Angel Heart

Director: Alan Parker

Starring: Mickey Rourke, Robert De Niro, Lisa Bonet, Charlotte Rampling and Brownie McGhee

Year: 1987

If I was to write a definitive list of all my favourite films Angel Heart would definitely be on it.

Angel Heart is set in 1955 in New York about a private investigator called Harry Angel (Rourke) hired by Louis Cypher to find a man called Johnny Favourite who reneged on a deal years ago. His investigation leads him going down to Louisiana where his investigation takes a sinister turn…

I absolutely love this film. It oozes and drips atmosphere, it’s exquisitely shot, very well paced and written, superbly acted and has a very haunting score by Trevor Jones. I cannot fault this film at all.

This film really demonstrates Mickey Rourke’s incredible talent and is one of my favourite actors. Harry Angel comes across as a fairly decent good man and you feel his desperation and despair as he’s investigation deepens. Rourke shows his natural charisma and easy going charm which makes it easy to see why he was a leading man in the 80’s. Also being a New Yorker helps as his accent sounds very natural. He absolutely steals the show in this film.

His scenes with De Niro are a right treasure to watch seeing two fantastic actors playing off each other, they have a few scenes together and they are all brilliant. De Niro’s role is a rather small role but a very important character. Cypher is a very creepy, imposing, powerful and a oddly charming character. Of course his role as Cypher was when Niro was in his prime during the 70’s/80’s and 90’s so he’s on top of his game here. Cypher is one of my favourite roles by De Niro he’s simply brilliant.

Lisa Bonet, Charlotte Rampling, Brownie McGhee and all the other actors are all excellent in their roles and add more to the complex tapestry of Angel Heart.

The atmosphere drips from every frame of Angel Heart which is a dark, sombre and incredibly thrilling. There’s alot of disturbing imagery and dream sequences which add more to the supernatural tinge to the film. The film blends Noir and Horror perfectly. I love Trevor Jones score to Angel Heart it suits the tone of the film perfectly especially Courtney Pine’s use of the saxophone.

I haven’t seen many of Alan Parker’s films. I have seen Bugsy Malone, Angel Heart and Mississippi Burning. All of which are absolutely excellent masterpieces in my opinion but Angel Heart is his magnum opus in my opinion. Parker certainly has a signature style which really shows in every frame of his films.

It’s absolutely classic and one of the greatest films of the 80’s and I am very happy that the audience continues to grow.

I can never forget my first viewing of Angel Heart and how it impressed me, I was really drawn into it and every time I watch it, it never ceases to amaze me. If you haven’t seen this film and the story intrigues you, your in for one mesmerizing wild ride.