Ghost Rider
October 15th 2007 01:39
Category: Movies
‘He’s riding through your town with his head on fire”.
- Rollins Band, ‘Ghost Rider’, The Crow Soundtrack, Atlantic Recording Corporation 1994.
Director: Mark Steven Johnson.
Producers: Avi Arad, Steven Paul, Michael De Luca & Gary Foster.
Screenplay: Mark Steven Johnson.
Starring: Nicholas Cage (Johnny Blaze/Ghost Rider), Eva Mendes (Roxanne Simpson), Peter Fonda (Mephistopheles), Wes Bentley (Blackheart) & Sam Elliot (The Caretaker).
Produced: 2007 Columbia Pictures Industries & GH One LLC.
Released by: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.
Running Time: 106 minutes. Rating: M.
When someone first mentioned to me that Nicholas Cage was the guy picked to play the Ghost Rider in an upcoming movie and that there was a western element to the feature I had to admit I had my misgivings. Still when it arrived at the local cinema along I went; paid over my cash, took my seat, and when the dust had finally settled I had to admit that I enjoyed it immensely. The important aspect about Ghost Rider is that it is a modern day retelling of the story of Faust; we have amongst the action, the special effects and death defying motorcycle stunts the story of a man who has sold his soul to Mephistopheles, the Devil. But Mark Steven Johnson has blended this classic tale with elements of the super hero, classic western and horror genres into a finely crafted piece of cinematography, he has breathed a life into the story of the Ghost Rider that was needed in order to make it work on the screen. Not only has he done this but he has used the vast corpus of the Ghost Rider material from which to select the various characters and elements to give the story some oomph.
The first opening moments of the film gives the viewer an insight into what is about to unfold and the nature of the Ghost Rider. Here the viewer is introduced to the story of the contract of San Venganza, a town in the Wild West whose entire population have all sold their souls to the devil. Woven into this are the details about the Ghost Rider, the fact that he his the Devil’s bounty hunter, a damned soul who is given the task of collecting the debts for the Devil and making sure nothing gets out from the fiery domain of Hell. If it does it’s the Ghost Rider’s job to send it straight back there. In the story of San Venganza the serving Ghost Rider of the time defies Mephistopheles and taking the contract outraces the devil in order to prevent it from falling into his hands and giving him great power. All of this is introduced via an atmospheric voice over from Sam Elliot and some very atmospheric and moody shots that set the tone of the movie, that it’s not just some guy on a bike with a blazing skull and neat costume, that it is a fusion of several classic movie genres.
From this prologue the action then moves into the first act of the movie, the story of Johnny Blaze and his transformation into the Ghost Rider, the Devil’s bounty hunter. We see the young Johnny Blaze and the fateful night when he encounters Mephistopheles so wonderfully played by Peter Fonda. Rather than being either some stereotypical horned guy in a red suit with a pitchfork or some guy in an Armani suit the Mephistopheles of Ghost Rider looks and acts more like a Wild West showman, the kind of character you’d expect to be running the kind of carnival that Johnny and his father work in. It’s an interesting depiction that works well and with certain visual effects shots added into the mix it emphasises that though this guy is a showman he is like no ordinary showman that you’d encounter in an everyday setting.
But then again Johnny doesn’t hand over his soul for purely selfish reasons either. His old man is dying of cancer and Johnny agrees to the bargain with Mephistopheles in order to cure his father, unfortunately our erstwhile hero forgets to read the fine print and as a result the Devil gets his soul and takes the opportunity to imbue him with the power of his favourite henchman; the Ghost Rider. Naturally all this takes place at a crossroads where all such deals are usually done and in the background we see the storm clouds, hear the thunder and see lightning strike all very atmospheric and moody. From this encounter we then see the young Johnny riding down the storm lit highway on his chopper and effortlessly segueing the movie into its second act.
The second act is where the action begins, where we meet the movie’s antagonist Blackheart and his three elemental henchmen Gressil, Wallow and Abigor; three fallen angels who have hidden themselves in the elements of earth, water and air since the war in heaven. It seems that Blackheart has escaped from Hell and his father and is looking for the contract of San Venganza. Mephistopheles isn’t too happy about the situation so after a confrontation with his errant son tells him that he’ll send forth his trusted minion to deal with Blackheart and his fallen cohorts. From this point onwards we see the transformation of the earnest stuntman into the blazing skull, leather clad hell cycle riding spirit of vengeance and with it the revving up of the action to a whole new level. Nicholas Cage brings sincerity to the role that just gives it that extra bit of panache; he pulls off the earnest, country boy vibe of Johnny Blaze with the devil may care attitude of the Ghost Rider. Eva Mendes is superb as Roxanne Simpson, the love interest within the movie and also the voice of reason. Her character is a perfect foil for Cage’s Johnny Blaze and she reacts to the events that unfold with suitable aplomb.
