All 34 Arnold Schwarzenegger movies ranked from worst to best

22. End of Days

End of Days was designed as Arnold Schwarzenegger’s return to the movies after a year off. It wasn’t exactly the huge comeback that critics had envisioned (because they did not like the movie) but it did produce some unexpectedly poignant moments that are overlooked far too often.

The star plays Jericho Cane, a former police detective struggling with alcoholism, who must protect a young woman from Satan, who has returned from Hell for one night to conceive the Antichrist. The movie is as haunting as it sounds, with one of its greatest strengths being its intensity. Yes, there are one-liners, but only because Arnold made them one-liners. This is a serious movie, and that was one of the reasons that some audiences didn’t appreciate it.

Nevertheless, it is a larger-than-life movie that pulls off much of those ambitions. It’s not as successful as it wants to be, but it’s appropriately apocalyptic, making you think, making you feel, and making you sit on the edge of your seat. The bond between Cane and the young woman he’s protecting, Christine, very much guides the movie – as does Gabriel Byrne’s captivating performance.

It’s not for everyone, but if it’s for you, you might get a thrill out of this one.