Post by 007singh on Mar 7, 2007 13:01:36 GMT
Official Synopsis from Columbia Pictures: "Superstar motorcycle stunt rider Johnny Blaze (Nicolas Cage) strikes a deal with the vile Mephistopheles for the most precious of commodities, his immortal soul. Now Johnny Blaze is forever destined, while in the midst of evil, to ride as the host to a powerful supernatural entity known as the Ghost Rider." Now the only way he can get his soul back is by killing Mephistopheles' own son, Blackheart and the others that follow him.
The film begins with a flashback narrated by an unknown character in the days of the American Old West. A horse rider has made a deal with the villain & the "Devil" himself, Mephistopheles, to become the next Ghost Rider. In the course of his work, Ghost Rider is sent to retrieve a contract Mephistopheles made with a thousand souls in the town of San Venganzas, but Ghost Rider decides that handing the contract over to Mephistopheles was too dangerous, so he 'out-runs the Devil' and hides himself and the contract.
The film picks up in the next century with a young stunt motorcycle rider named Johnny Blaze and his father, Barton Blaze. Johnny discovers his father is dying of lung cancer; soon after Mephistopheles approaches him with a promise to rid his father off his disease, and that, the following morning, wll make him feel "as healthy as a horse," if Johnny signs over his soul. Johnny offhandedly says yes, then inadvertently signs the contract when the devil cuts Johnny's finger and a drop of blood falls on the contract. When he wakes up the next morning, his father's cancer is indeed gone, Barton proudly claiming he feels "as healthy as a horse!" But his father is later killed in a motorcycle accident while performing stunts in front of a live audience. Johnny finds out later than Mephistopheles was the one who killed his father. After his father's death, Johnny is contacted by Mephistopheles again and informs Johnny that he now owns his soul, and Johnny doesn't need the distractions of a family. This forces him to abandon his girlfriend, Roxanne Simpson, with whom he had planned on running away, as her father was sending her to live with her mother as he believed Johnny to be a bad influence on her.
Years later, Johnny grows up to become a well-known motorcycle-riding stunt man with a penchant for surviving seemingly impossible stunts. Johnny meets Roxanne again when she comes to interview him for the television news she works for, and they renew their relationship.
Meanwhile Mephistopheles's "son", Blackheart, has come to Earth, and calls forth three other fallen angels, The Hidden, who have taken on the elements of Earth, Air, and Water as they wait for the "end of days". They are confronted by Mephistopheles. Here Blackheart informs his "father" that there is nothing he can do to harm him or to return his soul back to Hell. Mephistopheles then vows to send Johnny as his new Ghost Rider to kill Blackheart and the fallen angels. Mephistopheles goes to Johnny and explains that Johnny survived all of his bike accidents because the deal they made years ago that caused him to become the newest Ghost Rider prevents him from dying, as he now works for the Devil.
Johnny gets on his bike, and it rides itself to a warehouse. Johnny screams in pain as his skin melts away, and he becomes the Ghost Rider. He encounters Blackheart, and acquires his chain, which he uses to kill the Earth angel. Later, he saves a young girl from a mugger. Ghost Rider uses one of his powers, the Penance Stare, to inflict all the pain and suffering the mugger has caused to innocent souls upon the mugger, leaving his eyes burned out and comatose. The Ghost Rider then rides off to a graveyard and meets up with an eerie but wise Caretaker. The Caretaker knows all of the stories of past Ghost Riders and even the life of Johnny. He explains that a Ghost Rider is the Devil's bounty hunter, and lives to do the Devil's bidding and bring back any escaped souls from Hell. A Ghost Rider keeps a human form during the daytime, but at night, in the presence of evil, he takes the form of the Ghost Rider.
