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Mickey Rourke, Robert De Niro, Lisa Bonet, Charlotte Rampling, Stocker Fontelieu ... see more see more... , Brownie McGhee , Michael Higgins , Elizabeth Whitcraft , Eliott Keener , Charles Gordone , Dann Florek , Kathleen Wilhoite , Judith Drake , Gerald L. Orange , Peggy Severe , Loys T. Bergeron , Nicole Burdette , Hope Clarke , Valerie Jackson , Courtney Peldon , David Petitjean , Pruitt Taylor Vince , George 'Buck' Flower , Rick Washburne , Sarita Allen , Murray Bandel , Yvonne Bywaters , Oakley Dalton , Karen Davis , Viola Dunbar , Joshua Frank , Karmen Harris , Roselyn Lionhart , Kendell Lupe , Percy Martin , Rickie Monie , Jarrett Narcisse , Neil Newlon , Toots Sweet Band , Ernest Watson , Mark Taylor

The time is the 1950s: seedy Brooklyn private eye Harry Angel (Mickey Rourke) is hired by shady Louis Cyphre (Robert De Niro) to locate a pop singer who reneged on a debt. Harry ventures into Harlem, ... read more read more...the first step of a Heart of Darkness-inspired odyssey. Each time Harry makes contact with someone who might know the singer's whereabouts, he or she is killed in a horrible, ritualistic fashion; a Satanic cult seems to be at the bottom of all the carnage. Harry solves the mystery, all right. He just didn't know that he had the answer all along -- even before Louis entered his office. Also available in the "unrated" video version, Angel Heart is best known as the film that nearly got an X-rating due to a no-holds-barred sex scene involving Mickey Rourke and Lisa Bonet. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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R, 1 hr. 52 min.

Directed by: Alan Parker

Release Date: March 6, 1987

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DVD Release Date: June 23, 1998

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Flixster Reviews (1,490)

  • garyX
    December 13, 2011
    garyX
    Down at heel private eye Harry Angel is employed to track down an old time crooner and becomes embroiled in a world of black magic and murder. Allan Parker's tribute to Film Noir makes great use of the local colour of Harlem and the Louisiana Bayou to create a dark, brooding atmo... read moresphere in this beautifully shot supernatural thriller. Mickey Rourke puts in a good performance as the gumshoe who is seemingly out of his depth in this shadowy world and a fine supporting cast all play their part along with some intense sound design to create a suitably otherworldly and Hellish feel. The plot is perhaps a little thin as none of the supporting characters actually live long enough to conjure any really meaningful interaction with the protagonist leaving it feeling a little episodic, but the sense of dread and foreboding is tangible. A great lesson in how to create tension and atmosphere even if the story is a little lacking.
  • blacksheepboy
    August 25, 2011
    blacksheepboy
    A spectacular thriller that successfully blends noir and horror, boasting beautiful cinematography, perfect editing, a fascinating story that holds your attention from the first minute to the last, and a remarkable performance by Mickey Rourke, who is nothing less than extraordin... read moreary.
  • cancercapricorn2002
    May 13, 2011
    cancercapricorn2002
    What can I say but I love this film. Its one of my all time favorites. I will try to keep this as short and sweet as I can because I could just go on and on about this film. Angel Heart is a winding psychological thriller that -- in 1987 -- was far ahead of its time. So far that ... read moreaudiences didn't `get it' and the film bombed at the box office. Only now over the past few years are we beginning to see endings like this one surface in horror movies. Had Angel Heart been made a decade or so later, perhaps it would have succeeded.

    As it is, the movie which has a strong cult following is still nothing short of mesmerizing. I would even go so far to call it a masterpiece. It is scary, disturbing, influential, thought-provoking, and a lot smarter and more atmospheric than most movies being made today.

    It stars Mickey Rourke as Harry Angel, a private eye from Brooklyn in the 1950s who is hired by Louis Cyphere (Robert De Niro) to locate a mysterious singer named Johnny Favorite, who disappeared in the early 40s and hasn't been seen since.

    Angel's journey takes him from the streets of New York to jazz clubs in Harlem and, finally, to the sweltering swamps of Louisiana. He meets a variety of characters, all of who have little to say about Favorite. All we seem to know is that he was a singer, entered the war, and was shot, had his face reconstructed, was taken out of hospital care, and apparently vanished from the face of the earth.

    Most people who watch it now will see the twist coming a mile away
    but that's not to say that the movie won't affect you. Notorious when released for some controversial scenes (including a graphic sex scene involving Rourke and The Cosby Show's Lisa Bonet), the movie's moody atmosphere is its strongest element.

    The acting, too, is very strong. This is Rourke's finest performance, as Harry Angel, a scumbag detective with nothing to lose. Rourke's acting here is Oscar-worthy.

