Angel Heart
Directed by	Alan Parker
Produced by	Elliott Kastner Alan Marshall
Written by	William Hjortsberg novel Falling Angel Alan Parker
Starring	Mickey Rourke Robert De Niro Lisa Bonet Charlotte Rampling
Distributed by	TriStar Pictures
Release date	1987
Running time	113 minutes
Language	English
Budget	$17,000,000 (estimated)
IMDb profile

Angel Heart is a 1987 horror movie written and directed by Alan Parker, starring Mickey Rourke, Lisa Bonet and Robert De Niro. The film is adapted from the novel Falling Angel by William Hjortsberg. The film is generally faithful to the novel, but it has a more somber tone.

An atmospheric film, Angel Heart combines elements of film noir and horror.

Plot overview

Rourke plays Harry Angel, a private investigator in 1950s' New York City. Louis Cyphre (De Niro) hires Angel to locate Johnny Favorite, a popular big band crooner who was severely injured in World War II and hospitalized with profound brain damage. Cyphre discovers that the hospital falsified Favorite's records, and wants Angel to find out what happened, as Favorite owed a debt to Cyphre.

But there's more to the case than initially appears, as the debt in question is Favorite's soul, and Cyphre is not human – his very name, Louis Cyphre, is a play on words, sounding like Lucifer when said out loud. His true objective is strongly depicted by the "egg" scene, in which Cyphre eats, with great zeal, an egg – after remarking that in many cultures it represents the soul.

Angel delves into a world of voodoo and satanism and grows increasingly worried for his own safety and sanity. As Harry Angel discovers more and more the truth behind Favorite's fate, he experiences flashbacks of satanic rituals, a black mass and a string of murders. He meets Epiphany Proudfoot (Bonet), daughter of a voodoo practitioner who knew Favorite. Notable is the film's disturbing twist ending, in which Angel must finally face the fact that he is Johnny Favorite himself, having abducted and, through a satanic ritual, taken the place and identity of the original Harry Angel, a random soldier returning from the war. It is only after he realizes this that Cyphre can claim what is his. During the end credits, there is a lengthy montage of Angel descending in a rackety old elevator, apparently on his way to Hell.

Rourke's effective performance anchors the film. DeNiro offers a memorable performance in an atypical role, as a refined but palpably sinister character reportedly based on Martin Scorsese's mannerisms. Charlotte Rampling and blues singer Brownie McGhee are memorable in their rather small roles.

Response

Angel Heart gained attention and controversy even before its release. Bonet was previously known for her role on the family-oriented The Cosby Show, and her extended, graphic love scene with Rourke required being trimmed of several seconds to secure the film an 'R' rating on initial release.

Rumors blamed the controversy for Bonet's departure from the Cosby Show, though a few years later she starred in another Cosby-produced program, A Different World.

Angel Heart received mixed reviews, and wasn't especially successful financially, just about breaking even. [1]

After being released on home video, however, Angel Heart became something of a cult film, known for its spooky tone, excellent cinematography (by Michael Seresin), a sad and spooky score (by Trevor Jones), and unusual (but effective) blend of genres.

External links

• Angel Heart at The Internet Movie Database

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