Angel Eyes (2001)

Angel Eyes is a mature and levelheaded drama about real people with authentic emotions, clawing through their own hurt and confusion toward a hopeful recovery. In a subtly effective performance as Chicago cop Sharon Pogue, Jennifer Lopez is both gutsy and vulnerable, using her badge as a shield against a past incident of domestic violence that left her estranged from her family and alone with her conviction that good deeds are not always rewarded. This leaves her open to the mysterious appeal of Catch (Jim Caviezel), a haunted loner whose slightly creepy demeanor is merely the cautious façade of a man who, ultimately, has as much to offer Sharon as she does to him. They connect--he saves her life, just as she had once saved his--and Angel Eyes proceeds to reveal the true and fateful depth of their love.

It seems, at first, that Gerald Di Pego's script will turn in a supernatural direction--or at least a metaphysical one--but it doesn't, and director Luis Mandoki navigates an emotional minefield while acknowledging the walls that people build between themselves and the traumatic events they wish to forget. Catch has kept a deliberate distance between himself and a tragedy that Sharon had witnessed--not a repressed nightmare, but a devastating loss from which he will, eventually, recover. That these two characters should rediscover each other at a time of mutual need is not a contrived coincidence. In Angel Eyes, it's the karmic redemption of two wise and deserving souls. --Jeff Shannon Amazon.com

LUIS MANDOKI, OPUS 7

***1/2 2001. Directed by Luis Mandoki. Chicago. A female police officer, with family problems, falls in love with a strange man who refuses to accept that his family died in a car crash the year before. This film could have been worse. What I liked about this movie were its atmosphere and Lopez and Caviezel's performances, what I disliked were the scenes involving Jennifer Lopez's family which I found very badly written and not natural at all. Nonetheless, I recommend ANGEL EYES to those of you who are desperately researching an adult film for a rainy week-end. September 6, 2008

IT'S ONLY ME, BUT:

JLO IS A CHICAGO COP WHO IS EMBITTERED BY HER OWN FAMILY LIFE OF SPOUSAL ABUSE. SHE MEATS CATCH, WHO WOULD APPEAR TO BE A TRANSIENT STREET WALKER BUT HE SAVES HER LIFE WHEN SHE IS ALMOST KELLED IN THE LINE OF DUTY. HE HAS THE MOST AMAZING EYE'S THAT DRW YOU RIGHT IN. SHE BECOMES MORE AND MORE ENTRANCES BY CATCH. IN THE END SHE FINDS OUT THE SHE HAS SAVED HIS LIFE. THIS IS A GREAT MOVIE. JM June 1, 2008

Don't Let Go!

After "catching" the last half-hour or so of this film on television a few weeks ago I picked up the DVD -- I love weepy stories with happy endings. Within 30 seconds of the opening titles, I was completely surprised and riveted by Angel Eyes. Characters, story, it all worked for me. I won't even try to find fault, the film felt "personal."

Jennifer Lopez is credible as Sharon Pogue, well-liked, a tough, impatient cop with a relentless sense of right and wrong. She is quick to reject anyone trying to get too close, yet her bravado fades when she is alone at night. Her baggage is her estrangement from family. Of course she would fall for the strange, gentle man who pursues her. (I came upon Ms. Lopez and crew filming a music video near my office a few years ago -- she was great to watch.)

James Caviezel's portrayal of Catch is, for me, the personification of grief. What happened to this guy, this artistic, loving man, would not be easily gotten over. I once lost someone whom I could not afford to lose, and all I could do for that person was grieve completely then decide to go on living. I recognized such grief in watching Caviezel, with his detachment and his shuffling walk. By the way, my theory about his name, "Catch," is that the last thing he heard before impact was his son's voice calling "Daddy, catch!" then playfully throwing a toy that went uncaught.

Sonia Braga stands out as Sharon's mother, the faithful wife of a hard man. Shirley Knight shines as Catch's mother-in-law, who hopes he can "see the love in it" in spite of himself as she reaches out to him. Terrence Howard, as Sharon's partner, brought life to his character with humor and affection. Kari Matchett, as Catch's neighbor Candace, cracked me up with her venomous, one-sided telephone conversation. And wasn't Sharon's boring date here played by nasty old Theron (Dominic West) from this year's 300? I couldn't find the character or his name listed in the credits. The soundtrack, by Marco Beltrami and various artists, is good support, reminiscent in places of minimalist John Adams, other times sounding like a broken toy.

There are special features: Luis Mandoki's droll commentary is very entertaining. In it, he describes Jennifer Lopez's ease in performing the fence-jumping stunt that the stuntwoman wasn't able to pull off. That being the case, I don't see any reason why she couldn't restrain a bad guy.

Interestingly, this movie is not coy or overly manipulative. It is what it is - a love story about two hurt people who decide to risk loving each other, to start from scratch, and choose to live. It is not Sixth Sense. While there are dead people, there are no ghosts. Catch it!
May 25, 2007

"It Doesn't Have To Be Perfect" ~ Learning To Accept Life As It Unfolds

Angel Eyes' released in '01 is a sweet romantic tale of two unhappy loners disconnected from family and loved ones. Police officer Sharon Pogue (Jennifer Lopez) and a mysterious stranger known only as Catch (Jim Caviezel) find in each other the means to overcome the emotional obstacles holding them back from experiencing the wonders of the world around them. As you've already guessed love is soon to follow.

The film is a little on the slow side but Caviezel and Lopez are wonderful together and their charisma alone will keep you watching. November 30, 2006

i would go lower than i one if it were possible

this may easily be one of the dumber movies made in the last hundred years. and there were a lot of them. this definitely ranks up in the 10%-tile. September 22, 2006

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