Fridae

The Singapore Health Promotion Board has found the perfect spokesperson for its anti-smoking campaign - and it's none other than Keanu Reeves in the role of the reluctant anti-hero cum walking chimney John Constantine.

In between exorcism rites and fight-fests with renegade demons, the cancer-stricken and hard-drinking Constantine continues to flip his Zippo with panache, fire up the fags and down cough suppressants as we would Ribena.

Born with the ability to see "half-breed" angels and demons, the world-weary Constantine - after a failed suicide attempt when young - now patrols earth and hopes to win God's favour by sending the Devil's soldier demons back to Hell.

In his fight against invading demonic hordes, Constantine is aided by the eye-rolling psychic Father Hennessy (Pruitt Taylor Vince); the weaponeer Beeman (Max Baker) (the movie's version of Q from James Bond); the voodoo master Papa Midnite (Djimon Hounsou) and his cab-driving novice partner Chas Chandler (Shia LaBeouf).

Constantine also whips out cool gadgets which include an industrial strength stove-lighter, a golden knuckle duster, a shriek-when-shaken matchbox, a Bible that materialises out of nowhere when needed (plot hole alert!) and an excessive all-gold cross-shaped gun which looks as if it's been designed by Puff Daddy.

Based on the DC/Vertigo comic book Hellblazer, the storyline revolves around Constantine coming to the aid of police detective Angela Dodson (Rachel Weisz from The Mummy franchise) who seeks his aid in solving the mysterious suicide of her psychic twin Isabel so that she could gave her a Catholic burial.

In the ensuing investigation, Constantine and Angela uncover a diabolical plot involving Mammon (Son of Satan), a powerful psychic (guess who?) and the Spear of Destiny - all of which will lead to hell-on-earth unless stopped.

Directed by Francis Lawrence, Constantine evokes a sense of dejavu (cue: End of Days, Stigmata and other apocalyptic themed movies) but redeems itself by providing plenty of visual eye-candy including Matrix-like special effects and breathtaking vistas of Hell.

Then there's the telegenic cast including the handsome demon Balthazar (Gavin Rossdale) who looks like he's just stepped off a Hugo Boss runway, and the androgynous fallen angel Gabriel (played by the brilliant Tilda Swinton) whose wings have the ability to change colour to match his/her outfit (another plot hole alert!).

The only grouse that gay audiences may have with Constantine lies in its portrayal of demons as homosexual or bisexual: Balthazar snarls in Constantine's face and declares him to be "finger lickin' good" while the white-clad Lucifer (Fargo's Peter Stormare) goes one step further by playing footsie with Constantine's inner thigh and giving him a good tongue wash.

Then again, with Keanu Reeves as the shirt-and-tie walking fetish Constantine - anyone homosexual, bisexual, heterosexual or remotely sexual would be hard-pressed not to feel weak in the knees - especially when confronted with his bubble butt and a gratuitous scene of him tearing off his shirt to expose his defined abs.

Oozing sexuality and inciting sin, it's no wonder that "Hell wants him. Heaven won't take him. Earth needs him."