Constantine

Question: Even though Isabel committed suicide, shouldn't she have gone to heaven? She willfully sacrificed herself to insure that Mammon couldn't cross on to earth so in a way, she was saving billions of people, so that should have guaranteed her entry into heaven.

Answer: Sin for a good reason is still sin, and as Gabriel says earlier, you can't buy your way into Heaven. Real Catholic dogma, however, doesn't hold the mentally ill as condemned for committing suicide.

Greg Dwyer

Except Isabel wasn't mentally ill. She saw angels and demons just like Constantine did. It was her parents who believed she was mentally ill.

While suicide is a mortal sin, it's shown later (as in major plot point) that sacrificing yourself to save the world is a redeeming act.

Yes, but Constantine also said "My parents were normal. They did what most parents would do. They made it worse. You think you're crazy long enough, you find a way out" which could relate to Isabel losing her sanity in a way as well because of her family and how they saw her. The whole Isabel's sacrifice is added by the novelization but the movie is ambiguous about the suicide.

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Except Isabel wasn't mentally ill. She saw half breeds just like John did.

Sacrificing yourself for others isn't a sin.

Answer: If a soldier jumps on a grenade and dies to save his fellow soldiers, it's considered giving one's life for others. To my understanding, that isn't considered a "sin." If it was a mental health issue, a just God would give her a pass. If she was doing it to thwart Mammon's plans, again she was sacrificing herself. If she did it to get Constantine involved to help stop Mammon, again is was self sacrifice. (Notice how she says "Constantine" just before jumping when her sister views the video?). As a plot device, I understand it, but from a theological standpoint it is weak.

Answer: It is shown in the movie that it was Balthazar who whispered into her ear, gave her suggestions. Eventually she committed suicide to escape that, to escape her torment. She certainly didn't sacrifice herself to keep Mammon out because Mammon needed twin psychics, one in hell and one on Earth to do it, which Balthazar achieved for him.

lionhead

The film doesn't give information about the need of having one twin in hell and the other on earth to complete Mammon's plan; the movie states Mammon needs a powerful psychic and God's help. It isn't shown either that Balthazar was the one whispering to Isabel's ear considering she was apparently hearing Hellspeak, but no individual besides her appeared on the death scene; therefore, it was left ambiguous. Otherwise, provide evidence of the statement above.

When John and Angela are walking back to the elevator after taking care of Balthasar they specifically mention Mammon needed twin psychics. The only reason would be for their connection. One is in hell, the other on Earth. Through their connection Mammon is able to posses Angela. As for the second thing. When Isabel commits suicide you both hear Balthasar whisper to her and she has the mark on her wrist, like Hennessy had on his hand palm, the sign of Mammon. They wanted her in Hell.

lionhead

The dialogue, when they are walking towards the elevator, is "Constantine: Beeman said Mammon needed divine assistance to cross over. How's the blood of God's only son? Ángela: The stains on the spear. Constantine: Yeah. Ángela: So he gets the spear. He still has to locate a powerful psychic. Constantine: Not really. Ángela: Twins." Angela says "twins" after hearing Constantine say "Not really." (while looking at her) which made Angela realise that she was Isabel's replacement as a powerful psychic since they had the same gift, but the former's was dormant up until that moment. It's not because the plan needed one in hell and the other on earth. That's never stated as far as we know from the information provided by the film. As for Balthazar, it's never stated it was him who whispered to Isabel. That's an assumption based on hearing the voice alone. Also, the mark appeared on the guy's hand at beginning of the film after he found the spear and Balthazar was probably not there.

It's not an assumption when it's his voice. It doesn't all have to be "stated." And the whole twin part is just a coincidence? Are you saying Gabriel and Balthasar found twin psychics so they have a backup if one of them dies? That's ridiculous. They needed twin psychics specifically, and they make one of them commit suicide. That's not just a random thing, it's what needed to be done. And it's Mammon's sign, not Balthasar's.

lionhead

It's an assumption because there is insufficient evidence to prove it, and there were other voices in the film to assume it was specifically Balthazar's given that Angela heard a similar voice calling her name when she was in hell and Mammon appeared, which could indicate that maybe it was Mammon who whispered to Isabel too but still not clear though. It's more speculation. Yes, not everything has to be stated since some things are implicitly given although it also depends because it can become ambiguous if it lack details which is open to interpretation, but the movie dismisses any possibility of your theory of "one in hell and the other on earth" by stating what the "villain" needed and with that the argument doesn't work. Otherwise, it would be a plot hole for creating an inconsistency with the rules established before. Angela just realised she was the powerful psychic since they had the same gift, so Mammon didn't have to locate another one since it was there in the other twin.

