Angel Heart (1987)

Wow it totally looks like the cover of the soundtrack huh? Sadly it is...

Genre: Mystery Noir Thriller (USA, Canada, UK)

Starring: Robert De Niro (Goodfellas; Godsend), Mickey Rourke (Sin City; Barfly)

Directed By: Alan Parker (Midnight Express; Angela's Ashes)

Overview: A private detective is hired by a strange man to find a missing Crooner named Johnny Favorite. He quickly finds himself in over his head.

Acting: You know, I love De Niro, and hey lookit that, Mickey Rourke is in this too. Both those actors are great. Was it the setting or the costumes (those nails maybe?) that made me like this less than I had hoped? Maybe the director, who also did Pink Floyd The Wall and Mississippi Burning? I don't know. Something about it just didn't click. Let's just say 'fine'.
Rating: 7

Cinematography: The fight scenes were really realistic. There was a lot of wild flailing attacks quickly followed by running away. That added a nice realism. There were also the occasional gory moments too which is always nice, but somehow I found nothing spectacular about any of the scenes that would make me think this was particularly innovative. I found it merely adequate in its entertainment value.
Rating: 7

Script: The writing was decent, while still not having any of the grainy edge one can find in Bogart Film Noir or Mickey Rourke's insanely great role in Sin City. Mickey and De Niro did fine with what they had, but when it came down to delivering the lines, they didn't have any Oomph.
Rating: 7

Plot: The story is pretty cool, however. It's my kind of tale, and though it builds too slowly (the Thriller's great fault), the conclusion is pretty great. I'll bump it up a notch, though you know, it's a touch predictable.
Rating: 8

Mood: Not Film Noir enough for me, too much jazz for my liking (though it works) and the whole Louis slant was just a touch lame. Maybe this movie was just too dated overall, but I found everything that was 'mood-setting' to be on the tacky side. Nothing better than passably fine.
Rating: 7

You know what I hate? When writers ruin films by coming up with witty play on word names, like Louis Cypher. How STUPID do you think I am?!

Overall Rating: 72% (Angel's A Little Soulless)

Aftertaste: This has been on my 'get around to seeing' list for about oh, eight years now. These things happen I guess. Now that I'm on a major movie kick this holiday season, I piled it in with the other 10 or so titles. Deep down I knew it wouldn't be anything great. Is this a must see? No. Is this good for people who are into voodoo and that sort of thing? Sure, you'll like it fine, but you'd do better with a penchant for Film Noir with a jazzy kick.