Angel Heart (1987)

Set in Harlem and New Orleans in 1955, this supernatural thriller stirred a brief controversy when released in 1987 because some scenes featuring Lisa Bonet (then a popular cast member of The Cosby Show) were considered too sexually explicit to be rated R. The edited material was restored for the unrated video release, and the movie now makes a fitting double bill with Fallen, with its similar plot about a sullen detective (Mickey Rourke) who is hired to find a missing person by a shady client with pointy fingernails named Louis Cyphre (Lucifer, get it?). Rourke's investigation leads him into an underworld of voodoo and forbidden desires, and as the mystery unfolds director Alan Parker fills every scene with conspicuous style and atmospheric excess, compelling critic Pauline Kael to observe that, "Parker simply doesn't have the gift of making evil seductive, and he edits like a flasher." And yet, this movie does cast a spell of its own (Roger Ebert's review was considerably more charitable), and the performances of Rourke, De Niro, Bonet, and Charlotte Rampling are well suited to the ominous mood. --Jeff Shannon Amazon.com

Great on three accounts

Based on a great novel by William Hjortsberg (Fallen angel).
Great actors.
Great director.
One of the best crime films (with a touch of occultism) I've seen.

July 29, 2008

Angel Heart

Top Stars for a great drama with lots of thrills. Love The Black Magic perspective. Bounty Hunter with an attitude! June 2, 2008

One of the best Beelzebub films ever made

"Angel Heart" will not only leave you feeling terrified; it will leave you sick, afraid, and wanting to take three hot showers to get the grime off your soul. The hallmark of a great film: one that you see as a youngin and that sticks in your mind till you see it 13 or 14 plus years later. And wow, did this one stick.

Mickey Rourke (appropriately) is fantastic as Harold Angel (aka...find out for yourself) who is hired by a very eloquent, ponytailed individual with a knack for seeing through bulls**t. And wow, does he. Robert DeNiro is Satan himself, and he pays Angel very well to discover the whereabouts of a man who is closer to home than one might think. One the way he encounters some really interesting things: gorgeous voodoo mambo priestesses sacrificing chickens, a blues band which plays very well but does odd stuff between songs, doctors who fill Bibles with bullets and shoot dope all day, palm readers who have strange accessories--real strange--and finally the inescapable grip of a hellish, perverse fate. This is subtle, disgusting, creepy, surreal, poetic, and occult all over. Any lover of horror has got to check this out. May 28, 2008

Rourke, De Niro, and Bonet create a Gothic cult classic

Angel Heart is what director Alan Parker envisioned a brilliant mixture of Raymond Chandler film noir mixed with the Gothic and occult. Mickey Rourke in one of his best performances plays Harry Angel. Angel is a private investigator very low on the food chain in Brooklyn. He only gets work based on his last name starting with the letter A. However a mysterious and dangerous businessman named Louis Cyphre (Robert De Niro) finds him and contracts him to track down a crooner from the thirties named Johnny Favorite. All Cyphre will tell Angel is that Favorite owes him big for a deal that was struck before Johnny hit it big. Cyphre wants to collect because he doesn't like " messy accounts." Cyphre isn't sure if Johnny is still "amongst the living" since no one has seen him in over twelve years when one night he got in a car and disappeared. Angel begins his investigation in New York but soon relocates to New Orleans when it is obvious that the people behind Johnny's disappearance are heavily involved in voodoo and the occult. In New Orleans he meets Epiphany (Lisa Bonet) the daughter of a woman rumored to be Johnny's lover who is now dead. Epiphany has her own strange connection to Johnny and to voodoo as well but her and Angel begin a relationship. Cyphre comes to town and pretty soon Angel discovers what Cyphre really wants and who he really is. This film is so atmospheric and has so many unusual shots that it really does get to you. Rourke is fantastic considering his lack of interest in the role as he reveals in the extras. Lisa Bonet in her first film and only nineteen years old is very sexy and actually a good actress. Her sex scene with Rourke is notorious and so good that it not only had to be trimmed to avoid an X rating but got her kicked off the Cosby show as well. De Niro with the exception of the Bonet nude scenes is the most perverse pleasure of the film. With his long nails, neat beard and long hair he is fascinating. It is pretty well known who he represents in the film but I won't give anything away. Two fun facts of trivia instead: Marlon Brando was originally considered for the role and De Niro based his portrayal on director Martin Scorsese. His scenes with Rourke are among the highlights of the film. It all leads up to a surprise ending worthy of David Lynch. On repeated viewings you can pick up on Parker's recurring motifs such as a fan slowly spinning, dogs barking, and Harry looking at himself in the mirror. The extras are interesting in half of them are EPK interviews shot in 87 and the other half is all new. There is a new introduction, interview, and commentary from Parker. There are five featurettes about an hour long dedicated to voodoo and trying to dispel any myths. The best extras are a "no comment"ary with Mickey Rourke and a much more in depth interview with him. Rourke admits that his motivation for taking the movie was to keep his house and therefore he can't give any insight into his performance despite the interviewers disbelief and best efforts. The commentary is very interesting as it is aborted after twelve minutes sine Mickey ain't having none of it. His interview is about twenty minutes and he is more forthcoming about his early roles, his boxing career, and how much of a struggle his comeback has been. Angel Heart has been one of my favorite films ever since this DVD came out and for people who take a chance on it I think they will have the same reaction. April 26, 2008

An Eye For an Eye

An Eye For An Eye

In the 1987 film, Angel Heart, director Alan Parker elaborately relays to his audience the underlying theme that a person, despite his or her best attempt, cannot cheat and prosper in life. Utilizing a vast array of symbolism, cultural ideology, and clever subterfuge, Parker portrays the unsuccessful attempt of his main character, Harold Angel (Mickey Rourke), to 'have his cake and eat it too' by cheating both God and Satan.

In "Angel Heart", the old adage that 'cheaters never prosper' comes to life on the screen in a horrifying manner, as the destruction of both self and others unfolds in a most hell-like fashion. Seemingly, Parker is telling his audience to not be deceived...that nobody, despite his or her best attempt, can cheat and prosper in life.

I thoroughly enjoyed "Angel Heart". I give it a five-star thumbs up. I bought this DVD from Amazon.com for the purpose of writing a college level essay on symbology in films. It turned out to be an excellent choice. I highly recommend the film, but caution parents to use discretion. There is a bit of filthy language, some gore, and a sexual scene that I feel should not be viewed by children under age 18. Use discretion, but enjoy. The symbology is unsurpassed.

--Allan Whitney-- February 23, 2008

More reviews at Amazon.com ...