There is just something so Old Testament about tattooed gun-toting archangels battling it out for the souls of mankind in the soiled city that is purgatory. Minus the guns, of course.

In the Aussie film 'Gabriel', the warrior of the same name (Andy Whitfield) is forced to take on human form in a place where even the most hardened of avenging angels fears to tread — purgatory. In this dark and twisted place, the archangels battle with the fallen angels for the souls of those whose fate has yet to be decided.

If the pervasive squalor is anything to go by, the fallen chaps are clearly winning and at their helm is the cold and twisted Sammael (Dwaine Stevenson). The previous six archangels sent to turn purgatory to the light have all failed — falling prey to the temptations and complexities of human nature.

When Gabriel, the seventh and final winged-warrior, takes on human form, he has to battle not only with Sammael and his henchmen, but also with the inherent sin of being human.

The film inevitably draws comparisons to 'Constantine' — a similarity that isn't helped by Whitfield's sensitive Keanu Reeves-esque features — but to its credit doesn't come across as a cheap Southern Hemisphere knock-off.

Cinematographer Peter Holland's innovative photography gives this low-budget independent film some artistic flair and decent acting elevates it above B-grade-horror stature. Relentlessly dark, the battle between these celestial beings is worth watching if only for the twist at the end.

Extras

The extras include some deleted scenes that aren't really worth watching and a behind-the-scenes feature which covers the process of writing, producing and casting 'Gabriel'.