As I sat in the cinema watching the movie there was one thing that kept nagging at me as the story unfolded and the action reached its climax. I kept having the feeling that the countryside that is shown in Ghost Rider looked somehow familiar to me, but how could that be as the movie is meant to be in Texas, USA and I haven’t been anywhere near the States in my life. The conundrum was later resolved when I found out that the movie was mainly made in Melbourne, Australia and I have been to that particular part of the world.
After watching this movie which brings to life one of my many favourite comic heroes I have to say that Ghost Rider is literally one hell of a ride….
- Rollins Band, ‘Ghost Rider’, The Crow Soundtrack, Atlantic Recording Corporation 1994.
Director: Mark Steven Johnson.
Producers: Avi Arad, Steven Paul, Michael De Luca & Gary Foster.
Screenplay: Mark Steven Johnson.
Starring: Nicholas Cage (Johnny Blaze/Ghost Rider), Eva Mendes (Roxanne Simpson), Peter Fonda (Mephistopheles), Wes Bentley (Blackheart) & Sam Elliot (The Caretaker).
Produced: 2007 Columbia Pictures Industries & GH One LLC.
Released by: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.
Running Time: 106 minutes. Rating: M.
When someone first mentioned to me that Nicholas Cage was the guy picked to play the Ghost Rider in an upcoming movie and that there was a western element to the feature I had to admit I had my misgivings. Still when it arrived at the local cinema along I went; paid over my cash, took my seat, and when the dust had finally settled I had to admit that I enjoyed it immensely. The important aspect about Ghost Rider is that it is a modern day retelling of the story of Faust; we have amongst the action, the special effects and death defying motorcycle stunts the story of a man who has sold his soul to Mephistopheles, the Devil. But Mark Steven Johnson has blended this classic tale with elements of the super hero, classic western and horror genres into a finely crafted piece of cinematography, he has breathed a life into the story of the Ghost Rider that was needed in order to make it work on the screen. Not only has he done this but he has used the vast corpus of the Ghost Rider material from which to select the various characters and elements to give the story some oomph.
The first opening moments of the film gives the viewer an insight into what is about to unfold and the nature of the Ghost Rider. Here the viewer is introduced to the story of the contract of San Venganza, a town in the Wild West whose entire population have all sold their souls to the devil. Woven into this are the details about the Ghost Rider, the fact that he his the Devil’s bounty hunter, a damned soul who is given the task of collecting the debts for the Devil and making sure nothing gets out from the fiery domain of Hell. If it does it’s the Ghost Rider’s job to send it straight back there. In the story of San Venganza the serving Ghost Rider of the time defies Mephistopheles and taking the contract outraces the devil in order to prevent it from falling into his hands and giving him great power. All of this is introduced via an atmospheric voice over from Sam Elliot and some very atmospheric and moody shots that set the tone of the movie, that it’s not just some guy on a bike with a blazing skull and neat costume, that it is a fusion of several classic movie genres.
But then again Johnny doesn’t hand over his soul for purely selfish reasons either. His old man is dying of cancer and Johnny agrees to the bargain with Mephistopheles in order to cure his father, unfortunately our erstwhile hero forgets to read the fine print and as a result the Devil gets his soul and takes the opportunity to imbue him with the power of his favourite henchman; the Ghost Rider. Naturally all this takes place at a crossroads where all such deals are usually done and in the background we see the storm clouds, hear the thunder and see lightning strike all very atmospheric and moody. From this encounter we then see the young Johnny riding down the storm lit highway on his chopper and effortlessly segueing the movie into its second act.
The second act is where the action begins, where we meet the movie’s antagonist Blackheart and his three elemental henchmen Gressil, Wallow and Abigor; three fallen angels who have hidden themselves in the elements of earth, water and air since the war in heaven. It seems that Blackheart has escaped from Hell and his father and is looking for the contract of San Venganza. Mephistopheles isn’t too happy about the situation so after a confrontation with his errant son tells him that he’ll send forth his trusted minion to deal with Blackheart and his fallen cohorts. From this point onwards we see the transformation of the earnest stuntman into the blazing skull, leather clad hell cycle riding spirit of vengeance and with it the revving up of the action to a whole new level. Nicholas Cage brings sincerity to the role that just gives it that extra bit of panache; he pulls off the earnest, country boy vibe of Johnny Blaze with the devil may care attitude of the Ghost Rider. Eva Mendes is superb as Roxanne Simpson, the love interest within the movie and also the voice of reason. Her character is a perfect foil for Cage’s Johnny Blaze and she reacts to the events that unfold with suitable aplomb.
As I sat in the cinema watching the movie there was one thing that kept nagging at me as the story unfolded and the action reached its climax. I kept having the feeling that the countryside that is shown in Ghost Rider looked somehow familiar to me, but how could that be as the movie is meant to be in Texas, USA and I haven’t been anywhere near the States in my life. The conundrum was later resolved when I found out that the movie was mainly made in Melbourne, Australia and I have been to that particular part of the world.
After watching this movie which brings to life one of my many favourite comic heroes I have to say that Ghost Rider is literally one hell of a ride….
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Comment by Dexter