John's Dilemma
John Constantine doesn't understand why is has the gift to see behind the veil of the world. He can see what they call "half-breeds", which are demons or angels that are sent onto Earth to influence, and on terms dealing with exorcisms, and other powers that he has, he has the power to go to hell for instance. John took the life of his own. He went to hell and came back, and he doesn't know why. So when we meet him he's dying from lung cancer after smoking 30 cigarettes a day since he was 15. Because he took his life, he's condemned to hell, and rules. So he's been doing these exorcisms, and been trying to do these good deeds, like "Is that enough"? (referring to God) And as he says, "I'm taking demons out of young girls", but he's trapped and he doesn't know why. John is a heroic character but he is fighting the evil within him and he is trying to rescue what is ever good(Isabel) from Hell. This journey moves John in a counter-clockwise direction. John is hard. His voice is hard, his delivery, heart, and mannerisms are all hard. There's only one thing that can redeem this fallen hero, and that is Angela. She's bringing him this hint of how to redeem himself. And the hint is that he's got to let go of something. His life has been profane, selfish, and to move on into a sacred realm of a mythic hero, he's got to make his life sacred. He ultimately does this by letting go of his selfishness and letting some love in. Keanu Reeves plays John Constantine excellently in the way he talks and acts, a sort of "I don't care about anyone, except myself".
