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Angel Heart

Angel Heart

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Rating: 4 stars
Summary: GOOD ALL ROUND EFFORT.
Review: This is one of those few movies which you can watch more than once and it is probably advisable to do so.When seen again it becomes evident how well the various elements have been brought together to accentuate the story.The soundtrack,the use of surreal images and the acting indicate the depth of talent involved in this production.

The choice of songs truly captures the era,but for me it is the background music used during Harry's flashbacks and his symbolic dreams that make the movie as far as the soundtrack is concerned.It creates the impression that there is a malevolent presence over Harry and that the case has initiated images of a past come back to haunt him.

The flashbacks and surreal images make it a beautiful movie to watch and these images play on your mind as if they a making a psychological impact on yourself.These images are well timed and do not fragment the film nor does it come across as pretentious art.

The actor's performances are very strong in this film and there is not one actor I feel I could criticise.Robert de Niro's cameo appearance is brilliant and he portrayed his character as being a man of mysterious origin and is utterly confident in himself.This portrayel of the Devil is preferable to Al Pacino's more animated and comedic Lucifer.Pacino's character seems to be engineered for mass appeal in a blockbuster movie while De Niro's is created for suspense and chill factors.Mickey Rourke is superb and it is a pity that we do not see him in more movies.

Anybody wishing to view this movie should watch it again to analysis the story and only then can this production be truly appreciated.I gave this movie 8/10.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: One of the best supernatural thrillers ever
Review: This picture is intense and well made. So much so that in parts where there are dream/flashback sequences where you don't yet know how all the pieces fit, you never lose the thread of what's going on. You and the private detective (Mickey Rourke) put it together at the same time. A major reason why this film works so well is the Rourke/DeNiro combination. Mickey couldn't be better cast in this role. He fits it perfectly. The slovenly look, Brooklyn accent, good-natured charm, everything is on target. This is not one of DeNiro's most famous roles, but every moment he is on the screen is gold. He is the epitome of civilized menace. He is very polite, soft-spoken, gentlemanly, but underneath it all a very scary individual. Note for example his expression when he eats the egg after having made reference to it as a symbol of the human soul. Another reason this movie works is the script. Written by director Parker, it has some very funny and quotable dialogue.

... --This text refers to the DVD edition

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: A Great Escape
Review: Most of Parker's films are visually interesting. This one is viscerally mesmerizing, as well, partly because he captures the essential undulent, oily sleaziness of the Big Easy so adroitly. I lived in New Orleans for five years and can spot a fraudulent, comercially bent take when I see one (Clint Eastwood comes to mind). Mickey Rourke was one of those hit or miss actors of the 90s (I was one of those who actually liked him in "Barfly"). In this instance he is more than adequate, and he rolls along with the punchy, quirky script like the prize fighter he longed to be. Lisa Bonet, as the Nubian Lolita, is perfectly cast. No need to provide spoilers here, but the ending is one of the all time greatest, where any ambiguity that the filmmaker might have set up for us is exquisitely resolved. Certainly not one of the deepest cinema excursions ever attempted, but one of the most enjoyable, particularly for those who like a little spice and suspense in their gumbo.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Good old Louisiana spooky film noir.....
Review: Angel Heart never quite got the critical acclaim it deserved. Long before Mickey Rourke was reduced to doing Iglesias music videos, he actually had something of an acting career. In this, perhaps his best work, although not his best known, he plays an amnesiac private investigator sent on the trail of a 1940s crooner/singer named Johnny Favorite. While some of the plot twists are pretty evident to modern viewers (some later films have used similar twists to further their own plots), they were quite novel at the time of the film. The eerie film-noire atmosphere gives everything a sinister, seductive feel, and, while you can pretty much ascertain the identity of the PI's patron (Cypher), the identity of the elusive crooner remains a shocker at the end. Also, if you are a jazz fan, the eerie jazz of Trevor Jones provides a suitably melancholic atmosphere to the film. Lisa Bonet, the Cosby show's wild-child, performs admirably as a voodoo priestess who is also the daughter of Favorite, and the eventual lover of the PI. Rourke is great, as he was in those days, reflecting more emotional range than he was allowed in more notable films in which he participated, namely 9 1/2 Weeks and Wild Orchid. De Niro oozes diabolical smugness and a certain sinister quality that you just cannot quite put your finger on (yeah, if you READ the name of the guy, you know what he is...but those seeing the movie didn't have that luxury until the end credits ... MUCH better in this role than Pacino), and this is one of my favorite roles for him. The film works in a little bit of everything darkly occult, from benevolent, poor but soulful black-folks in voodoo cults, to rich and powerful white-folks with their secret devil worship to keep them rich and powerful. Set against the mysterious bayou backdrop of New Orleans, which only serves to enhance the spooky atmosphere, this film is a classic for anyone who is a fan of film noir.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Byzantine
Review: I hated this when I saw it years ago. On second viewing last weekend, I found it much more fascinating then I had realized, even more imaginative than I had recognized. It is not a film to make one enjoy it or to feel "good" or "happy" since the plot is unpleasant, the characters pretty much reprhesible; but the exceptional acting by Rourke and DeNiro...Ah!!!!!!!!! Even Lisa Bonet seemed better in the second viewing. It was worth the two viewings; maybe a third down the road a piece. And the ending...well, evil is punished as it should be, but so are the innocent. How true to life that sometimes is.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: another alan parker classic!!!!!!!!!
Review: the mickey rourke that im used to showed up big time.i am always psyched to see films by mr parker(he is the rational mans david lynch).but when i saw mickeys name,i was kinda iffy.but i should have known he would have excelled in this type of role.and as the movie played out,he was the only one that made sense.this is a magnificent supernatural thriller,truely original,and i found not 1 minute of wasted time.this movie stayed on course.sometimes you get a movie/film with a great premise but implodes 1/2 way through,or has some corny ending that kills the rest of the movie/film.not here.and not with these actors/actresses(miss bonet ALMOST ruined it).heres the plot;harry angel(rourke)is a private eye who is called on to find a missing person.the problem is that the person isnt quite missing.his employer,mr cyphere(de niro)needs to clear up a debt that johnny favorite(missing person)owes.its basically that simple.but while finding clues to johnny's whereabouts,harry becomes more and more embroiled in the world of voodoo and murder.is he being set up?is there even a missing person?each clue seems to drag harry deeper into the abyss.this was one of my 1st DVDs purchased and i would strongly urge everyone to have this in their collection.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: A Strong Supernatural Thriller.
Review: When a down and out Private Investigator (Mickey Rourke) has been hired by a slighty odd sinister man named Louis Cyphre (Two Time Oscar-Winner:Robert De Niro) wants him to find a missing Singer in to order a Settlement on a Vegue Debt.

