its biblical version.IMDb user MissSimonetta on "The Prophecy"His villainous archangel is incredibly powerful and cunning, but he also can't drive a car and can't find good help among the lost souls he recruits as minions.
Critics' Take
The ratings are middle-of-the-road: 46% on Rotten Tomatoes and 6.4 on IMDb. But don't let that stop you - unconventional films rarely please critics. The thriller itself is unique, especially in the oversaturated religious horror genre.Probably the only real knock against "The Prophecy"? The computer graphics. Mediocre even for 1995, but your eyes adjust quickly.
Main advice from those who've already watched: if you like it, stay far away from the sequels (four more parts followed the original). They're, as people write, absolutely not worth your time. And earlier on zoomboola.com, we told you about "Bright Star": the best film about a poet with Ben Whishaw that you missed.
