If you’re looking to watch End of Days film starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, you aren't just looking for a movie. You’re looking for a time capsule. It’s 1999. The world is terrified that computers are going to stop working at midnight. People are genuinely hoarding canned beans. Into this chaotic, pre-millennium tension, Peter Hyams drops a movie where the Terminator fights Satan in a New York City subway station. It is loud. It is gritty. Honestly, it’s one of the most interesting failures of 90s action cinema.
Schwarzenegger plays Jericho Cane. It’s a name that only exists in movies where someone is going to get punched through a wall. He's a depressed, alcoholic ex-cop—because of course he is—who stumbles into a conspiracy involving the Catholic Church and a guy who looks exactly like Gabriel Byrne. This isn't your typical Arnold flick where he cracks jokes while holding a Gatling gun. Well, he still has the gun, but he’s significantly more miserable.
The Weird History Behind This Movie
Before you go out and find a way to watch End of Days film, you have to understand the context. Hollywood was obsessed with the apocalypse in the late 90s. We had Armageddon, Deep Impact, and Stigmata. This film was Universal Pictures’ big bet on the Y2K craze. It had a massive budget, somewhere around $100 million, which was astronomical for 1999.
The production was a bit of a mess. Marcus Nispel, who later did the Texas Chainsaw Massacre remake, was originally supposed to direct it. He reportedly had a breakdown or just couldn't handle the scale, so Peter Hyams stepped in. Hyams is a cinematographer's director. He likes shadows. He likes smoke. He likes making everything look like it was filmed in a basement during a power outage. This gives the movie a very specific, oppressive vibe that sets it apart from the glossy action movies of the same era.
Why Gabriel Byrne is the Real Star
Most people come to this movie for Arnold. They stay for Gabriel Byrne. He plays "The Man," who is basically the Devil inhabiting the body of a Wall Street banker. Byrne is having the time of his life. He’s creepy, suave, and weirdly funny. There’s a scene in a restaurant that is genuinely unsettling, not because of special effects, but because Byrne plays the character with such casual malice.
🔗 Read more: Shamea Morton and the Real Housewives of Atlanta: What Really Happened to Her Peach
Contrast that with Arnold. This was his big "comeback" after heart surgery. He looks a bit older, a bit more worn down. He’s trying to do "serious acting" here. Some critics at the time hated it. They wanted the Commando version of Arnold. But looking back on it now, there's something vulnerable about his performance that actually works. He's a man who has lost his faith in a world that is literally ending.
Things that make this movie stand out:
- The pyrotechnics are all real. This was before every explosion was a CGI fireball. When a building blows up in this movie, you can see the debris hitting the street.
- The soundtrack is a bizarre mix of orchestral dread and late-90s industrial rock. It features Korn and Limp Bizkit. It is the most 1999 thing you will ever hear.
- The theological lore is absolute nonsense, but the movie commits to it 100%. It treats "The Eye of God" and "The Prince of Darkness" with the same seriousness as a documentary.
Is It Actually Scary?
Not really. It’s more of a supernatural thriller. There are some "jump scares" and some gross-out moments involving possessions, but it’s mostly about the atmosphere. If you want to watch End of Days film for genuine horror, you might be disappointed. If you want to watch it for a gritty, dark urban fantasy where a man shoots at the personification of evil with a submachine gun, you’re in the right place.
The film's vision of New York is fascinating. It’s not the sanitized, tourist-friendly NYC we see today. It’s the dark, rain-slicked, dangerous version of the city that existed in the 70s and 80s cinema. Hyams uses a lot of wide-angle lenses and practical lighting to make the city feel like a character itself.
The Logic Gaps You Have to Ignore
Let's be real: the plot is full of holes. The prophecy involves a girl named Christine York (played by Robin Tunney) who was born when a comet passed by. She is destined to bear the Devil's child between 11 PM and midnight on New Year's Eve. Why that specific hour? The movie doesn't really explain. Why does the Devil need to possess a banker instead of just doing Devil things? Also not explained.
💡 You might also like: Who is Really in the Enola Holmes 2 Cast? A Look at the Faces Behind the Mystery
But that's part of the charm. 90s action movies weren't obsessed with "world-building" the way modern franchises are. They just gave you a premise and ran with it. You just have to accept that there's a secret society of priests who live in the sewers and that Arnold can survive being hit by a subway train. If you can't do that, you're going to have a bad time.
Why critics were so hard on it
When it was released in November 1999, the reviews were brutal. Roger Ebert gave it two stars. He felt it was a "hodgepodge" of better movies like The Exorcist and Seven. And he wasn't wrong. It borrows heavily from the "grim-dark" aesthetic that was popular at the time. However, time has been kind to it. Compared to the sterile, over-edited action movies of the 2020s, the tactile nature of End of Days feels refreshing.
Where to Stream and How to Watch
If you want to watch End of Days film today, it’s usually floating around the major streaming platforms. It frequently pops up on Max (formerly HBO Max) or Amazon Prime. Because it’s a catalog title for Universal, it’s also very cheap to rent on Vudu or Apple TV.
If you are a physical media nerd, the Blu-ray is worth grabbing. The cinematography by Peter Hyams is very dark, and low-bitrate streaming often turns the shadows into a blocky, pixelated mess. The physical disc handles the "crushed blacks" and deep shadows much better, allowing you to actually see what’s happening during the final showdown in the church.
📖 Related: Priyanka Chopra Latest Movies: Why Her 2026 Slate Is Riskier Than You Think
Actionable Insights for Your Movie Night
If you're planning to sit down and finally watch End of Days film, here is how to get the most out of it. Don't go in expecting a philosophical treatise on good and evil.
- Check the audio settings. This movie was designed for big surround sound systems. The sound design of the "Satanic" voices and the explosions is top-tier for the era. Crank it up.
- Watch for the cameos. There are several character actors like Kevin Pollak and CCH Pounder who put in way more effort than the script probably deserved. Pollak, especially, provides the only real levity in the film.
- Appreciate the practical effects. In the era of Marvel movies where everything is green screen, seeing Arnold actually hanging off the side of a building or running through a real fire is a reminder of how dangerous movie-making used to look.
- Don't overthink the ending. It's a bit of a "deus ex machina" situation. Just roll with it. The final image of the movie is surprisingly poignant for an Arnold Schwarzenegger flick.
Ultimately, this film is a testament to a specific moment in pop culture history. It captures the anxiety of the turn of the century, the peak of Arnold's career transition, and the last gasp of high-budget, R-rated practical action cinema. It’s flawed, it’s messy, and it’s occasionally ridiculous. But it’s never boring.
Final Practical Step
Go check your favorite streaming service's search bar. If it isn't available for free, check your local library's DVD collection or a used media store. This is one of those movies that is much better enjoyed on a rainy Tuesday night with a bowl of popcorn and zero expectations. Once you've seen it, compare it to Arnold's other "dark" role in Maggie (2015) to see how much his acting style changed over two decades.