Angel Heart (1987) Rating (out of five): ****1/2 Starring Mickey Rourke, Robert DeNiro, Lisa Bonet, Charlotte Rampling, Michael Higgins, Stocker Fontelieu, Brownie McGhee and Dann Florek Directed by Alan Parker Written by Parker (based on a novel by William Hjortsberg) Rated R for graphic violence, profanity and sex Theatrical aspect ratio of 1.85:1 Released in 1987 Running 112 minutes
Not many movies capture a mood the way Angel Heart does. Right from its opening moments, the film begins to show off its incredible use of lighting and visual structure, giving us a shot of a common New York alleyway. It's quite an effective scene; watching it, you can't help but feel slightly claustrophobic as the camera pans over the narrow alley, only to reveal that it harbors a deadly secret. Technically, the scene is flawless.
But not only is that opening shot a marvel of cinematography and lighting, but it also sets up the mood for what is to follow. Throughout the movie, we think we're right there in the middle of things, maybe even a step or two ahead of its hero. Then every so often, the story surprises us and reveals that it has something up its sleeve, and at times that something can be far more complicated than we at first perceive it to be.
That said hero is a private investigator named Harry Angel (Mickey Rourke), a classic dick in the vein of the greats like Philip Marlowe and Jake Gittes. He smokes, he womanizes, and above all, he doesn't seem to give a damn about anybody. As the narrative opens circa 1950s, he is called upon by a mysterious foreigner by the name of Louis Cyphre (Robert DeNiro, in an extended cameo) to track down a missing band singer called Johnny Favorite. It appears that Favorite once enlisted the aid of Cyphre, but has since disappeared and left his debt unpaid. Angel's job then sounds simple enough; merely find out if Favorite is alive or dead, and report his findings to the elusive Cyphre. But through the course of the film, it becomes clear that not everything is exactly what it seems, as Angel is pulled into the dark world of New Orleans and all that inhabits.
Angel Heart follows in the tradition of some of my favorite movies from the past, films like Chinatown and Sleuth, puzzle-box movies that at first seem to be about one thing but then reveal themselves to be about something else altogether. And indeed, Angel Heart borrows heavily from its predecessors, not just visually but also thematically. Strangely, though, it never comes across as a rip-off in any way, nor does it seem to be a gimmicky homage.
Bruce Willis' latest summer vehicle The Sixth Sense has recently took America by storm, shocking unsuspecting audiences with its "jolting" conclusion. Much like that film, some of the central themes in Angel Heart are only made clear after the credits have begun rolling. And, yes, this movie also features a finale that is designed to surprise the audience. The only difference is, this time the trick worked. While The Sixth Sense and its ending are more likely to leave you scratching your head, the ending of Angel Heart makes perfect sense even under intense scrutiny. And also like the Bruce Willis film, I knew the twist here before seeing the movie. Now, I've gotten some pretty nasty e-mails attacking my review of The Sixth Sense, most of them informing me that the sole reason I disliked the film so much was because I had prior knowledge of the last twist. I guess, if nothing else, Angel Heart at least proves that a movie can be extremely effective and enjoyable even if the viewer is robbed of the surprise ending.
As good as the final trick is, the real star of the show here is Mickey Rourke. In the '80s, he kind of existed as that decade's equivalent of Marlon Brando. Constantly on the cutting edge, he went for the more risque roles that other actors wouldn't dream of touching in fear of being forever thought of as soft-core porn stars. But, sadly, the allusion to Brando turned out to be all too accurate; much like the Godfather of film, he has now drifted into obscurity. Every once in a while, he does land a film job, but ends up being fired because he can't remember his lines (to be fair, in the last movie he was working on, he was kicked off the set after demanding that his small dog be featured in one of the shoot-out scenes).
But Angel Heart features Rourke in the prime of his acting days, and indeed is one of his more steamy efforts. In fact, upon release, the movie was slapped with the "X" rating due to one of its more controversial moments, a truly unsettling and disturbing sex scene between Rourke and Lisa Bonet (formally of "The Cosby Show"). Explaining exactly how the sequence is so upsetting would be hard without giving away key plot points, but if you are easily shaken you might want to fast-forward through it, even if it is one of the most potent points. Eventually, 10 seconds were cut from the interlude, but they are restored for most home video versions.
If you've the stomach to take it, Angel Heart serves as a very nice (albeit unpleasant) alternative to trekking off to the local cineplex and wasting your money on seeing The Sixth Sense for the third time.
Copyright 1999 Jason Wallis
*Find all of Jason's reviews at http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Boulevard/7475
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