Angel III: The Final Chapter (1988) User Reviews

This one didn't Kapture me.

[BA_Harrison · 4/10 · 26 September 2011]

Lt. Andrews will be spinning in his grave: after rescuing Molly Stewart from a world of vice (in the original Angel) and financially supporting her through law school (in Avenging Angel, the second movie in the series), she decides to go to New York and become a blinking freelance photographer instead. Now there's gratitude for you!

But being a snapper doesn't prevent Molly (now played by Mitzi Kapture) from crossing paths with dangerous criminals: after realising that the L.A. art dealer in one of her photos is actually her estranged mother, who she hasn't seen since she was abandoned by her at the age of twelve, Molly returns to California in search of answers, only to find out that her mum is involved in a cocaine smuggling racket and her sister, of whose existence she was previously completely unaware, is in danger of being sold into white slavery. When her mother is killed in a car bomb, Molly once again adopts her Angel persona, entering the world of adult films to try and rescue the only family she has left from a lifetime of forced sex with sweaty foreigners.

Considering all of the trashy possibilities open to an exploitation film-maker by such sleazy subjects as prostitution, white slavery, drug dealing and the porn industry, Angel III is a very disappointing film. Sure, there's plenty of T&A on display (the first pair of bare knockers appears on screen within seconds, and the nudity continues throughout), but the pacing is dull, the direction uninspired, the story pedestrian and the less said about the acting the better. Plus, it's kinda ironic that of the three actresses to play Molly, the one with the name that sounds most like a genuine porn-star or hooker is actually the least sexy (yes, Mitzi Kapture is pretty, but she lacks either the jail-bait charm of Donna '25 going on 15' Wilkes, or the sheer va-va-voom of Betsy Russell).

More Angel

[BandSAboutMovies · 5/10 · 2 April 2021]

Tom DiSimone was back to make another Angel film, but for the third one in a row, we have a brand new Molly "Angel" Stewart. Mitzi Kapture, who was Sgt. Rita Lee Lance on Silk Stalkings takes over the lead and instead of being a lawyer, Angel is now a photographer.

While taking photos, she ends up taking a photo of her mother, the woman that left her fourteen years ago and sent her off to that world of the streets. The same thing is happening with her sister, so she heads out to Los Angeles just in time for her mom to explode. Now, Molly must become Angel again to rescue Michele (Tawny Ellis, Rockula).

Maud Adams, who played two different Bond girls (Andrea Anders in The Man With the Golden Gun and Octopussy, as well as a cameo in A View to a Kill) plays the madam who is keeping Angel's sister in her white slavery porn empire.

After the first two Angel films, this is seriously a let-down. It's not bad, but the whole idea of Angel's street family was what made those films work for me. Sure, Dick Miller, Toni Basil, Ashlyn Gere and Julie Smith are in this, which I appreciate, but I'm left missing Susan Tyrrell.

I expected trash, and I got it, but found some good things worth recycling.

[mark.waltz · 4/10 · 21 March 2024]

Good golly Ms. Molly, you in danger girl. Not just from the criminal organization that killed your mother no sooner had you found her, but the critics too. For the third "Angel" film (and the last I'll watch), there's a third actress in the cast, Mitzi Kapture, having switched from law to photography, obviously a snap decision where she clicks with the New York City clients who only know her work, not her sordid past.

Finding out that her mother's working there, she sets out to meet her and finds out that she has a half sister who is now out in L. A. and possibly in the life. Mom is murdered and Molly returns home, going back undercover, meets fellow photographer Kin Shriner and infiltrates a high class hooker organization run by Maud Adams. I guess three years away from the hooker business is an eternity because nobody recognizes her, and after dealing with two working girls who bully her for infiltrating on their territory takes on their pimp.

I look at this entry as what could have been the "Dynasty" of prostitution themed soap operas, with Adams very much in the Joan Collins mold. I expected the last entry to be so bad that I wouldn't make it through, but surprisingly I did. The writing is cliched, the acting rather mediocre (although Shriner is decent and Adams is totally camp), but the oddball pals of the character of Angel being missing really makes an impact. The fact that important details have been thrown out the window in this, and the result is an unnecessary third wheel that is sadly a flat tire.

Angel in L.A.

[Dr. Gore · 24 June 2005]

*SPOILER ALERT* *SPOILER ALERT*

I bought this video for three bucks. There were two hookers on the cover, one of them had a gun, and the tag line was "This beauty will blow you away." Yeah. That's all I needed to know. As an extra bonus, "Angel III" has one of the first appearances of Julie Smith. She plays the star of the porn movie that Angel infiltrates on her quest through the L.A. underworld. There was one glaring difference between the Julie Smith we all know today and the Julie Smith of yesteryear: Her breasts had shrunk dramatically. I almost didn't recognize her. The twins have grown up nice and healthy since this movie.

