CITY OF ANGELS (1998) A film review by Liz Rizzo Copyright 1998 by Liz Rizzo
Rating: ** out of ****
Starring Meg Ryan, Nicolas Cage, Andre Braugher and Dennis Franz Written by Dana Stevens and Wim Wenders Directed by Brad Silberling Produced by Atlas Entertainment and distributed by Warner Bros. [US]
`She didn't believe in angels until she fell in love with one.'
I really wanted to like this film. And for the first few scenes, I was there, ready to be swept away. Unfortunately, `City of Angels' doesn't quite come together and really gets weak toward the end.
First we meet Seth, who we know is an angel because it's Nicolas Cage and we saw the previews. He seems to be trying a little too hard to appear angelic. Then we meet other angels who seem quite vampiric as the movie progresses (I have to admit I loved this). There are shades of Anne Rice novels all over this film - unfortunately the mythology created is incomplete, at times weak and left me wanting more. However, what was presented was interesting and, for the most part, effective. Now for the obvious comparison: Cage's Seth is the complete antithesis of Travolta's Michael, and after the first few scenes his performance becomes so flat (and this is purposeful) that I found myself wondering who could have played this role better. I almost wished they had gone with Denzel Washington! Almost.
Next, we meet heart surgeon Maggie Rice (coincidence on the Rice?), and Meg Ryan is excellent, as usual, as is Dennis Franz when he emerges as one of her patients, Nathan Messinger. For those who missed the famous NYPD Blue shower scene, `City of Angels' provides you yet another chance to view Dennis Franz's famous back side. Somebody just loves this man's butt! The character of Nathan is fun, and Franz appears to enjoy playing him. Andre Braugher gives a good performance as Seth's friend in the angel world. Sadly, this only makes Cage's performance appear flatter.
To the film's credit, we do care about Maggie, we believe and enjoy the development of her relationship with Seth, and we are fascinated by the angels and the world which is created. But towards the end, which is so often the case, the film falls apart. For all the careful pacing and build up, the last third goes too quickly, we lose our belief in the story line, and we simply are not allowed to feel long enough. Just as `The Lost World' did not capture the wonder of `Jurassic Park,' `City of Angels' simply does not attain the emotional, mystical power of say, `Ghost' (another obvious comparison).
And most annoyingly, and I hope I'm not giving anything away here, someone's probably patting themselves on the back for (skip to the next paragraph if you're afraid I'll ruin it for you) not going with the Hollywood ending, when this is exactly the film that should have gone there. The end of this film is actually trite, although there is a flash (albeit brief) of brilliance in the final development of Seth's character. Thankfully, and it's actually a relief, Cage is allowed to act during the final scenes, and he does it well.
Another kudo: `City of Angels' stays away from excessive use of special effects, which would have seemed tired. But in the final analysis, I was left feeling like this was a film based on a book that must be better (another Jurassic Park/Lost World reference would fit here). I wish it existed so I could read it. There's a lot of interesting stuff here. What I am going to do is rent `Wings of Desire,' the 1987 German film that `City of Angels' is a remake of. And if that doesn't satisfy me, maybe I'll just reread the Anne Rice vampire series.
Liz Rizzo lizriz@sprynet.com
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