---
title: "End of Days"
year: 1999
kind: "film"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/end-of-days"
fi1m_id: "end-of-days"
imdb_id: "tt0146675"
tmdb_id: 9946
wikidata_id: "Q849656"
fi1m_score: 48
critics_score: 43
critics_reviews: 9
published: "2026-10-05T01:47:03.457738+00:00"
updated: "2026-10-05T01:47:22.304012+00:00"
region: "BR"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# End of Days (1999)

Directed by Peter Hyams · 2h 02m · Action, Horror, Fantasy

## Identity

End of Days

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/end-of-days
- **Type:** Film
- **Fi1m ID:** end-of-days
- **IMDb ID:** tt0146675
- **TMDB ID:** 9946
- **Wikidata ID:** Q849656
- **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0146675/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/9946, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q849656

**Fi1m score: 48** · Critics 43 from 9 reviews

*In a sentence:* Gabriel Byrne appears to be the only person enjoying the apocalypse

> Gabriel Byrne gives *End of Days* some welcome malice, and Arnold Schwarzenegger takes his punishment gamely. But the religious plotting is muddled, the solemnity wearing, and the action cannot make the trouble worthwhile.

## Synopsis

Jericho Cane (Arnold Schwarzenegger) confronts the Devil, appearing in human form as The Man (Gabriel Byrne), as an apocalypse threatens. Christine York (Robin Tunney) and Bobby Chicago (Kevin Pollak) are caught up in a struggle involving physical violence and religious horror. The other figures include Detective Margie Francis (CCH Pounder) and Thomas Aquinas (Derrick O’Connor). Cane has to resist an opponent whose supernatural nature makes the confrontation more complicated than a contest of strength, with religious questions intruding on the business of staying alive.

## Review

*End of Days* has an appealingly unreasonable proposition: put Arnold Schwarzenegger in a religious horror film and see how much of it can be settled by force. Peter Hyams gives that proposition some weight, but not enough wit or clarity to sustain 122 minutes. There are enjoyable stretches, chiefly when Gabriel Byrne takes charge, yet the film keeps interrupting itself to sound grave. The explanations soon become a drag.

Gabriel Byrne, credited as The Man, is the strongest reason to persist. His Devil enjoys being wicked, with enough menace to prevent the performance from becoming merely comic. We were relieved whenever he took charge of a scene. His leering pleasure in the role gives us something recognisably human to recoil from, and he does not seem embarrassed by the material. A little more of that willingness to enjoy the absurdity would have helped everyone else.

Arnold Schwarzenegger plays Jericho Cane with a vulnerability worth taking seriously, even when the performance itself is less convincing. He is game about looking battered, and the punishment gives the action something beyond the usual assurance that the leading man will manage. We do not, however, come to know him particularly well. His commitment earns some sympathy, but Andrew W. Marlowe’s writing asks the religious plot to supply an emotional weight it has not earned.

Peter Hyams also serves as cinematographer, and the action has more force than the horror has dread. The physical spectacle sometimes excites, then the religious business resumes its solemn trudge. Richard Holland’s production design contributes to the oppressive mood, but the surroundings rarely provide a reason to feel afraid. Too much effort goes into telling us how seriously to take the danger, leaving too little room for the anticipation that might make it frightening.

Editors Jeff Gullo and Steven Kemper cannot give the mixture a reliable rhythm. The bursts of action offer some relief, but the film feels laboured whenever it has to account for its supernatural business. John Debney’s music adds urgency without resolving that stop-start feeling. We need to understand what is at stake without spending so much time being instructed, and the editing cannot solve a problem that begins with the writing.

The action-horror combination ought to allow room for both fear and a certain disreputable pleasure. Here, the violence can be forceful, but solemn delivery is repeatedly asked to make the religious plot convincing. Andrew W. Marlowe’s script needs firmer rules and less fuss about them. The familiar ingredients would be easier to forgive if the film did not seem so determined to make us respect them.

There is enough in Gabriel Byrne’s performance to explain an affection for *End of Days*, and the action occasionally earns its keep. That is not enough to recommend the full 122 minutes. If he is the attraction, be prepared to sit through a good deal that does not involve him.

*Fi1m score 48, published 5 October 2026.*

## What the critics say

The reviews lean towards disappointment, though several critics find End of Days entertaining enough as an action film. Praise clusters around Gabriel Byrne’s lively, menacing Satan, whose presence gives even some detractors something to enjoy. The action earns more qualified approval: individual sequences provide excitement, and the more receptive reviews accept the familiar thrills without finding much to distinguish the film from its predecessors.

The divide is between critics who find the silliness tolerable and those who think the borrowed ideas and muddled religious plotting spoil the entertainment. Schwarzenegger’s performance splits opinion directly: Variety welcomes his vulnerability, while Radio Times finds him unconvincing. The harsher reviews describe a solemn, overblown film whose spectacle cannot make the story persuasive or its characters engaging. The spread is substantial, then, but the favourable end amounts to qualified enjoyment rather than strong enthusiasm; the disagreement is chiefly over how much the action compensates for the weaknesses.

