Angel Heart (1987)

Director:

Alan Parker

Writers:

William Hjortsberg (novel)
Alan Parker (screenplay)

Release Date:

6 March 1987 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

It will scare you to your very soul.

Plot:

Harry Angel has a new case, to find a man called Johnny Favourite. Except things aren't quite that simple...

Plot Keywords:

Disturbing | Heart Ripped Out | Church | Sexual | 1955

Awards:

1 win & 3 nominations

Cast

Mickey Rourke	...	Harry Angel
Robert De Niro	...	Louis Cyphre
Lisa Bonet	...	Epiphany Proudfoot
Charlotte Rampling	...	Margaret Krusemark
Stocker Fontelieu	...	Ethan Krusemark
Brownie McGhee	...	Toots Sweet
Michael Higgins	...	Dr. Albert Fowler
Elizabeth Whitcraft	...	Connie
Eliott Keener	...	Det. Sterne
Charles Gordone	...	Spider Simpson, Bandleader
Dann Florek	...	Herman Winesap
Kathleen Wilhoite	...	Nurse
George Buck	...	Izzy
Judith Drake	...	Izzy's Wife
Gerald Orange	...	Pastor John (as Gerald L. Orange)

Also Known As:

Aux portes de l'enfer (Canada: French title)

Runtime:

113 min

Country:

USA | Canada | UK

Language:

English | French

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) | Dolby

Certification:

Finland:K-18 (1987) | Portugal:M/18 | Canada:18A | Brazil:18 | Finland:K-16 (1992) | Argentina:18 | Australia:MA (cable rating) | Australia:R (original rating) | Chile:18 | France:-12 | Germany:16 (re-rating 2001) | Norway:18 | Singapore:R21 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | USA:R (edited for re-rating) | USA:X (original rating) | West Germany:18 (original rating) | Iceland:16 | Netherlands:16

Filming Locations:

Albany, New York, USA

Company:

Carolco International N.V.

Trivia:

Shirley Stoler was originally cast in the part of "Izzy's Wife", but was replaced by 'Judith Drake (I)' . Stoler's voice can still be heard at the end of the scene, singing the song, "I Cried For You".

Goofs:

Anachronisms: When Harry Angel makes his tape recording, he gives the date as 3 January 1955. Later he quotes from the television program, "The Mickey Mouse Club" (1955) which did not premiere until 3 October 1955.

Quotes:

Harry Angel: What's your name?
Epiphany Proudfoot: Epiphany Proudfoot.
Harry Angel: Your mother left you a very beautiful name, Epiphany.
Epiphany Proudfoot: Not much else.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Guns, Genes & Fighting Machines: The Making of 'Universal Soldier' (2004) (V)

Soundtrack:

Sh-Boom

DVD Transfer Enhances This Sordid-But-Intriguing Movie

This is a very sordid film. I usually don't go for that sort of thing, but there are a lot of other good things about this movie that made me add this to my collection.

There is very good cinematography and camera-work in here, made even better by the special edition DVD transfer. I liked the old film-noir type atmosphere in the story, which is an interesting one overall.

There are no really good-guy characters in this film. Mickey Rourke plays the star of the movie: private eye "Harry Angel." He's somewhat of a low-life but so is everyone else. Lisa Bonet looks spectacular and has a steamy sex scene in here. Robert De Niro gets big billing but he doesn't have that many lines in this film.

The ending of this movie has a very unique twist to it, but it's certainly not a satisfying ending. It is one I should go back over after the next viewing and check for credibility. That's all I can say without using spoilers.

Overall, a sleazy but very intriguing story, with great atmosphere, that I enjoy watching every five years or so. Some would call this movie a modern-day "film noir."