    The role of Louis Cyphere is also one of De Niro's most interesting and ambitious performances; he delves entirely into character and leaves a lasting impact on the viewer.

    The film was directed by Alan Parker, the famous British filmmaker (of, among others, Midnight Express). Some say this is his finest film ,wonderfully crafted, beautifully shot, masterfully edited and I'd have to agree.
  • mumby1988
    May 4, 2011
    mumby1988
    Alan Parker is that most contradictory of characters, the journeyman auteur. In a career spanning four decades he has made a film in almost every conceivable genre, from musicals (Bugsy Malone) to prison dramas (Midnight Express), and from war films (Birdy) to offbeat comedies (T... read morehe Road to Wellville). While the results have not always been cohesive or agreeable, when he is on form he achieves that rare balance of distinctive directorial vision and respectful treatment of a given story.

    After working with Peter Gabriel on Birdy, the film which launched the career of Matthew Modine, Parker turned his hand to film noir in the form of Angel Heart. Based loosely on the novel Falling Angel by William Hjortsberg, it combines the hardboiled pulp fiction of Raymond Chandler with the supernatural threat of The Wicker Man, held together by Parker's sumptuous visuals and a powerful central performance by Mickey Rourke. While not a complete masterpiece, it remains a highly compelling work of 1980s cinema which is more than worthy of its cult status.

    On a basic level, Angel Heart is a throwback to the classic noirs of the 1930s and 1940s, with a plot straight out of a classic gumshoe detective story. In the film a private detective meets a mysterious client, who offers him a large sum of money to find a man who owes him some form of debt. As the detective snoops around, he finds himself pulled further and further into a dark new world, and eventually comes to realise that he is more closely connected to the client than he previously thought...

    When written out like this, Angel Heart can seem incredibly hackneyed, the sort of script which had been hanging around studios for years being constantly re-written. But the film is fully aware of its place in the genre, tipping its hat to other recent attempts to reinvigorate or redefine film noir. There is, for instance, a direct nod to Chinatown in the scene on the beach: Harry Angel is given a nose shield which he clips to his sunglasses, mirroring the image of J. J. Gittes with his bandaged nose.

    Both Chinatown and Angel Heart use the conventions of pulp and film noir to provide a firm grounding for their audience, giving some form of reassurance as they indulge in ideas or flights of fantasy which are uncommon for their genre. In the end Angel Heart is the weaker film, since its relationship to such conventions is so close that, on a narrative level at least, it never manages to rise above it. But there is still much pleasure to be had from watching all the pieces fit together, and much terror to be found in Parker's various stylish indulgences.

    Judged purely on its visuals, Angel Heart is as memorably full-on and sumptuous as Pink Floyd - The Wall five years earlier. As with that film, there is a contrast between the pale and faded colours of the 'normal' world (in this case New York City) and the richer, fuller tones which gradually emerge as both film and character tip over into madness. Parker's long-time cinematographer, Michael Seresin, floods these sequences with reds and blacks which wouldn't look out of place in the work of Dario Argento, and his capturing of shadows rivals anything on The Third Man.

    These visuals hint at one of the great successes of Angel Heart as a thriller, namely the level of atmosphere it creates. The three or four scenes involving Robert De Niro are uncharacteristically quiet; they occur in churches, offices and deserted cafés, places in which Parker can play on the pauses and grant De Niro's every word the emphasis it deserves. This, coupled with his threatening characterisation, creates the sense of some great evil hovering over everything that occurs between his meetings with Mickey Rourke. Like the dark shadows on a Francis Bacon painting, we feel threatened by this intangible, amorphous sense of doom, which feeds the paranoia of the audience until we are begging for relief.

    The plot of Angel Heart is rooted in the age-old story of Faustus, which involves a man selling his soul to the devil in return for success - he gains the world at the cost of the one thing that is truly and inalienably his. The character of Johnny Favourite, who never appears on screen, stands in for Faust as a man determined to have fame and fortune at any price. But where Faust seeks no harm to others in his quest for hedonistic fulfilment, Favourite is "as close to true evil as anyone wanted to come" and is driven to desperation in his bid to renege on the deal.

    The film is full of religious imagery relating to both Christianity and voodoo. Some of the Christian imagery is obvious: you don't call characters Harry Angel and Louis Cyphre without good reason. In one of their conversations, Cyphre describes how an egg can represent the human soul; he then proceeds to devour an egg he had peeled with his long fingernails, like the devil wearing down a victim and going in for the kill. Other images are more subtle and inventive, like the recurring shot of fans and elevators - ordinary, everyday objects which carry connotations of death and descent into darkness.