## Straight answers

**Is End of Days worth watching?**

*End of Days* is difficult to recommend unless Gabriel Byrne’s maliciously playful Devil is the main attraction; we score it 48/100. Schwarzenegger takes his punishment gamely and the action occasionally excites, but the muddled religious plotting and wearing solemnity make 122 minutes feel like a considerable commitment.

**How long is End of Days, and what is it rated?**

*End of Days* runs 2h 02m. It is an action and horror film.

**Where can I watch End of Days in Brazil?**

*End of Days* is available to rent from Apple TV from R$7.90. Availability is checked daily; the links above go straight to each service.

**How violent or frightening is End of Days, and is it suitable for children?**

*End of Days* carries a UK 18 certificate and is not suitable for children, with forceful physical violence and religious horror centred on the Devil and an impending apocalypse. We find the action more forceful than the horror is frightening, but that lack of sustained dread does not make it a comfortable choice for squeamish viewers.

### Reviews we read (9)

- **Empire**, Bob McCabe (65/100, inferred): McCabe finds it an entertaining action film, though it invites unflattering comparisons with Terminator 2 and has clunky moments. He singles out Schwarzenegger doing what he does well, and the comic novelty of seeing him take a beating from Miriam Margolyes. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/end-days-review/)
- **RogerEbert.com** (64/100, inferred): The page is blocked, so the critic’s verdict cannot be determined. No specific praise or complaint is visible. [Read](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/end-of-days-1999)
- **Radio Times**, Jason Caro (3/5): Caro finds the film calculated but fairly enjoyable, despite Schwarzenegger’s unconvincing performance. He singles out Gabriel Byrne’s attention-grabbing portrayal of the Devil for praise. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-11opbl/end-of-days/)
- **Total Film**, Total Film (3/5): The review finds the film entertaining but ultimately unexceptional, delivering what viewers would expect without much more. It especially praises Gabriel Byrne’s lively, menacing performance as Satan, noting that the film loses appeal when he gives way to the computer-generated demon. [Read](https://www.gamesradar.com/end-of-days-review/)
- **Variety**, Todd McCarthy (50/100, inferred): McCarthy finds the film an uneven, middling vehicle that mixes exciting moments with excessive religious horror. He praises Schwarzenegger’s vulnerable performance and singles out the subway chase and crash as especially exhilarating. [Read](https://variety.com/1999/film/reviews/end-of-days-1117759799/)
- **The Guardian**, Peter Bradshaw (20/100, inferred): Bradshaw gives the film a sharply mocking, negative verdict. He complains that it borrows wholesale from other films, while singling out Gabriel Byrne’s Satan as fantastically lascivious. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/News_Story/Critic_Review/Guardian_review/0,,112822,00.html)
- **Time Out**, TCh (20/100, inferred): The critic finds the film solemn, silly and overblown. They fault it as a rehash of earlier apocalypse thrillers. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/end-of-days)
- **The New York Times**, Janet Maslin (15/100, inferred): Maslin dismisses the film as incoherent, derivative, and absurd despite Schwarzenegger’s confident performance. She singles out its muddled religious plot and recycled action-movie parts as major flaws. [Read](https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/library/film/112499days-film-review.html)
- **Eye for Film**, Angus Wolfe Murray (25/100, inferred): The critic finds the story implausible and the film unexciting despite its spectacle. He singles out the impressive effects and extreme violence as unable to improve the story or build sympathy. [Read](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/end-of-days-film-review-by-angus-wolfe-murray)

## Details

- **Director:** Peter Hyams
- **Director:** Peter Hyams
- **Writer:** Andrew W. Marlowe
- **Cinematography:** Peter Hyams
- **Editor:** Jeff Gullo, Steven Kemper
- **Music:** John Debney
- **Production design:** Richard Holland
- **Costume design:** Bobbie Mannix
- **Producer:** Bill Borden, Armyan Bernstein
- **Cast:** Arnold Schwarzenegger as Jericho Cane; Gabriel Byrne as The Man; Robin Tunney as Christine York; Kevin Pollak as Bobby Chicago; CCH Pounder as Detective Margie Francis; Derrick O'Connor as Thomas Aquinas; David Weisenberg as OB-GYN; Rainer Judd as Christine's Mother
- **Runtime:** 2h 02m
- **Release (Brazil):** 3 December 1999
- **Genres:** Action, Horror, Fantasy
- **Budget:** $100 million
- **Box office:** $212 million
- **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3qO3R8OlwYs

## Where to watch in Brazil

- Apple TV: rent R$7.90, hd
- Apple TV: buy R$17.90, sd

*Checked 2026-10-05.*

Also available in: AR, AT, BR, CA, CH, CL, CO, DE, ES, GB, IE, IT, MX, PA, US. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country.

## If you liked this

- *The Prophecy* (1995): Religious horror with a sharper appetite for eccentric performances and disreputable fun.
- *Prince of Darkness* (1987): A slower approach to apocalyptic horror, with more patience for mounting unease.
- *Fallen* (1998): A supernatural opponent makes an ordinary investigation steadily harder to account for.
- *The Day of the Beast* (1995): An apocalyptic horror comedy that finds room for fear and unruly human behaviour.
- *The Wailing* (2016): Religious uncertainty becomes frightening in a story that takes time to unsettle.

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/end-of-days