There is no inconsistency with the rules, there is help from god, there is a psychic. All that fits, the Hell Bible just wasn't specific enough, they didn't know the full plan. There is something significant about them being twins. Both because Isabel was killed and Angela and Constantine realise that's what Mammon was looking for.

Now, all that is just speculation, and misinterpretation of what has been explained in the reply above yours. Not continuing the discussion.

Answer: The film itself can't be blamed for that really because it was left ambiguous; the novelization added the part of Isabel's sacrifice to the story. If we go by what the film gave us then Isabel might have been an unstable person considering even Angela didn't back her up about what they could see which could've led her to believe that maybe she was indeed crazy, and as Constantine said "You think you're crazy long enough, you find a way out." Perhaps she just wanted to end everything that was happening to her. There isn't enough information in the movie to confirm or deny it.

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Chosen answer: According to the legend of "The Spear", it is indestructible.

Nick Bylsma

Question: I never fully understood why Constantine disliked 'half-breeds' so much, he called them "hypocritical bullshit." Can someone enlighten me?

Answer: He calls it hypocritical bullshit because half breeds exist in both half-demon and half-angel form, they "whisper thoughts" to us that are both positive and negative suggesting that we will do both positive and negative things, confusing us humans. They call it a balance because there are an equal amount of both good and bad half breeds. However he thinks this is unjust, because they should let us make decisions on our own.

Question: Who is the actor with the scarred face Constantine sees when he first enters Papa Midnight's bar?

Answer: There are numerous uncredited actors in "Constantine," filling numerous generic roles such as "nightclub patron" or "demon," et cetera. The big scar-faced guy who passes John Constantine at the doorway in the club seems to be one of these uncredited, generic characters. There is no special mention of the character's name or his significance to the story, and no listed actor in the cast resembles him. However, having re-watched this scene many times, I'm starting to think the scar-faced man was an uncredited cameo by athletic 1970s actor John Beck (who would've been about 62 when "Constantine" was made). The facial proportions and mustache are right for Beck, his profile looks like a match, and Beck is slightly taller than Keanu Reeves, as depicted in the film.

Charles Austin Miller

Answer: I was thinking it was Jonah Hex...a DC character with the scarred face and all that. Maybe an Easter egg?

The original post specifically inquires about the actor rather than the character in the scene. The actor appears to be John Beck, an athletic actor who gained some stardom in the 1970s and 1980s. Beck was still active in film during the early-to-mid 2000s, when "Constantine" was produced, although he is uncredited in this movie (as many "Constantine" actors were uncredited).

Charles Austin Miller

Question: When Gabriel is lying on Constantine she has lots of tags on her wrists, does anyone know what these say and what they mean?

Answer: The armbands are human emotion. When she grabs his throat, you can see the words "sorrow" and "passion".

Chosen answer: Constantine feared its power in the wrong hands. He considers himself the wrong hands. The power of the spear combined with his own powers would be very dangerous indeed, so he can't know where the spear is.

lionhead

Question: Who or what is Papa Midnite? He is obviously powerful and is neutral, so not an angel or a demon - so who is he?

Answer: In the comics, Midnite is a powerful human mage, born in the eighteenth century, who has been cursed with immortality. Without information to the contrary in the film, it can be assumed that the same applies to his cinematic incarnation.

Tailkinker

Answer: In the movie, they call him a shaman and a witch doctor. So he would still be a human mage.

Answer: A generic spell that's supposed to keep spirits/demons from crossing the threshold, similar to the script on the glass walls in Thirteen Ghosts.

Question: This will sound stupid but I got really confused towards the end. If Gabriel was an angel, why was she helping the son of the Devil? And why did Lucifer send the son back to hell, then cure Constantine - I thought he wanted Constantine to go to hell?

Answer: Gabriel had become a turncoat because she was sick of seeing unworthy humans receive preferential treatment from God. Lucifer sent the son back to hell as a warning not to try and usurp Daddy's position. He then cured Constantine because he could see the Gates of Heaven opening to receive him after the selfless act Constantine performed there at the end. Lucifer assumed that if he removed Constantine's cancer and let him stick around on Earth longer, Constantine would continue to make poor decisions and ruin whatever chances he'd earned toward getting into Heaven. And as such, eventually, Lucifer would get his revenge on him.

Rooster of Doom

Question: After passing the Bouncer, when Constantine first enters Papa's Lounge, what type of entity is inside the "sack", apparently being picked apart and eaten alive?

