Alan Parker's Angel Heart

Angel Heart: TriStar Pictures
Rating: USA: R/ USA: Unrated/

With all the recent hullabaloo over The Sixth Sense and its twist ending, I decided that it was time to take a stroll down memory lane and review an older movie with an equally inspired twist finale—Alan Parker’s 1987 film Angel Heart.

Based on the novel Falling Angel by William Hjortsberg, Angel Heart is an exercise in horror and Chandler-esque hard-boiled noir—one that manages to blend the two disparate forms in such a seamless fashion that you wonder why no one ever attempted it sooner.

Harry Angel (Mickey Rourke: Barfly, 9 ½ Weeks) is a private dick who spends most of his days investigating insurance fraud and cheating spouses—that is, until he receives a phone call from a New York law firm asking him to meet with one of their clients. Said client is Louis Cyphre (Robert De Niro in an extended cameo), a sharply dressed man with some very ominous eyes. Cyphre is looking for a man—a famous crooner named Johnny Favorite. It seems that Favorite owes Cyphre something, and he’s disappeared after a traumatic wartime experience. Cyphre wants Angel to find Favorite—whether he’s dead or alive, and no matter what the cost—and rest assured, by the time the climax does roll around, the cost will be quite high.

Angel takes the case, and becomes caught up in a web of intrigue that pulls him around 1950’s New York and eventually deposits him in New Orleans—with a trail of voodoo, black magic, and murder in his wake.

Like The Sixth Sense, Angel Heart is an engrossing film filled with supernatural overtones—and one that will have you reaching for the remote in order to view it again after the credits fade out so that you can catch all the little things you missed the first time through. However, Angel Heart is a much better made film than its modern day counterpart—largely due to the direction of Alan Parker (Angela’s Ashes, Evita)

Parker’s direction is inspired here, as he manages to pull viewers into the film from the opening shot. He captures the gritty urban blight of New York perfectly then takes us to a sweltering backwoods New Orleans—one where the oppressive heat and political climate radiate right through the screen. Parker makes us feel as though we’re working right alongside Angel, sometimes even a step ahead of the less than brilliant gumshoe, but then he smacks us back into place with a well conceived plot twist or an unexpected event—but never knocks us out of the story. It’s a wonderful balancing act that far too few thrillers succeed in pulling off.

The film has a definite noir look, with Parker using some slightly grainy film stock to capture the mood of the period. Equally impressive is the use of color—much of the film is very drab with lots of beiges and grays, making the red of blood and several ominous red rooms stand out that much more.

Parker also manages to fill the film with a great deal of symbolic imagery (watch for the slowly spinning fans throughout the film, as well as the recurring images of people going down stairs and an elevator) yet unlike most of his brethren, he never hits us over the head with it. The symbolism doesn’t jump out at you in this film—it’s not integral to your understanding of the movie. Parker realizes that symbolism is only symbolism if its something the subconscious picks up on by itself—if he has to tell you these things mean something, then they really don’t mean anything. Truthfully, you can watch the film and enjoy it without ever giving the symbolism a thought—it’s just one more layer in an intricately plotted film.

While Angel Heart is a finely directed film, it also benefits from some great acting. Rourke is completely credible as the sleazy Angel—and like most noir detectives, you never get a feel for what he’s truly like. Is he just some not too bright average Joe, or is he really something much more crafty and cunning? Rourke brings that dichotomy, as well as a great deal of depth, to the role.

Robert De Niro steals every scene he’s in, demonstrating why he’s such a highly regarded actor. Cyphre is an interesting character—a guy who exudes menace no matter what he’s doing (whether merely spinning his cane or in the simple act of peeling the shell off a hard-boiled egg), yet he’s always soft spoken and extremely polite (even admonishing Angel for swearing in church during one scene). It’s a hypnotic performance that adds greatly to the film’s overall mood.

Perhaps the most infamous cast member is ex-Cosby kid Lisa Bonet. Bonet took the role of Epiphany Proudfoot, a young voodoo mambo, while still on The Cosby Show. The fairly graphic sex scene between her and Rourke (which had to be trimmed to get the theatrical release an R rating, but has been restored to its full length on video and DVD) was quite a change of pace for an actress identified with her "good kid" role on Cosby’s show. She does a fine job with the part though, managing to become the embodiment of the sultry, simmering, and perhaps dangerous Louisiana climate.

Aside from the aforementioned sex scene, there’s nothing too graphic in Angel Heart. The murders, while brutal, all take place offscreen—allowing for Angel to discover the killings at a later time. Yes, there is a lot of blood, and a heart on a table, but that’s about as graphic as it gets. Despite the lack of gore, the film has an incredibly menacing and foreboding feel to it—yet another testament to the power of Parker’s direction.

Angel Heart also features a wonderfully haunting classical score—comprised mostly of the same small piece of music repeated throughout the film. Trevor Jones (Dark City) is responsible for the score, and it’s incredibly effective despite its apparent simplicity.

Angel Heart is one of my favorite films—one that I go back and rewatch once every year or so, and one that never ceases to amaze me no matter how many times I see it. Nearly everything in the film works—the performances, the production design, the direction, etc.—and the end result is a richly layered suspense film that really has no peers. If you’ve never seen this film, and you loved The Sixth Sense, then Angel Heart belongs on your "must see" list…you won’t be disappointed.