Word About Biehn

Megiddo is a religious film with attitude. Its goal is to enlighten through entertainment, to deliver Biblical precepts to today's action audiences by using the trappings of Hollywood action flicks. It serves its purpose quite well.

Stone Alexander (Michael York) is Evil personified. As a child, he unsuccessfully attempts to immolate his infant brother; as a young man, he calls upon the forces of darkness to control his future father-in-law and to thwart a romantic rival; as a grown man, he kills his own father. By the time he becomes a world leader, we know that Stone will stop at nothing to further his ambitions. His thirst is for power, and his intention is to rule the world. He has gained control of most of it already. Only the Chinese, Latin, and North American zones continue to hold out against him, and the United States, under the leadership of his brother David (our Michael), is the greatest thorn in Stone's side. When he cannot tempt David to capitulate, Stone acts to destroy him. But even when framed for murder and forced into exile by his brother's machinations, David is buoyed by his own courage and his faith in God. By uniting Stone's adversaries, he sets in motion a final clash of brother against brother, of Good against Evil, on the fields of Megiddo.

Megiddo's story of Good versus Evil has as its villain Satan himself. Its hero, like David of old, is a Christ figure, a chosen one of God. Like "The Nazarene," David Alexander is threatened as an infant, grows to lead others, and ultimately offers himself as a sacrifice for the world's salvation. But despite the magnitude of the lesson it sets out to teach, Megiddo is not heavy-handed about it. Instead, as it was intended to do, it makes its statement of faith primarily through action.

As a production, Megiddo has the class of a major motion picture, with location shooting in Madrid, Nairobi, Rome, Santiago, Tel Aviv, and Los Angeles contributing to its polished look. Special effects are competently done, with the smoky hellhounds, the descent into hell, and, most of all, The Beast being very impressive.

Acting is satisfactory throughout, and Michael York is a standout. Obviously relishing his lines, he delivers them with a verve that fits well the diabolical character he portrays. Also good is Diane Venora. Though I thought her character underused, she gives a sensitive performance as Gabriella.

Megiddo does have weaknesses. Its storyline does not make clear Stone's strategy, leaving the viewer confused about how his master plan is to work. And some scenes are poorly conceived. For example, David's misidentification of his brother is hard to buy. Pacing is sluggish in places and would have benefited from tighter editing. Though sweeping in scope, the battle scenes are too drawn-out, and compressing them would have left more time for plot development.

As for our Michael, he has considerable time on screen, and he looks great. He, too, delivers an excellent performance, his restrained approach contrasting well with his costar's aggressive one. He makes the most of the opportunities he's given to show deep emotions of love, fear, courage, horror, and faith. As David, Michael is warmly human. He is a person we like and care about, who evokes our empathy because his feelings and reactions might well be our own. His concern for Gabriella and his terrible grief over her loss are believably intense. His nervous humor under nerve-wracking circumstances is something we can understand. But of the several strong scenes Michael has in Megiddo, there are two that I especially like: First is David's walk into the church where he receives God's call and without a single word conveys the profound effect of that experience upon him. And second is the Gethsemane-like "Why me?" scene, in which David strikes just the right cord between fervor and fear as he invokes God's help to carry out His will. Megiddo gives Michael a rare starring role and a character of dimension to work with. It is a film Michael's fans definitely should see.

Opening theatrically on September 21, 2001, only ten days after the monstrous acts of terrorism in New York City, Washington, D.C., and Pennsylvania, Megiddo's arrival was a controversial one. However, its appearance was not really out of place, bringing as it does a most welcome assurance that, in the end, Good will triumph.