Answer: A pig, you can hear it squealing better in the deleted scenes without the background music of the club.

Question: When Constantine asks to use the chair to go surfing, why does it need to face East?

Answer: That's probably got to do with the spinning of the earth, to face the side where the sun rises so you are basically sitting forwards, the same direction the earth is spinning in, possibly making it easier to "surf" (like with a wave). Either that or it's associated with facing Mecca like in Islamic religion.

lionhead

Question: After Gabriel becomes human and John punched her in the face and walked off, why does Gabriel just climb back into the pool?

Answer: Well, far be it from us to second-guess the motives of angels; however, considering that Lucifer had just burned Gabriel's wings down to stumps a few moments earlier (and the angel was now feeling intense mortal pain), Gabriel retreated into the water to soothe the burns.

Charles Austin Miller

Lucifer didn't take her wings. God did. He cast her out for trying to bring the son to earth.

No, God removed Gabriel's powers, leaving Gabriel unprotected, and it was Lucifer who burned away Gabriel's wings.

Charles Austin Miller

That's right. Lucifer said "looks like someone doesn't have your back anymore". God took Gabriel's wings.

Question: I had always thought Balthazar was the son of the Devil, is this not the case?

Answer: Balthazar was one of the kings, or magi as it is called, that visited Christ when he was born and gave him a gift. He is (obviously) not the son of the Devil/Hades/Satan or however you'd want to call him.

Question: When they enter Midnight's bar, the bouncer shows them a card. What is that about? What is the objective there?

Answer: They only allow people in the club that have psychic abilities. The entrant has to correctly identify the character on the card to be allowed in.

Phaneron

Answer: Because he committed suicide as a teenager. He didn't just attempt, he was dead for several minutes. Suicide is a cardinal sin in Catholicism. He also doesn't have true faith, just knowledge.

LorgSkyegon

Answer: Constantine committed suicide when he was younger (although he was revived by paramedics). Suicide is considered a mortal sin.

Bishop73

Answer: He was damned to Hell because he once attempted suicide, which is a mortal sin that bars anyone from entering Heaven.

raywest

Question: In the movie the ritual to bring Mammon into the world requires the spear of destiny and a powerful psychic. The psychic chosen is Angela who can only be used after a ritual that she and Constantine preform. This can only happen if the two meet so Gabriel chooses Angela's sister for Mammon to posses and kill, to get Angela involved in the occult world. My question is why didn't Gabriel and Mammon just use Angela's sister?

Arram

Answer: According to the plot on Wikipedia, Isabel killed herself to prevent Mammon from using her, so she was chosen first. Angela and Constantine meet because Isabel brought them together to stop Mammon, should he find another psychic. But with Angela reawakening her powers, she is chosen. It's not a quite clear plot as it is mentioned Mammon needed not just a psychic, but twin psychics.

lionhead

Question: When Angela is looking up information on Constantine, it shows a picture of him being arrested. What did Constantine do to get arrested?

Answer: Constantine constantly does things that are out of line or break the law. It could be as simple as somebody calling the cops on him for doing an exorcism. Take your pick really.

lionhead

Question: Are we to assume Gabriel lives on as a human on Earth after Father takes his wings? Can there be another reason Gabriel submerged into the water after his wings are burned off? Suicide maybe?

Answer: Gabriel would never commit suicide. That is a mortal sin and would put him in Hell. Yes, he lives his life as a mortal from now on, and like Constantine did, he has to prove himself to God again to be brought back into His good graces. Or wind up in Hell otherwise.

lionhead

Question: At the beginning of the movie, when Constantine removes the demon from the girl, why does the guy's hair turn white for looking?

Answer: It's the effect of the demon on him. Somehow the ritual Constantine is performing causes anyone who is a witness to be cursed.

lionhead

Factual error: When Angela is watching the security video on her laptop of her sister committing suicide, you can see she's playing it using Quicktime. She rewinds a couple of seconds by clicking on the first button of the video player. Actually, when you click this button, it takes you to the beginning of the video. The second button would have rewound it a short time. (00:25:20)

More mistakes in Constantine

John Constantine: When I was a kid, I could see things. Things humans aren't supposed to see. Things you shouldn't have to see. My parents were normal. They did what most people would do. They made it worse. You think you're crazy long enough, you find a way out.
Angela Dodson: You tried to kill yourself.
John Constantine: I didn't "try" anything.

More quotes from Constantine

Trivia: Stay after the credits. There's an additional scene where John goes to visit Chas' grave and leaves a lighter, then as he's walking away you see Chas with wings and he flies up into the sky. (01:54:40)

More trivia for Constantine

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