Gabriel

... So I gave this 4 out of 5 stars though if I wasn't such a sucker for these types of dark and stylistic pieces, I would have given 3.5 out of 5 stars."You threw me far from Grace. Now I fall unto it." - GabrielI had a hard time rating this film. First off, it seems as if it should be horrible; or at least cheesy and over done. But it's not. It's spectacular. In the tradition of such movies as  Night Watch / Day Watch (Two-Movie Collection) , Immortal , and  The Crow (Miramax/Dimension Collector's Series) , 'Gabriel' makes up for any plot deficiencies with style and grit. In short, I think it deserves the title Cult Classic in every way :)The story is this: the "Arc Angel" Gabriel has been sent down to Purgatory - a dark city styled much like that created for 'The Crow' - to fight against the Fallen (who control the city). He is the last hope of the Light and has more than just Fallen to worry about. He's been sent down in human form, and for the first time in his existence, must battle to understand the new emotions that go along with his existence: fear, hate, anger, sorrow and even love.The premise is your standard Good versus Evil, and the idea that Purgatory is city where "Arcs" and "Fallen" battle for the souls is bit unbelievable. Much of the dialogue is also standard and expected, considering the premise - but for whatever reason, in this case the combination works perfectly.Stylistically 'Gabriel' is a masterpiece. From camera angles and lighting to visual effects and soundtrack, the film is a wonderfully dark abstraction. Andy Whitfield embodies the role of the conflicted archangel Gabriel - his nuanced and soulful performance bringing heartfelt believability to his character; even in moments that would normally be unparalleled in their cheesiness. All of actors, in fact, shine within their roles, though I will admit, I especially liked Harry Pavlidis performance as the Arc Uriel.The creators' theatrical influences definitely shone through as well. One scene at the very beginning reminded me of the moment in Brandon Lee's 'The Crow' where Draven is stumbling down the street when a bunch of children run circles around him - able to 'trick or treat' on Halloween for the first time since the gangs took over. There were other throwback scenes like that one, and I loved that the filmmakers payed homage to their inspirations in such a way - without interrupting the flow at all.A note on the American release: for whatever reason the international (or possibly just the U.S.) release has a different ending than the original Australian version. Not to spoil, but the original edit made things a lot clearer, and I prefer it. The U.S. edit is a step too abstract and implies the wrong thing in my opinion. However, it is purported that 'Gabriel' is the first of of a trilogy - the second and third parts to be released at an unknown date in the future - so maybe the end of the first will be worked out at a some other time. Personally, I hope that's sooner rather than later :)Also, the website ([...]) and Facebook ([...]) pages are a real treat and worth checking out if you interested in connecting with other fans, or just looking at what went into this film, and what is to come in the trilogy.

Growing up as a Catholic, one is taught of the realm known as Purgatory to be something of a neutral holding tank for the departed earth souls awaiting their final destination in either Heaven or Hell. Beyond that, not much of Purgatory has been mentioned in my personal Catholic back round. A Jewish friend of mine has described a similar place (of his teachings) as respite, a place of healing, for souls to recover in, before moving on. So, it was interesting to see the point of balance of this realm shifted to such a dark and heavy force. I found the parallels between this Purgatory and our own earth realm very interesting to wrestle with through out the film. 'Gabriel' presents the dark night of the human soul so very acutely with all of it's repulsive splendor even unto the Angels sent to deliver this place, and the inhabitants thereof, unto the hands of a light and benevolent God of which they represent. This place, "...where even Angels fear to tread" depicts the thick, intense, struggles with the seven deadly sins of the flesh and the forces of light under fire by the fallen angels near complete in their control. To see the Arch's (Archangels) succumb, one by one, to the starless landscape is of some comfort and yet abominable simultaneously. For if the highest and strongest of the Angelic realm struggle so in the dark - then is it no wonder how the human spirit can also become so wretched?'Gabriel' is no "chicken soup for soul", but certainly good food for thought. It was unexpectedly well acted with a cast of unknowns battling light against dark in very effective cinematography noir, portraying gritty action sequences, interspersed with some very poignant insights gleaming from the shadows. You may, or may not, feel delivered by this story, but I felt it certainly delivers. This film was an unlikely, unexpected gem in the rough for me. I purchased the DVD for myself and a few more for gifts.

I thought I'd enjoy this movie actually it seemed like a good idea the reviews seemed good then I saw the trailer and got suspicious. The movie is just so poorly made that it was impossible to enjoy it dragged on and the acting was not that good, some of the parts of the movie I felt like I was watching something out of the eyes of someone who was high. As the movie went on I couldn't help but think about how weird it was that Michael was one who fell to human desires when he was the one who led armies to banish Lucifer for not worshiping mankind which to me came off as him being less likely to end up that way. I'm not religious but I did go to catholic school in kindergarten and was the only one in my class who could read and as religion got less interesting someone told me about how special Archangels were so I took an interest in them. Michael a obedient protector, Gabriel the messenger of god and bringer of good news from other things I've watched that include the Archangel Gabriel he seems to not get involved in things unless he has to which could be a good angle to use. Uriel ends up basically opposite of himself, basically ready to be a bum I still cant decide if the movie was unrealistic to the Archangels it used or if it could of been done with better acting a sharpened version of the plot without it dragging on. I'm going to take a guess that this was a low budget film and the three stars is for the potential it had. I am not a fan of religious movies but I like good stories.

Me gusta esta película!!tiene un presupuesto muy bajo y la verdad es que se nota pero aún así me recuerda un poco a la película el cuervo!!solo la he podido encontrar en DVD una pena porque se ve regular y el audio tampoco es muy bueno pero la recomiendo!!

Film del citado género, realizado con bajo presupuesto, pero con gran acierto a nivel de argumento e interpretativo, por actores desconocidos. La atmosfera oscura y violenta que envuelve a la película está muy lograda para tratarse de un humilde proyecto que brilla por si solo.

When I bought this movie I was pretty sure it would be a good one. I just had a good feeling about it.It was amazing.Way better than I ever could've expected.It relies more on storyline than on graphics, something thatI find lacking in many big screen movies.I've watched this so many times now its not funny!When you're done watching it you'll think 'what the hell?' but in agood way.A must see for anyone looking for a plot driven movie!

I rented this DVD and had a very low expectation of it based on the description on the back cover and the melodramatic picture of the winged and bare chested angel on the front.I was certainly not expecting a good film, let alone an excellent one. It is all the more impressive as it turns out to be have been made on a budget of $200,000 Australian.The plot is that 7 archangels and 7 fallen angels are in competition for the souls in Purgatory. Purgatory is portrayed as a corrupt, seedy modern city, rife with drug abuse and prostitution. 6 archangels prior to Gabriel have failed to restore the light to this place. The fallen angels are in control and Gabriel is the last chance.This sounds very trite, but is surprisingly well done. The acting is consistently very good in the film. The confrontation between Gabriel and the demonic overlord Sammael at the end of the film is a stroke of genius. This DVD gets better with further viewings, as it is only then that you come to understand the impact of the minor details.

Because Andy Whitfield died after shooting the Spartacus series this movie is somewhat of a collector's item. The acting and photography are average, which is as positive as i can get with this movie.