Anyway, even though I could talk about Julie Smith's breasts all day long, "Angel III" is not about Smith or her breasts, it's about Angel. Angel decides to move back to L.A. so she can take out the trash. Her long lost mom gets mixed up with some pimps and pushers. Angel's sister is also lost in the sordid, vice-ridden world of Hollywood/L.A. Angel needs to go undercover as a porn star/hooker to uncover the truth about Maud Adams and her white slavery ring.

I enjoyed this flick. It was as sordid and sleazy as it could afford to be. Maud Adams was a sparkling jewel of fine acting compared to some of the other players. There were plenty of gratuitous naked breast shots as well. The only thing a little off about this one was Angel. Angel does not get naked. That seems odd as she is the star of this sleaze fest and she is playing either a hooker or a porn star throughout most of the movie. She also doesn't really blow anybody away. She wasn't the avenging Angel I thought she would be. But even though the Angel action was a little light, I still liked this one. The sleazy exploitation vibe coming off "Angel III" was strong. It's worth a look.

Angel 3: The Final chapter. If hat was only true.

[videorama-759-859391 · 3/10 · 27 November 2013]

Yes, we're in desperation stakes again. This almost has the feel of a lot scenes, bits, desperately pieced together. This pathetic excuse, (let's not even call it a movie) for a number three, sees Angel (played by yet another actress, then again, so are the Griswald kids) not a lawyer, a photographer now, who stumbles onto a story, that may'be hits too close to home, more so on a personal note, where she has tracked down her mother while working on a story, involving of course, prostitution. It isn't soon before she's butting heads with a cop (Roundtree, wasted again) while falling in love with guess who? Think back to General Hospital. We meet another cooky character, not seen in the last two Angels, who doubles as a clown and ice cream driver. Again the bold, brazen, and independent Angel, also learns she has a.... yeah, a sister, involved in.... yeah, prostitution. Her mother, an art collector, running a front for drugs is blown up, hence it's Angel on the revenge trail, while trying to rescue her younger hottie sister, who turns blinders to her. She goes undercover as a high class call girl, for a madam, played with convincing evil by Maud Adams (wasted, yes) while also getting into porn, and learning some ugly truths from other girls, soon to be escorted off to the real real slavery. Angel has a great line at the end when Nadine (Adams) gets locked in an ice cream truck, sopping with chocolate. If fans of the Angel series, apart from the nudity and hot broads in some lingerie, this one may run short of your expectations. But good news: There's a fourth.

Close the book

[fmarkland32 · 3/10 · 20 August 2020]

Mitzi Kapture returns as Angel who finds her mother, before she is killed by madam Maud Adams who runs a white slavery ring and has Angel's previously not mentioned sister in this lifeless sequel. Angel 3 is literally the movie I feared the first one would be, mainly a soap opera meets lifetime movie full of overripe melodrama, competent but flat acting and a focus on none too sexy take on hookers, Angel of course turned out to be pretty decent, full of energy and was surprisingly character driven, Angel III is merely by the numbers. That said, it is better than Avenging Angel solely because the lack of comedy makes 3 merely stupid and dull instead of also annoying. The problem then with Angel III is there just isn't anything exciting here. It's competently made, but beyond professionalism there is little else that is noteworthy about this unnecessary sequel.

*1/2 Out Of 4-(Poor)

Resonable Sequel

[johnquaid · 7/10 · 30 December 2019]

Perfectly acceptable and fun sequel that does manage to add a few interesting twists and turns along the way. This time, Angel is avenging the death of her estranged mother who's been mixed up in a sex trafficking organization run by Maude Adams and is trying to save her long lost sister from being the next victim of the organization.

It's nice to see Angel's real family, the cast is pretty good, there are some exciting action set pieces, and funny bits of satire on the adult film industry. It breezes by with very few slow spots, which makes it a very easy viewing experience.

Angel battles with a white slavery ring, the porn industry, and drugs dealers in this one!

[filmbuff1974 · 7/10 · 7 January 2005]

This third installment in the Angel franchise can be enjoyed as a stand-alone film.Molly Stewart who we have seen in two previous films as a teenager in high school and then as a college student in the second film now is an adult woman working as a photographer in New York.She goes back to Los Angeles when she discovers her long lost mother and finds out she has a half sister.It seems that her mother has become involved with international drug dealers who are holding her daughter hostage to force cooperation with them.When Molly's mother proves to be too troublesome she is killed.So Molly Stewart goes into her Angel persona to track down her mother's killers and find the lost half sister she discovered she has.

