The film packed with stunning images jaw-dropping scenes and superb performances from ... more
Robert De Niro and Mickey Rourke is a fusion of two genres - the classic Chandleresque detective story and the supernatural. Harry Angel is hired for 5 a day to track down the big band swinger Johnny Favourite. What seems like a straight-forward missing person case dramatically becomes a murder hunt for this down-and-out private detective. His client Louis Cypher a mysterious stranger is forced to up his fee to keep Angel on the case. Each of Angel's leads ends up as a victim of a ritualistic act of murder as he begins to put together the pieces in the jigsaw of Johnny's strange story... the nightmare has just begun.
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New York, 1955, Private Detective Harry Angel has a new case on his hands. Washed up ... more
crooner Johnny Favourite has gone missing. Anybody that might be holding clues is being killed. Informants and witnesses are being murdered one by one. The bodies are piling up, time is running out and Harry Angel is being kept awake by satanic visions. From the mean streets of New York to the backwoods of New Orleans, Harry suddenly finds himself being dragged into a world of sex, murder, voodoo and death. This is no ordinary case and Harry is no ordinary detective.
In Alan Parker's ANGEL HEART, based on the novel FALLING ANGEL by William Hjortsberg, a ... more
New York City gumshoe is hired to find an aging blues singer. Harry Angel (Mickey Rourke) follows clues from the ominous ghettos of Harlem to the witchy backwoods of Louisiana, where he takes up with Epiphany Proudfoot (Lisa Bonet), the beautiful young daughter of a voodoo priestess, whom he believes will be able to shed light on the growing mystery surrounding the missing musician. As Angel closes in on the truth of the case, his contacts start turning up dead. He begins to suspect he might be next. Parker (MISSISSIPPI BURNING) threads a commentary on the limitations of modern Western society into his sensual, suspenseful thriller. As the story unfolds, Angel relies less and less on his failing, overwhelmed rational mind (and handgun) and more on Epiphany's ancient mojo. Rourke captures the unraveling protagonist perfectly, and Bonet adds an erotic and mysterious edge with her performance. Robert De Niro is both funny and malevolent as Angel's mysterious client, Louis Cyphre. Shimmering with a beguiling mist of the macabre, ANGEL HEART provides an unexpectedly haunting dose of gothic noir.
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Advantages: dark brooding masterpiece Disadvantages: a bit too dark and violent for some tastes.
give away is AngelHearts equivilant of "he was dead all along", sorry to those who havent seen sixth sense.
AngelHeart is set in the 50s in the deep south of the United States and the bleak and down beat backgrounds give the film a distinctive look, that matches the plot line. The poverty of the towns and back waters that Harry Angel finds himself in and the strange characters he encounters all add to a menace and dispair which give the film its flavour. There is a sense of frustration about the film as it gives very little away until it has to, and you can empathise with Angel as he seems to be kept from knowing whats going on until the full realisation of the events comes crashing down on him. The films editing keeps you on your seats as it flits around quickly and jumps between flash backs and current events, and often its difficult ...
Advantages: Grim atmosphere adds to the plot Disadvantages: Stays with you for ages
If I decided to watch a film because of its title, I would
give AngelHeart a miss and I did, so I didn't even bother to
read anything about it.
Many years later whilst in the middle of a media course at our
local college, most of the group of students opted to watch
AngelHeart out of a list of a dozen or so movies. I groaned
and eagerly anticipated the drive home. Now I know what I
missed the first time around.
AngelHeart is a dark tale of mystery, suspense, voodoo,
murder and a trail so convoluted even an Indian tracker would
have difficulty following.
It is quite scary but not in the "grab you by the throat and
terrify the wits out of you" kind but more in the head where
it nags away at you, although there is mayhem and gore.
Mickey Rouke plays the part of Harry Angel a private eye who
is hired by ...
Advantages: Well thought out thriller Disadvantages: May be confusing for a certain age demagraphic to understand.
with the odd exception few people under this age will either understand fully the concept of the film, or have the attention span to appreciate it for its true worth. AngelHeart is by far one of the darkest movies to ever come out of Hollywood, but without a doubt one of the best movies of this particular genre.
Special Features
An introduction by Alan Parker allows the viewer to move into the correct mindset required for the movie; it's a very brief and not particularly inspiring addition to the DVD but it gives the viewer the opportunity to detach themselves from everyday things.
There are several making of documentaries, these address the concept of the movie, the choice of cast, on set pieces showing how certain effects were achieved and how the crew managed to make an area now becoming very modern look like 1950's Harlem.
Photo ...
OPTIMUM HOME ENTERTAINMENT; ELEVATION SALES; TECHNICOLOR DISTRIBUTION SERVICES
Languages
Main Language
English
Technical information
Aspect Ratio
16:9 Anamorphic Wide Screen
Sound
Dolby Digital
DVD Description
In Alan Parker's ANGEL HEART, based on the novel FALLING ANGEL by William Hjortsberg, a New York City gumshoe is hired to find an aging blues singer. Harry Angel (Mickey Rourke) follows clues from the ominous ghettos of Harlem to the witchy backwoods of Louisiana, where he takes up with Epiphany Proudfoot (Lisa Bonet), the beautiful young daughter of a voodoo priestess, whom he believes will be able to shed light on the growing mystery surrounding the missing musician. As Angel closes in on the truth of the case, his contacts start turning up dead. He begins to suspect he might be next. Parker (MISSISSIPPI BURNING) threads a commentary on the limitations of modern Western society into his sensual, suspenseful thriller. As the story unfolds, Angel relies less and less on his failing, overwhelmed rational mind (and handgun) and more on Epiphany's ancient mojo. Rourke captures the unraveling protagonist perfectly, and Bonet adds an erotic and mysterious edge with her performance. Robert De Niro is both funny and malevolent as Angel's mysterious client, Louis Cyphre. Shimmering with a beguiling mist of the macabre, ANGEL HEART provides an unexpectedly haunting dose of gothic noir.
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