Angel Heart (1987)

	Directed by: Alan Parker	COUNTRY USA GENRE Mystery/Thriller NORWEGIAN TITLE Angel Heart RUNNING TIME 113 minutes
	Produced by: Alan Marshall Elliott Kastner
	Written by (based on the novel Falling Angel by William Hjortsberg): Alan Parker

Cast includes:
CHARACTER	ACTOR/ACTRESS	RATING
Harry Angel	Mickey Rourke
Louis Cyphre	Robert De Niro	½
Epiphany Proudfoot	Lisa Bonet	½
Margaret Krusemark	Charlotte Rampling
Ethan Krusemark	Stocker Fontelieu
Toots Sweet	Brownie McGhee
Dr. Fowler	Michael Higgins
Deimos	Pruitt Taylor Vince

Review

Helmed by the ever-ambitious and forceful Alan Parker, Angel Heart is a fairly successful cross between the classic hard-boiled detective genre and a voodoo-inspired mystery. The characterizations are good (especially Mickey Rourke's character), and the plot untangles intriguingly, even though you cannot help feeling somewhat manipulated by Parker's trickery as he unleashes an abundance of images intended to shock until you're ready to digest any thinkable ending. The fast-paced cutting is more annoying than effective.

As a mystery, Angel Heart holds up technically, and Parker demonstrates some flair along the way, but the film never ceases to feel a tad contrived. The problem has more to do with the execution than the story, because for all Parker's meticulous sets, the film's heart (if you like) is stuck in the 1980s and not in the 1950s. This is best exemplified through Lisa Bonet, who isn't close to bringing the necessary period-feel to her role. Luckily, she is aptly sensuous, making her sex scene with Rourke surprisingly steamy. Then there's Robert De Niro, whose performance, while stylish, is ultimately too peripheral. Angel Heart is fascinating, but far from Alan Parker's most convincing work. He would stay in the American South and make a better picture there the following year.