The movie is so over the top that it actually works as a low budget action exploitation film.

About this sequel....

[GOWBTW · 8/10 · 9 June 2020]

The Angel series are getting stranger and stranger by the minute. However, the storyline makes a lot of sense. They keep having different actresses playing the title role. Mitzi Kapture is now Molly/Angel. She is living in New York as a photographer. Helping the police as usual. She gets to see her mother in California for the very first time. But it's not a happy reunion. She's mad at her for deserting her in her youth. Without her help, she is successful. Had some guidance, when her mother was absent in her life. But it would be bittersweet when Molly finds out that she has a sister. Then it's her and her sister now when her mother is killed in a car bomb. Her sister is involved in drugs and white slavery, and does the best to save her from impending doom. The sister doesn't believe that Molly is her sister. But when she finds out the truth, she want to play hero, herself.

It's got a lot of good casts. You have Bond girl, Maud Adams. Although, she played the villain in the film. Shaft star Richard Roundtree plays a cop. And singer Toni Basil is in it as well.

I don't know how other people feel about it, I liked it very much. It's not for everyone.

3 out of 5 stars.

A somehow fading image

[suchenwi · 7/10 · 19 January 2009]

I watched Angel 1 and 2 last night and 3 tonight, so I try to contrast them. First of all, 3 brought a very different style again - much less comedy, and a different kind of drama - not much left to show of LA street life, and the quirky persons out there - just one gay (and less elaborated) sidekick, Sparky.

And hey, wasn't Molly's mother called Margaret in 1? At least in the German dub (my cheap 3-pack doesn't have the original soundtrack, sorry). Now, meet Gloria (briefly). And how law school honor student Molly wound up as freelance photographer, wasn't explained either.

The strongest continuity to 2 came from the nice 1950s truck, remodeled from pet cemetery hearse to ice cream vendor's. And Molly (Mitzi Kapture, actress #3 in 3 movies, but still somewhat credible, glory be to the hair stylist) having no bullet under the trigger in a most tense situation...

And of course, the Message about the dangers of teen abuse (this time reaching out to slavery in Middle East or Calcutta) which was strongest in 1, of course, and appeared as sideline in 2.

I'm not sure what to think of this movie. It's not exactly bad (and has good moments, just fewer - take the naked pimp, or the hooked henchman), but somehow I still felt a little disappointed. After 1 and 2, acquiring a feeling for Molly Steward's exquisite adventures, I expected more from 3. Sleaze fans still get their occasional servings of bare breasts (ok with me), but I expected more "real" life scenes, like 1 and 2 delivered.

Mitzi plays good cop again

[wazup · 10/10 · 24 October 1998]

This was the first time that I saw this movie. I thought it was really good. This was the first time that I saw her acting before Silk Stalkings. So far every time I see her in movies or on tv series she plays a good person mainly roles as cops or security guards or a naval investigator. The only other role that I have seen her play was a lifeguard on Baywatch. I think that she is a really good actress and a great role model for girls of all ages.ý

The best of New World's "Angel" movies... but is it GOOD? Well...

[Wizard-8 · 26 September 2009]

If you have been reading my reviews, you will have seen that I have reviewed the original "Angel" movie and its first sequel "Avenging Angel". So what took me so long to get to "Angel III"? Well, I DID see this movie years ago... but on commercial television, and it seemed unfair to review an exploitation movie when it had been extensively edited. But today I found an uncut copy at a thrift store and watched it, so I'll review it now.

First, the good stuff. The production values of this movie are not only good, they are the best of the three New World "Angel" movies. It looks like some serious money was spent at times. It's odd that this movie went straight to video when the cheaper-looking first two movies were theatrically released.

When it comes to sleaze, the movie delivers more than the first two movies combined. There is a significant amount of nudity, and some of this sleaze is pretty funny to watch (like the porn film shoot.) The performances by the cast are pretty good, giving us likable good guys and hissable bad guys. (But it's clear that Adams and Roundtree only spent a few days being filmed for their surprisingly smaller-than-you'd-expect roles.)

Now for the not-so-good stuff: I thought the confrontation scene of Angel with her mother made less than an impact that I think it would in real life. (Maybe the filmmakers were afraid of being too harsh.) The main ways the movie screws up is that the movie is both too long (100 minutes long!) and too slow. There's a lot here that could be eliminated, which would have given the movie an appropriately zippy pace. Also, there is the unexplained thing about Angel being a photographer in this movie - in the previous movie she was studying law... what happened?