Written and Directed by Alan Parker (Pink Floyd:The Wall), which this film is not for all tastes and the Squeamish, this is Unique Film, which it`s hard to watch by Some Viewers. Intense Performances by Rourke and De Niro make this One a Winner. Also Especially from Lisa Bonet make This is a Frighting Disturbing film. Based on the Novel by Wiliam Hjortsberg (Legend). Grade:A-.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Film Noir at its be(a)st.
Review: Director Alan Parker said once he wanted to work in every genre of film before he died. He might as well have retired after making "Angel Heart" because the movie exists simultaneously as film noir, a 50s pulp detective story, a horror movie, and a supernatural thriller. Mickey Rourke is outstanding as Harry Angel, a down-on-his-luck (is there any other kind?) private eye in post-WWII New York who gets hired by a sinister and enigmatic "businessman" named Louis Cyphere (Robert DeNiro, looking almost exactly like his favorite director, Martin Scorsese). Cyphere wants Angel to track down a crooner named Johnny Favorite who owes Cyphere....something. Angel goes from New York to New Orleans on his quest for the missing Johnny Favorite, and on the way becomes progressively more unwashed, unshaven, bleary-eyed, sweaty, beaten up, and desperate as his seemingly routine mission uncovers a hidden world or voodoo, murder, and identity theft. Rourke never had a better performance in his Hollywood career than his turn as the fallen Angel, though he was largely stereotyped after this film to play only scumbags or sex freaks, so maybe it wasn't worth it....we all lost a fine actor....anyway the cast is excellent all around, particularly Lisa Bonet, who should have stayed in feature films but like Rourke took more flack for her intensely explicit sweat-and-blood love scene with Rourke than she got praise for her performance as Epiphany, Angel's sex-interest. "Angel Heart" is an absolute must for fans of detective fiction, horror and most especially, film noir -- Parker does a superb job of creating not only the time period, but a brooding, stylish atmospehre. The flick took a major beating from some critics for being too ugly, too dark, too shocking, too sexual and too disturbing, but I think they miss the point. It's suppposed to be, and it is. Highly recommended.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Must be seen twice
Review: This is one of the best movies ever made. The symbolism and hidden meanings are awesome, but it must be seen twice before you understand even half of the things that are going on! Bravo.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Very Hot Erotic Thriller
Review: The performences are very good but not as good as the big bloody sex scene, it will leave you stuned! It starts out with them dancing to music then they start kissing and lay on the bed. Then you see them having sex with him kissing her near her bare breasts. She has her bare feet wraped around his butt and legs. It starts to get more intense when the blood starts coming. They start to move back and forth harder. Her bare feet jump in the air. Then shows other scenes then comes back. It shows reactions on her face as they are havng sex. Their bare feet touch several times. Finally, she screams because it get to intense and he gets off. Very good Erotic which gets 3 stars.


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