    As with the paganism depicted in The Wicker Man, the voodoo elements in Angel Heart are not intended necessarily to be taken as chapter and verse. The intention is less to describe exactly what voodoo entails and how it is practised, and more about conveying a clash of cultures, in this case between atheism and the supernatural in general. Angel's contact with voodoo in New Orleans is the first time he entertains the idea that Johnny Favourite was anything more than an elaborate hoax. In a subversion of Christianity, it is faith in a life after death that leads him not to God but to the Devil.

    Being both a hardboiled thriller and a supernatural horror movie, Angel Heart contains a certain amount of graphic violence. Such scenes include a live chicken being cut open and its blood being poured over Lisa Bonet, Angel being beaten up by anonymous mobsters, and the numerous murders which occur. Though not an out-and-out shocker in the mould of Hellraiser, there is more than enough in Angel Heart to make you wince and shiver.

    Fortunately, precious little of this violence is salacious or gratuitous. The most terrifying moments in Angel Heart are those which use such imagery in an artier, more abstract way to unnerve the viewer psychologically. As the film goes on, Angel begins to suffer vivid nightmares involving an apartment window, red light and a man screaming - a simple image which becomes steadily more unsettling. There is a further link with Pink Floyd - The Wall in the scene where Angel and Epiphany make love in the leaky apartment. The image of water slowly turning to blood is a close cousin of 'The Thin Ice' sequence with Bob Geldof drowning in the swimming pool.

    The performances in Angel Heart are every bit as memorable as the imagery surrounding them. Although De Niro hovers menacingly over everything, it is Mickey Rourke who defines the film in what remains his finest performance. Harry Angel may be a dishevelled flatfoot, but Rourke brings so much more to the party, from his snarky facial expressions to a deep world-weariness: whether down-to-earth or downright hysterical, Angel feels so much more than just an archetype. The supporting performances by Lisa Bonet and Charlotte Rampling are also pretty convincing, especially from the former in a full-on big-screen debut.

    Angel Heart does for the pulp thriller what Black Swan did for the giallos of Dario Argento. It takes a number of familiar elements from a given genre and affectionately cranks them up to a point of near-hysteria, resulting in a film which is intensely atmospheric and deeply unnerving. Like Black Swan, there are moments which are ridiculous, and it's hardly the most consistent film ever made. But when it works, it works beautifully, resulting in a breath-taking balance of art, faith and fear.
  • MrMarakai
    June 12, 2010
    MrMarakai
    Mickey Rourke plays Harry Angel a private detective hired by a mysterious and creepy client (Robert DeNiro) to find a missing jazz singer that has some debts to pay. Angel's search brings him to New Orleans where he becomes embroiled in voodoo cults and the body counts begin to r... read moreise in his elusive search. He eventually starts to realise that some stones are better left unturned.
    Alan Parker's films are rarely ever the same and here he tackles film noir with a horror spin. He manages to keep an air of mystery to the film with fantastic use of locations to convey the uncomfortable humidity and atmosphere of deep south america. Rourke is absolutely brilliant, in one of his finest roles and DeNiro send shivers in a short but very effective appearance. An excellent modern gothic noir with a twist.
  • gokhale1
    February 20, 2010
    gokhale1
    One twisted tale + Two of the most bravura performances I've ever seen = One 'Hell' of a movie!:



    'Angel Heart' begins with an eerie, atmospheric background score, with the opening frame of a cold, winter night....

    It is at this very stage, that the viewer gets completel... read morey drawn in, into this shocking tale of an investigator out to seek a missing person, for one really odd client. The premise sounds like a regular mystery of a missing person, with the investigator, Harold Angel (Mickey Rourke) following every lead he gets. But things are not as straightforward as they may seem, as Harold slowly uncovers the disturbing truth behind the disappearance.

    'Angel Heart' is, however, surprisingly underrated! This flick definitely deserves more points..at least from horror/thriller film loyalists, 'cause it is definitely a cut above some other cheap, B-horror flicks. This movie is a close second to the brilliant 'Jacob's Ladder' from the same producers (Mario Kassar and Andrew Vajna).

    Alan Parker's direction is excellent. The background score by Trevor Jones is well in place and perfectly complements the dark mood of the movie.

    What can I say about the performances that hasn't already been said! This is quite possibly Mickey Rourke's career best performance! He shows a wide range of emotions, with so much ease. He sinks his teeth firmly into the character and fits the role of Harold Angel to the T. Not to mention he has great screen presence and charisma.

    As for the great Mr. De Niro...this is one actor who never fails to amaze me. Just when I thought he couldn't possibly be as brilliant as (or better than) he was in Raging Bull or Taxi Driver or The Godfather Part II or even Casino, I come across this GOD of a performance..De Niro's Louis Cyphre! This is what a true performance is all about!!! And what's more, De Niro is hardly there on screen (maybe a total of about 15 minutes?), but you've got to hand it to him....he makes it a point to be extraordinary in every frame he appears in! This is one less known but magnificent performance from the legendary actor.