If you suffered through the disappointing first two "Angel" movies, this movie will give you some relief... though you'll still think it could be better. As for "Angel 4" (made by a different production company), I guess I will review it if I find a copy - I've gone through this series so far, so I might as well stay to the very end.

Prostitution Drama

[bipvg71 · 10/10 · 28 January 2006]

Region free,English:Dolby Digital 5.1 or AC-3. A former street prostitute named Angel/Molly Stewart (Mitzi Kapture) now a freelance photographer in New York runs across a woman at an art show that looks familiar. Going to L.A. she finds that this woman is her mother & she has a sister, Michelle (Tawny Fere). Their reunion is short-lived when her mother calls telling her that her sister is in danger & gets killed in an explosion. Molly going undercover becomes Angel in an effort to find her missing sister. She discovers a high-powered Madam Nadine (Maud Adams) running a high-class out call prostitution ring & whore house with Pimp Shahid (Emile Beaucard), controlling them with heroin addiction. Finding her sister in their hands & due to be sold overseas, she races desperately to unravel the intricate workings of the white slavery network teaming with police Lt. Doniger (Richard Roundtree).Also stars: Mark Blankfield – Spanky, Kin Shriner – Neal,S.A. Griffin – Roger, Anna Navarro – Gloria, Susan Moore – Pam, Floyd Levine – Lt. Mellin, Barbara Treutelaar – Shirley, Cynthia Hoppenfeld – Marie, Bob DeSimone – Porn Director, Julie K. Smith – Darlene. 99 minutes, Originally released 1988.

Angel series surprisingly good

[RavenGlamDVDCollector · 8/10 · 2 April 2020]

When I bought the box-set trio of movies, I didn't expect much. Something controversial, yes, something in sexy movie history, yes, but not necessarily any good. The first two has a plethora of oddball characters which go way, way over the top, often chewing up the scenery, ruining what had been built up, especially in the original (see my recent review). It is as one of the other reviewers said, this one's the best. By far. Unfortunately I am not a Mitzi Kapture fan, and she's really the least convincing ANGEL of the lot. But I had a great surprise finding Laura Albert (the G-string not nude dancer very early on) and discovering Tawny Fere (wow, sigh, anybody else ever noticed the influence Kylie Minogue had on Tawny's nightclub appearance?).

Hey, you buncha IMDbored commentators... In this genre, you should know, this is a gem. There's an actual story, not too much ghoulish gruesome bloodiness, some really really pretty scenery of the two-legged kind, and a really pretty kid like Tawny Fere thrown in as a co-star.

Good thing they dropped the cowboy and the old auntie. Don't wanna step on too many SILK STALKINGS toes, but the lead lady kinda doesn't do it for me...

* out of 4.

[brandonsites1981 · 25 May 2002]

Angel finds her mother, but she is shortly killed afterward in an explosion, but not before telling Angel that she has a sister. Now Angel goes back to being a streetwalker in order to find her and go head to head w/ Maud Adams.

This piece of dreck is horribly made, and poor Maud who was once an extremely famous and respected actress is now stuck making crappy films like this.

Rated R; Violence, Nudity, Profanity, Sexual Situations.

Series runs out of gas

[lor_ · 29 April 2023]

My review was written in May 1988 after a Cannes Film Festival Market screening.

Third entry in New World's "Angel" series is a tired-blood melodrama about sisterly devotion. Prospects are extremely weak, even among devotees of the first two sexploitationers.

All-new cast (though several of the characters are the same) is headed by Mitzi Kapture as Angel, now a 26-year-old shutterbug in New York City, who recognizes her long-one mom Gloria (Anna Navarro) in a photo and tracks her to L. A. Mom reveals Angel has a 14-year-old sister, Michelle (Tawny Fere), who is involved with bad company. Mom is killed by a car bomb and Angel decides to go back out on the street as a fake prostitute to find sis and avenge her mom.

Baddies are led by Maud Adams, running a combo white slavery and drug smuggling ring. Padded film wallows (with too many in-jokes) in the world of porn filmmaking as Angel takes many risks en route to saving sis and a poorly staged shootout finale.

Kapture is miscast as Angel, playing it too hard-edged to generate any sympathy and Fere too mature and far from innocent-looking in the youngster role. Comedian Mark Blankfield gets no laughs (his dialog is awful) as Angel's stereotyped street-person friend, played as if written for Craig Russell in "Outrageous". Rest of the cast phones it in.

Technical credits are chintzy.