As Roxanne investigates the damage of the city that the Ghost Rider did on his first ride, and the fate of the mugger whom the Ghost Rider had encountered the previous night, Johnny catches up with her to apologize for missing the date they had made the previous day. Before he had a chance to talk to her, he listens to the interview of the girl he had saved, who described the Ghost Riders appearance, much to Roxanne's obvious disbelief. He attempts to apologize to Roxanne, who is less than forgiving, calling him "just a carnie."
Johnny returns home and continues doing research in his books on what has happened to him. He begins to gain some control over his power before Roxanne arrives to apologize for her previous statement. Johnny explains to her that they can't be together because he's become the devil's bounty hunter because he sold his soul. Roxanne doesn't believe him and leaves, thinking that he'd rather make up a story than tell her the truth. While he's watching her leave, he's surrounded by the police, who found his motorcycle tag on the road where much of the damage occurred and believe him to be responsible. They take him into custody and lock him in a cell with several other men, most of whom taunt him and begin to beat him up. However, because he's in the presence of "evil," he turns into the Ghost Rider. The Rider steals one of the thug's jackets ("Nice jacket. VERY nice...,"), personalizes it, and escapes the jail. This time, Blackheart sends another of The Hidden to fight the Rider and he follows him to the top of the building, where he is then surrounded by police, helicopters, and Roxanne. After defeating the wind demon, he rides back down the building where he sees Roxanne. He starts to go to her, who, of course, now believes what he had told her, but the police open fire. He gets back on his bike and rides off, returning to the Caretaker. All the while, Blackheart has been watching and realizes that Johnny can be manipulated through Roxanne.
Blackheart finds Roxanne at Johnny's apartment the next day, and threatens Johnny, saying that if he doesn't get him the contract of San Venganzas, that he'll kill her. Johnny becomes the Ghost Rider and attempts the Penance Stare on Blackheart which does not work, as Blackheart has no soul. Once Blackheart leaves with Roxanne, Johnny goes back to the Caretaker, saying that he needs the contract. The Caretaker breaks open the handle of the shovel that he always keeps with him, and slips out the contract, having been hidden there all along. The Caretaker reveals himself to be Carter Slade, the Ghost Rider in the opening sequence, and says that he'll ride along with Johnny to San Venganzas. They both morph into Ghost Riders, Johnny on his motorcycle and Carter Slade on his fiery horse and ride across the desert. As they both reach the town, Slade says that he'd only had enough power to change that one last time and that he'd tried to make up for all the wrong he'd done. He gives Johnny his gun and rides off, disappearing into nothing. Johnny rides through a swamp, where the final fallen water elemental angel attacks him. Changing into Ghost Rider, he kills the final angel.
When Johnny reaches the town of San Venganzas, he sees Blackheart with Roxanne. Blackheart agrees to let Roxanne go before Johnny gives him the contract. However, Johnny changes into the Rider once Roxanne is released and a fight ensues, interrupted by the rising sun, which forces Johnny to resume his human form. As he's laying there, seemingly defeated, Blackheart opens the contract and calls forth the thousand evil souls, which enter into him. Johnny lures Blackheart into a church which is still dark from night. Blackheart attempts to strangle Johnny and Roxanne shoots the demon with Slade's gun. When it runs out of bullets, she throws it to Johnny, who fires it while in Ghost Rider form, making it more powerful. He returns to Ghost Rider and uses the Penance Stare on Blackheart, because now he has souls. Blackheart screams as he feels the pain that the mugger felt, increased a thousand fold.
After Blackheart is left in a vegetative state, Mephistopheles returns, congratulating Johnny and as a reward, he says that he'll take back the curse so Johnny can finally have a family and love. Johnny refuses, saying that he will use the curse against Mephistopheles. Mephistopheles is angry, but leaves, but not before taking the body of Blackheart. Johnny and Roxanne leave San Venganzas and return to their meeting place at a tree where he'd carved their initials when they were teenagers. Roxanne tells him that he had a second chance and to use it well. We last see Johnny riding off into the distance on his motorcycle.
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