    And then there's a special mention of Lisa Bonet. She delivers in her small role as Epiphany.

    All said, 'Angel Heart', is not to be missed. Strongly recommended for the fans of creepy and twisted movies.
  • matertenebraum
    February 1, 2010
    matertenebraum
    This was the only film that ever gave me sleepless nights. It is terrifying at an almost elemental level. I can understand why so many people gave this film a low rating; on first viewing it appears confused, plot less and strange, but, if you see it again, once the ending has be... read moreen revealed, all the hidden meanings emerge from the woodwork and a truly shattering psychological experience reveals itself. Far from being confused, it is actually quite simple and straightforward. Far from being plot less, "Angel Heart" has one of the most intricate and well-constructed plots of any film I have seen. Every shot in this film carries a hidden meaning, from the opening with the young man's corpse, to the whispers in Harry Angel's ear, to Harry shattering a mirror, to the direction turned by the blades of fans. The more times you see the film, the more you understand and the more terrifying it becomes. In the movie "Hellraiser," there is a magic puzzle that once solved, opens the gates to Hell. "Angel Heart" is the same way; the more of this puzzle you put together, the closer you get to the final, soul-searing understanding.

    Angel Heart Pictures, Images and Photos
  • SirPant
    September 24, 2009
    SirPant
    Great film, DeNiro?s Satan is superb. Whatever happened to Lisa Bonet?
  • 366weirdmovies
    October 24, 2008
    366weirdmovies
    Detective Angel (Mickey Rourke) is hired by a mysterious, sartorial client (Robert De Niro) to track down a missing man, and the search leads him to new Orleans and a voodoo cult. Supernatural film noir with a very chilling twist, if you don't guess it early on.
  • sononothing
    September 27, 2008
    sononothing
    Alan Parker is one of those guys that doesn't try to do the same thing twice (the guy did The Wall for Christ sakes). What he does with Angel Heart is take a well worn formula (the gum shoe detective) and give it a bit of a twist (supernatural voodoo) that gives us a film that ke... read moreeps us riveted as we follow Harry Angel (Mickey Rourke) from Brooklyn to New Orleans to Hell.

    Angel is hired by the mysterious Louis Cypher (Robert DeNiro who seems to have transformed into Scorsese on coke) to find a mysterious musician who owes him a debt. The simple plot follows Angel through many places and many corpses until the revelation is uncovered.

    Simple. Yet complex. You sit through most of the film thinking it's a basic private dick dick, but it soon becomes more complicated than that. That's why the film works. The script is good, though there are some scenes that seem to need prodding along. Parker's world is dirty, but not dark. He shines the light on the dirt, keeping the film from going to noirish. Rourke and DeNiro are great with DeNiro playing a true Cypher throughout the film.

    Overall Angel Heart is another great piece of film making from Alan Parker. The film does have a twist ending before we expected twist endings that is still a bit predictable, but the ride getting there is always half the fun.

View All Angel Heart Reviews

Critic Reviews

Dennis Schwartz
October 5, 2011
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews

Offbeat Faustian voodoo tale about the descent of a sleazy private detective into hell. Full Review

Joseph Jon Lanthier
November 22, 2009
Joseph Jon Lanthier, Slant Magazine

Metaphysical and emotional anemia is an important tradition in cult horror/mystery, a category the daffy plot twists and crimson, incestuous excesses of Angel Heart sit quite cozily in. Full Review

Clint Morris
May 6, 2005
Clint Morris, Moviehole

A hot little movie with even hotter performances

Scott Weinberg
April 17, 2005
Scott Weinberg, eFilmCritic.com

Seriously creepy bayou noir with more twists than you can shake a chicken bone at.

Christopher Null
May 28, 2004
Christopher Null, Filmcritic.com

feels awfully conventional on the whole Full Review

John Urbancich
February 5, 2004
John Urbancich, Sun Newspapers of Cleveland

An underappreciated thriller with a sizzling Lisa Bonet to boot!

Pablo Villaca
July 25, 2003
Pablo Villaca, Cinema em Cena

Este excepcional noir conta com maravilhosa fotografia, edição primorosa, roteiro envolvente e - o mais importante - uma atuação genial de Rourke, digna de Marlon Brando.

Widgett Walls
November 25, 2002
Widgett Walls, Needcoffee.com

Erotic, twisty and incredibly disturbed. Splendid!

Ken Hanke
August 21, 2002
Ken Hanke, Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)

One of the few truly great modern horror films

Rob Vaux
July 26, 2002
Rob Vaux, Flipside Movie Emporium

Alan Parker's pulp sensibilities are beautifully honed by this razor-sharp piece of occult noir.

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    • Toots Sweet: We ain't all Baptists down here Sonny.
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